Northland - Te Taitokerau:
Northland treats 1: Whangārei City and surrounds - Parihaka is the main hill over looking town and it’s a hidden gem in plain sight. It’s an old massive māori pā site with beautiful kauri forest, and native plants, even large rare kauri snail shells can be seen sometimes. The tracks link up to a really nice river walk to A.H. Reed park (even better Kauri trees) and then to Whangarei Falls - instagram worthy waterfall. the Hatea Loop. If you want easy access to great nature, some light exercise, views of the city then this is 10/10 a local delight.
- Aaron
Northland treats 2: St Pauls Walk in Whangaroa is an awesome walk right up behind Whangaroa and offers great views and a little excitement on the way up. It’s an relatively easy short walk and little climb up with a chain to the top. Short, a little bit steep and very sweet. - Aaron
The yin-yang of Northland:
To truly experience and appreciate Northland you need to understand Northland. It’s a long peninsula, surrounded by oceans and dotted with headlands and harbours. There is a definite yin-yang to Northland between the West and East Coasts. The west coast is referred to as Te Tai Tamatane (the male coast, yang) and the East Coast as Te Tai Tamahine (the female coast, yin). With this in mind its nice to experience the differences of both coasts and beaches. As northland is relatively skinny, this is easy. The open, raw, expansiveness of the west and the sheltered, nurturing bays of the east. - Aaron