This three day Northland road trip was very hectic, but in turn, very rewarding! In a short amount of time there was a lot of great destinations and activities that were ticked off the bucket-list.
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From boogie boarding down the Te Paki sand dunes to hiking in to Dukes Nose for sunrise, below is everything you need to know for your three days Northland road-trip
NORTHLAND ROAD-TRIP DAY ONE:
It’s no surprise that the first stop on this trip was a cheeky treat at Makana Chocolate Factory. It was a perfect start to the trip as a slow morning was needed after having travelling from Auckland the night prior.
After coffees were consumed, we headed to the stunning Rainbow Falls. It’s a short 10 minute walk to the base. Since there are plenty of spots to take photos and enjoy the scenery it is well worth adding to your itinerary.
Continuing on, we spontaneously decided on a cheeky 9 at the local mini putt course. A fast game is a good game, so by early arvo we were at Kerikeri dock waiting for the ferry to Russell.
Departures are every half hour during summer months from 9:30am – 8:30pm. In Russell, you can enjoy a drink at the famous Duke of Marlborough. And if you’re wanting to spend more time on the island there is even options to stay the night. From here it is a stunning view and there is often bands and live music, creating a great vibe for an afternoon drink.
We decided on just a quick visit this time around which meant we were back in Paihia for dinner. I can 100% recommend Charlotte’s Kitchen. Again, it’s on the waterfront and has a stunning view. Their cocktails are also delicious.
DAY TWO:
Our second day began early with a drive to the very top of the North Island, Cape Reinga. It almost felt like a crime that I’m born and bred New Zealander and hadn’t yet visited the most northern point of my homeland. So taking our time here, we enjoyed the view over the lighthouse, Te Werahi Beach and Maria Van Diemen.
On the way back we stopped in at Te Paki sand dunes. Make sure when you visit to take a boogie board down the sand dunes. This is a ton of fun and a bit of an adrenaline rush.
This was followed with our first summer dip at Rarawa beach. Northland beaches are absolutely stunning so make sure you visit a few on your Northland road-trip.
The evening was spent at our AirBnB, accompanied with pizza. An early night was a must for our adventure the following day.
NORTHLAND ROAD-TRIP DAY THREE:
The last morning on our three day Northland road-trip, was an early one. With a 2:15am wake up call, the intention was to get to the top of Dukes Nose for sunrise. The drive from our AirBnB was roughly 20 minutes and the walk in total is about 6 hours, round-trip.
We managed to get to the top at 6:30, just before the sun started to peak over the horizon. I absolutely loved this walk and would definitely do it again if the area. If you want to know more check out my post all about Dukes Nose linked here. Essentially this is a there-and-back trail which leads you to some incredible views (images below). For a quick view of the track, click here to AllTrails.
Once we got back to our AirBnB, we cleaned ourselves up, ate some breakfast and packed the car. Heading back to Auckland was a long drive but by making sure we had plenty of places to stop and snooze along the way, made it much easier.
As you can see this was a very quick road-trip around Northland. We travelled a fair amount of kilometres and fit in some great activities in a short amount of time.
For more beautiful destinations in Northland you can check out my post here which highlights 11 amazing places you should add to your Northland bucket-list.