VISIT: end of February 2020 COMPANY: Great Sights…read moreTOUR: Full-Day Bay of Islands Dolphin Cruise with Hole in the Rock Visit Overall this cruise was beautiful and cool to see this side of New Zealand and we had a GREAT time. They DO recommend sunscreen and even offer it for free on the ship because of the ozone layer you will get burnt. I hardly ever burn and tan easily and I was definitely red the next day! I recommend lining up early, there is limited seating towards the front of the boat and was a bit of a bum rush to get those seats. I also wouldn't sit at the absolute FRONT of the boat as we got seats to the side and the boat turns around often, so you'll get close to all the sights you need to see. ON THE BOAT: there are plenty of bathrooms and snacks/drinks to order. There are also several restaurants nearby the port to stop before the cruise starts One of the major disadvantages of our trip is that it was a WHOLE day tour and the cruise itself doesn't take that long. The way Great Sights structures it is that they pick up from Auckland and some people have an earlier tour, so we get to Paihia and had 2.5 hours to kill, which was fine, but we hadn't really planned for this. So, we stopped at a restaurant to eat, but you get there so early that they're not yet ready for serving lunch, so it was a small bit of a scrambling, as you don't want to go too far, as they start lining up for the cruise soon We both LOVED this tour and it was WORTH it, but to save on travel time, it would have been nicer to stay in Paihia. You have to be at the port for pickup from Auckland so early and it takes 2 hours to get to Paihia...so we had to leave our hotel before 7am for a tour that started at 1:15-1:30pm.

We had a great tour with this company - I highly recommend!…read more We booked our reservation through our timeshare office a couple of days in advance. We were picked up at the condo, which was convenient, and were happy to see that we were the only four people on the tour this time - lucky! Our guide was knowledgeable and tailored the trip to our needs. He was just funny enough without being annoying (you know that can drive you NUTS). The van was clean, comfortable and safe, and we were driven to the places listed on the itinerary. We got a lot of history and info along the way and the guy answered lots of questions (even the weird and random ones), which was super cool. This was definitely worth the money and I would use this company again! We

The main port of Paihia where boat excursions to other parts of the Bay of Islands would leave…read morefrom, the Paihia Wharf also provides a central place for restaurants and retailers in the waterfront. There is a lifesize statue of a marlin, symbolizing how people come from far and wide to fish in the area.

This highway rest area is along State Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay and is located along the…read morecoastline. There is a paved pull out area with marked parking spaces and a walkway down to the shore. You'll also find the Nin's Bin food vendor here. Some caption signs point out the history of Kaikoura, the sights near here and some camping maps if that's something you would like to learn about. A walkway down will let you access the oceanside. It's a beautiful spot. [Review 415 of 2024 - 68 in New Zealand - 21448 overall]

I visited the Waitomo Glowworm Caves the day before I visited the Kawiti Caves. Judging from both,…read moreKawiti Caves were definitely my favorite out of the two! There aren't any crowds so you have a better experience in that aspect. These caves are also family owned so they're well preserved and taken care of. The family is incredibly nice, knowledgeable, and welcoming. Kawiti definitely had more glow worms than Waitomo and I LOVED their "galaxy" of of glow worms. It was a beautiful sight. I would love to come back again if I find myself in the area. Photos are not allowed because the glow worms don't give off their "glow" if the flash goes off.

An absolute MUST stop on your way to or from Northland! A very informative and cultural guided tour…read morethrough the cave with a easy and beautiful bush walk at the end. The land in this area has been passed down by generations for around 400 years and the current owners take immense pride in sharing it with tourists. If you haven't seen NZ glow worms you really do need to take a short side trip and take the tour. Located only a kilometre from the main highway and there is plenty of parking. Locals we met in the Bay of Islands had even said it is way better than the widely known Waitomo caves! Even the toilets were impressive as they were in A+ clean condition.

A good standard camping ground based just at the bottom of the hill before you get into Paihia…read more Well maintained grounds, standard but basic facilities, with a new toilet and shower block. There a few small self contained units, as well as plenty of sites for tents and camper vans. Some sites are right on the waters edge, so might be a haven for mozzies in the summertime. Well-priced for the budget conscious. There's a little herb garden as well that you can utilise for your cooking, a nice homely touch.

Enjoyed our stay here very much The good: clean & new…read morebathroom facilities Great BBQ & kitchen + dining area Well lit & felt very safe walking around even at night as a female Stunning views Great spot if you were a keen fisherman with a boat ramp & filleting station The not so good: We had a group of four & booked 1 campsite each couple together online the owner/manager called us and said 1 site will be enough for us so we agreed thinking this might save us a little but no we paid the same amount to have half the space leaving us basically no room to park our vehicle & feeling a bit ripped off considering we already had to pay a minimum of 5 nights when we were only staying 3. Pretty expensive to pay $600 for one tiny campsite for 3 nights when we could have had double the space for the same price Quite far out of the town if you plan to go out drinking make sure you have a sober driver or pre arrange a ride

Lovely clean site!…read more Lovely clean site on top of the hill overlooking Russell with beautiful views to Paihia. Friendly accommodating staff. Nice spacious pitches, amenity blocks clean and nice. Short walk into the very pretty town and the ferry to Paihia. I would have given this site 5 except we paid for a site with a view and ended up with a very limited view! It wasn't helped by the way people parked their vans to maximise their views and made it difficult to fit in!

My boyfriend and I did this Labour Weekend and absolutely loved it! Ben was a great tour guide,…read moretook loads of pictures and gave us copies. You're able to go under the waterfall in these kayaks which was brilliant. Would definitely do it again!

One of my 2024 New Year's resolutions was to take my dear wife on a winter vacation. My cousin…read moreGordy suggested a trip to a winter wonderland in northern Europe called "Zealand" on an island where the city of Copenhagen awaits with loads of winter fun - including skiing, tobogganing, and snowshoeing. Due to our lack of travel experience and a mixup on my cousin Gordy's new online travel website, however, we ended up in NEW Zealand at the tail end of their summer. My wife and I were surprised to arrive in the southern hemisphere after awaking from a very lengthy Bloody Mary and Ambien-induced slumber. We made the best of the situation by selling our parkas and sweaters at local charity shop where we bought used sandals, sunglasses and shorts. And, after an angry phone call from me, Gordy suggested that we fly to southern New Zealand for warmer weather. A quick Google search revealed that Gordy is a moron. So, we flew north to the town of Keri Keri in the Bay of Islands. The flight was as beautiful as the destination, the airport is very easy to get in and out of and it has a wonderful little coffee shop inside serving tasty treats, coffees and teas. Five stars for the Keri Keri Airport located in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. One star for Gordy's Online Travel, Bean Bag & Vaping Emporium. Pick a lane, Gordy!