Whangarei is a good place to settle down for a few days, relax, and enjoy the ocean. With so many great beaches to enjoy, the best time to visit is in summer but there are also great activities to do on a rainy day as well.
There are caves, beaches and waterfalls all waiting to be explored. Whangarei is a great place to get outside and enjoy the surroundings, which can make it a pretty affordable destination to visit.
We visited Whangarei for 3 days and didn’t spend a dime on activities, you’re really spoilt for choice when it comes to things to do outdoors.
Whangarei
Whangarei Quarry Gardens – much more than just gardens, you’ll be walking through a bit of history as well! What once used to be a quarry, has now had a huge makeover and turned into a tropical oasis. Enjoy forest walks, waterfalls and the ruins and tunnels from the stone quarry that operated from 1940 to 1974. Enjoy a coffee and bite to eat at the Quail cafe while taking in the scenery. Entry to this is just a gold coin donation and this helps the lovely volunteers buy more plants and equipment. Location: 37A Russell Rd, Kensington, Whangarei
Kiwi North – make sure you see the kiwi, they are feed at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Then have a wander through the museum and heritage park and have a look into the Clarke Family Homestead. Location: 500 State Highway 14, Maunu, Whangarei
Botanica – a fantastic walk through colourful and exotic plants. Stroll through a heated conservatory for tropical plants, a cactus house, fernery and Japanese garden. Fantastic for a rainy day. By the way, it’s free! Location: 2 First Avenue, Whangarei
Whangarei Falls – These falls are so easy to get to from the town centre it’s a no brainer to stop in and admire them. The 26m waterfalls are right by the car park. It’s worth walking down to the bottom of the waterfalls, enjoy the sounds of the water falling while you enjoy a picnic or continue onto another walking track. Location: 6 Ngunguru Rd, Tikipunga, Whangarei
Adventure Forest – with circuits for all abilities this is a must do for families. The kids will be challenged as they walk across tight ropes, swinging bridges and fly through the forest on flying foxes. Enjoy a fun day amongst the trees, perfect for daring kids and a good challenge for everyone. Location: 160 Maruata Rd, Glenbervie, Whangarei
Beaches:
- Ocean Beach – big, wide, 5km long beach, sand dunes to slide down, good waves to play in, rock pools to explore at low tide and great walking tracks for awesome views. Location: Ocean Beach, Whangarei Heads
- Pataua North and South – the North is a great spot for surfing, the South is a sheltered estuary, great for swimming and jumping off the footbridge.
- Ngunguru – there’s an estuary and it’s lined with shops and cafes. The estuary is great for kayaking and swimming.
- Kauri Mountain Beach – a lot less travelled to than Ocean Beach but worth it to escape the crowds during the summer.
- Reotahi Marine Reserve – a great spot to go swimming and snorkelling.
Walks:
- Abbey Caves – there are three caves to walk to and explore. There’ll be a bit of clambering along the rocks so this may be better for kids that are confident walking along rocks. It gets dark fast so don’t forget the torch and go in deeper – if you dare! Turn the torches off when you’re inside to enjoy the glowworms. Location: Abbey Caves Road, Whangarei
- Mount Manaia – walk to the top of Mount Manaia, 420m above sea level – enjoy the spectacular views. It takes about 2 hours, return and as to be expected, there are many stairs so the kids may need to be quite fit and keep a close eye on them. Location: start’s at Manaia Club’s lower carpark.
- Mangawhai Cliffs Walkway – awesome 2-3 hour return coastal track, great beaches and fantastic cliff views. If you’re wanting to complete this loop track via the beach check the tide times before you go. Location: Track is sign posted from the Mangawhai Surf Life Saving Club carpark
- AH Reed Kauri Park – home to 500 year old kauri, these trees are impressive! You can get a birds eye view from the canopy walkway or head to the Pukenui Falls. Easy walks ranging from 15 – 60 minutes. Location: Whareora Road, Whangarei
- Smugglers Bay Loop Track – coastal forest, great views, WWII gun emplacements and a beautiful beach to end it at. This is a short and easy 1hr and 30 minute loop walk. If you’re short on time you can just head straight to Smugglers Bay from the carpark, it’s a great place for a swim, some fishing or a nice picnic. Location: The track starts from the Urquharts Bay Rd car park.
Waipu & surrounds
Pancake Rocks – just a short ten minute walk to these incredible pancake rocks. The kids will love exploring them. Be aware of the tide, you’ll want to go when it’s low as you have to cross a stream to get there. The start of the track is hard to find and we kind of stumbled across it while we were at Waipu beach. Location: access at either end of the track: Waipu Cove or Waipu Coastal Trail, Langs Beach
Waipu Caves – if the kids are into their cave exploring, they’ll just love this one. It’s a biggie! Though slippery and of course, very dark, so bring some good shoes and a good torch for everyone (our kids loved holding their own). Location: Waipu Caves Road, Waipu
Piroa Falls – a fantastic stop if the kids are itching to get out and everyone can enjoy some fresh air. It’s just a short walk to these falls, bring a picnic or let the kids splash around in the water – there are also deeper rock pools for the bigger ones (be warned – it’s really cold but it’ll be perfect on a warm summers day). Location: Waipu Gorge Road, Waipu
Beaches – Langs Beach, Uretiti Beach and Ruakaka Beach are all great beaches to head to. Mangawhai Beach has sand dunes, rocks and swimming.
Matapouri / Tutukaka
Tutukaka – has many beautiful, sheltered and safe beaches including Kowharewa Bay and Pacific Bay which are great for swimming, picnics and snorkelling. This is also a popular area for paddle boarding and kayaking which can be hired over summer. If you’re looking for more, check out the lighthouse. From Tutukaka you can visit the world famous dive spot – the Poor Knights Island. Go on a cruise to explore these amazing islands populated by fish, colourful underwater plants and rocks. Enjoy kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkelling, swimming and cave exploring – sounds like the perfect day!
Tutukaka Lighthouse Track – don’t be fooled by the name, this isn’t a lighthouse but a solar powered beacon. Walk on the beach and across to Kukutauwhao Island, which only becomes an island during high tide making it best to do this walk at low tide and enjoy the views of the Poor Knights and Great Barrier Islands. 90min return, 1km. Location: Landowners Lane
Beaches:
- Matapouri Beach – a great place to explore and enjoy the white sand and little waves coming in. Snorkelling is good by the rocks when it’s calm. The Tutukaka Coast is simply beautiful, you could easily spend a few days relaxing and slowing down the pace in this area.
- Mermaid Pools – quite the walk up but our kids are always up for the challenge – it just made it more fun and exciting in their eyes. These rocks pools are quite popular and for good reason. Note: last time I heard, this was currently closed, so check before you go.
- Whale Bay – try go during the weekdays as this is another popular place to go to in summer. It’s a ten minute walk down to this little beach and is shaded by lovely pohutakwa which blossom around Christmas time. Being sheltered from wind and surf this makes a nice and safe beach for kids and snorkelling.
- Woolleys Bay – bring out the body boards and surf boards and ride the little waves, perfect for beginners, at Woolleys Bay.
- Sandy Bay – here you’ll find the best surf on the Tutukaka Coast, why not give surfing a go with Tutukaka Surf.
- Whangaumu Bay (Wellingtons Bay) – sheltered from northerlies, the beach is safe for swimming, kayaking, sailing and snorkelling. There’s lots of shade from the trees, the perfect spot to lay down a picnic and enjoy the views.
Location, location, location
Find out where everything is so you can start planning your family holiday road trip route.
Have you been to Whangarei? What’s your favourite spot? Let us know in the comments!
