tinytawnykitten Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi we (my husband, 3.5 year old son, and I) are renting a caravan in Whangarei (we will have just spent a week with friends in Taupo) and going around Northland for 8 days in mid Feb. We have only ever been north of Auckland once (we are from Welly) and that was Paihia in a cyclone and was short lived and rather wet. Anyone have any must sees, must dos, good campgrounds, private or DOC ones, any must see pet stores :lol: yeah my husband will love that hahaha he already despairs at how many visits to Hutt Pets/Animalz one can handle in a week. Also, is there anything we must have before we embark on a caravan holiday (other than a caravan). There are bound to be things we will forget. Any advice greatly appreciated!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 We went caravanning down south a long time ago. My best advice is not to travel on dirt roads when it's raining just in case your caravan is like our's was. The floor wasn't particularly well sealed and the muddy water got into all the storage compartments at floor level. It took a long time to wash all our clothes at the next motor camp. Of course, it is summer and you will be in Northland so it shouldn't be a problem - but if it does rain... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Tauranga Bay is beautiful - great beach and lagoon area, pretty sure there is a camping ground there. Stayed in a bach there a few years ago and it was brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JK Posted January 14, 2008 Report Share Posted January 14, 2008 Would second Tauranga Bay. Also it's hard to beat the Far North. Places like Spirits Bay, Cape Reinga, Taputupotu Bay,Rawara etc. Really remote places with gravel roads etc but fine for caravans etc. Great fishing too! Spirits and Taputupotu both have camp sites with running water etc but watch out for the mozzies over summer!!Alternativly Waitiki Landing has a few more facilities. Further south, the area around Mongunui/Doubtless Bay and Coopers Beach and Cable Bay are also great possies. A good website to use for doc sites is http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/ByRegi ... x?id=37039 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgeous Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Of course, it is summer and you will be in Northland so it shouldn't be a problem - but if it does rain... its pretty tropical up here... chances are it will rain... sorry guys... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 i dont think it matters where you go up here, its all excellent. there are approx 50 beaches within an hour of whangarei (an hours drive to paihia) & probably another 50 in the far north (taipa, karikari, monganui etc). i wouldn't plan on travelling much in the 8 days as you'll spend more time travelling than enjoying where you are. i spent 2 1/2 weeks at Otamure bay DOC camp just over the hill from whananaki north & can highly recommend the camp even though it doesn't have power. As for fish shops, Northland pet & aquarium on cameron st next to the police station is the best up here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinytawnykitten Posted January 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Thanks all. Any idea where the doc campsite was where th Outrageous Fortune movie length episode was filmed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Thanks all. Any idea where the doc campsite was where th Outrageous Fortune movie length episode was filmed? i thought that was in the coromandle somewhere, was it in Northland? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northland chic Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 Yay! Good on you all! There's lots of awesome places to visit up here. Most of our beaches are breathtaking. If you want to see the top of the North Island would be find a camp site for your caravan maybe somewhere like Whatuwhiwhi/Karikari, theres an awesome holiday park there one of the top ten (ph 0800142144). Thats about half way in between Mangonui and Kaitaia. You could park your caravan and drive around from there, its only a couple of hours to Cape Reinga or theres those dune bus tours that leave from Kaitaia. You could also visit Mangonui briefly and places like Taipa where there is no camping ground. Theres also holiday parks at Tauranga Bay (ph 094050436) and Taupo Bay (ph 094060315)about 10kms out of Mangonui. Tauranga Bay is only a bay or two away from Taupo Bay. Theres also a nice camping ground at Hihi (ph 094060307) which is just a few minutes (about 6kms out of Mangonui) and from the beach at Hihi you can see Doubtless Bay and the one at Whatuwhiwhi is almost on the opposite side of the bay to Hihi. Just about from any of those places I mentioned you could drive to the top and mosey round. My partner goes into Spirits Bay on the boat and says it great I think theres one of those DOC camping grounds there maybe. Parenga Harbour is beautiful if you drive up the top, you'll get to see the blinding white silica sand I don't think you can stay there but its a lovely place to just have a look at. Sadly to say I don't think I would bother with Kaitaia unless you want to go to paknsave for supplies or warehouse or something. I just about have more species at home than the local petshop which is also a garden centre so don't bother with that (neons, glowlights, silver dollars, loaches, maybe a pleco or two, platies, barbs and a couple of gouramis now you know what they've always got). As for other petshopsI recommend the same one as Smidey Northland Pet in Whangarei nex the police station is the best and the next best would probably be the other one in Whangarei on Kamo Road I think. On the main road up north if you don't turn off to Kerikeri theres a petshop by the warehouse at Waipap never been there though its only new. My dad when he comes up he stays in one of the camping grounds around Mangonui and drives everywhere and shows people around. One of his most popular destinations is the Anicent Kauri Kingdom its just out of Kaitaia on your way to the Cape. It got some great looking woodwork in there and a huge staircase made out of swamp kauri, you can actually go up it to next the upper floor. If you got to the Cape you have to have a quick look at Houhora. There's alot of great scenery on the drive to the Cape. If you go to Kaitaia its only about a 15 minute drive to Ninety Mile Beach as well. I could go on all night. But I definately recommend finding somewhere up the top half to stay and then have a few days relaxing and a couple of days sightseeing. I recently met some people on our wharf from Wellington, if you do want to go fishing on the Mangonui wharf go on the last few hours of incoming tide and use bait jigs get you a livey then go from there. My mate was shark fishing from my partners boat the other day and had the mean hook up. Oh the struggle I didn't envy him at all, he looked like he was going to go flying off the boat or let the rod go! In the end the bright shark chaffed the line on a mooring. You can also go to the World Famous Fish N Chip Shop, I'll be honest it is more expensive but the feed is better and the fish is fresher (my partner catches it) but they only do fish and chips no burgers or toasties or wedges. Sorry to go on and on but I don't want you to miss anything! Anyway hope this helped and didnt confuse you sorry if it did but once I started . . . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldogod Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Great effort Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 i wouldn't plan on travelling much in the 8 days as you'll spend more time travelling than enjoying where you are. i spent 2 1/2 weeks at Otamure bay DOC camp just over the hill from whananaki north & can highly recommend the camp even though it doesn't have power. As for fish shops, Northland pet & aquarium on cameron st next to the police station is the best up here. +1 for both of those! With in an hours drive from whangarei there are countless nice beaches, whananaki (barrons and otamure) and oakura are beautiful. You would be best to make somewhere like that your base and do a couple of day trips with out the caravan if you want to explore a bit more. I've got countless great childhood memories from holidays there. And call in to see Richard at Northland Aquarium on Camron St, he's got a nice reef tank on display, and a cool out door pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Thanks all. Any idea where the doc campsite was where th Outrageous Fortune movie length episode was filmed? That was Filmed at Mahurangi campsite. The turnoff for it (Sullivans Bay) is on the right, just after the turnoff for Puhoi. Cheers, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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