Things to do in Whangarei

People often treat Whangarei as a fuel-and-coffee stop on the way to the Bay of Islands. That's a mistake. Spend a day or two here and you'll find waterfalls a short walk from the car park, glowworm caves you can wander through for free, and a harbour-front full of cafes and odd, brilliant architecture.

Here's what we point our guests towards. Most of it is ten or fifteen minutes from the park.

Start at Whangarei Falls

The falls drop 26 metres over an old basalt lava flow, and there's a viewing platform right at the top plus a short loop track down to the base. It takes about twenty minutes to walk the loop, longer if you stop for photos, which you will. From there you can pick up the track through AH Reed Memorial Park and walk among the kauri on a raised canopy walkway. Both are free. More on the waterfalls and gardens around town is on our gardens, parks and waterfalls page.

The Town Basin and the Hundertwasser Centre

The Town Basin is the marina end of the city, and it's where most visitors end up. The big draw now is the Hundertwasser Art Centre, with its gold domes, uneven floors, trees growing out of the roof, and the Wairau Māori Art Gallery inside. Whether or not modern art is your thing, the building is worth seeing.

Around it you've got cafes, the restaurants and bars we'd actually recommend, Claphams National Clock Museum, and the start of the Hatea Loop, a flat 4.2km walk around the harbour that crosses Te Matau a Pohe, the fish-hook bridge that lifts for boats. It's pram- and wheelchair-friendly and takes about an hour at a gentle pace.

Abbey Caves, if you don't mind getting your feet wet

Ten minutes out of town there are three limestone caves you can explore on your own, with no guide and no ticket. Bring a torch and shoes you don't mind soaking, because there's a stream running through. Turn the lights off once you're inside and the glowworms come out above you. It's the kind of thing that costs money almost everywhere else in the country. We've written more about it and the other attractions nearby.

Get up high, or get to the coast

For a view over the whole city and harbour, drive or walk up Mount Parihaka to the war memorial at the top. If you've got more time, head out to Whangarei Heads, half an hour east, where you can climb Mount Manaia or spend the afternoon at Ocean Beach. The beaches east of the city are some of Northland's best and far quieter than the ones further north.

Rainy day? The Whangarei Quarry Gardens are a volunteer-built subtropical garden in an old quarry, entry by donation, and Kiwi North out at Maunu has a kiwi house, the regional museum and a heritage village. Both work well with kids, and there's more for school holidays on our school holiday programmes page.

Making a base of it

All of this is easier when you're not driving in from out of town each morning. We're a ten-minute walk from the Town Basin and one turn off the highway, so you can leave the van or car parked and wander in. Have a look at our accommodation, with cabins, motel units and powered or tent sites, and book direct for the best rate. If you're not sure what suits, send us a message and we'll point you the right way.