Drive to Northland

If you rent a car, then you can take a road trip to Northland on the Twin Coast Discovery Highway. This road loops around the Northland region so you can explore any way you like. There’s the east coast section and the west coast section, so you could do one section going up and one section going down. Time it right and catch the sunrise on the east coast, then the sunset on the west on the return trip a few days later.

Starting out in Auckland, which is where most tourists arrive by plane, drive north. About 45 minutes into your drive, you’ll hit BeesOnline. It’s at 791 Highway 16, Waimauku. It’s a restaurant, but they make gourmet honey here, and you can ask to taste their honeys. They serve food, and almost everything has some honey in it.

Drive a little further north and hit Whangarei Falls. It’s free, and located just outside the town of Whangarei. The falls drop 26 meters, or 82 feet, in parallel columns.

For beaches on your New Zealand driving tour, try Muriwai Beach and Aranga Beach. Aranga Beach can be combined with a hike up a steep hill. At the top you get a great view from Maunganui Bluff. In a country known for amazing scenic ocean views, even this one stands out. Muriwai Beach is popular for surfing, and has rocks galore. Located 28 miles northwest of Auckland.

If you make it all the way north to Paihia, save time for some hiking. A nice and easy, scenic hike can be found at Russell. Russell is a short ferry ride from Paihia, with boats leaving every half hour. It takes about fifteen minutes. Russell was the first permanent settlement of Europeans on New Zealand so it’s a good destination even if you don’t want to go hiking. It’s really a vacation town now. There’s a walking path that leads to some very steep inclines, but don’t worry, the hike is pretty easy. You get up to the peak, called Flagstaff Hill. You get a 360 degree view of the Bay of Island region, one you won’t ever forget.