From Wikitravel

Whangarei (Maori:Whangārei) (Pronounced:Faa - ngaa - re - i) [1] [2] is the major population centre (Pop ~50,000) of Northland and the northernmost "city" in the North Island of New Zealand. It has a warm semi-tropical climate, with summer daytime temperatures around 24-26 degrees Celsius, regular rainy days year round and mild winters that rarely have frosts and are mild enough for the region to be described as the winterless north.

[edit] Get in

By Bus

• Northliner runs busses from Auckland to Kataia with a stop in Whangarei. Traveltime is just under three hours.
• InterCity Coachlines runs the same route as the Northliner but has a more frequent schedule as well as connections to the rest of the country.

By Car
Whangarei is around two hours drive north of Auckland. One hour South of the Bay of Islands and one hour East of Dargavile.

By Air
Whangarei Airport (WRE) is about ten minutes drive from the central city in the suburb of Onerahi. Taxis and a shuttle service as well as car rentals are available from the airport to town.

• Air New Zealand has several daily flights from Auckland and Wellington. Flying time from Auckland is 30 to 40 minutes.
• Great Barrier Airlines runs flights twice weekly from Whangarei to Great Barrier Island depending on minimum passenger numbers.

[edit] Get around

Bus

Whangarei's only form of public transport is the bus service being run as a trial by the Whangarei District and Regional councils. It covers most of the suburbs and the inner city. Tickets are $2.00 for adults and can be purchased from the driver.

[edit][add listing] See

• Claphams Clock Museum [3] One of the largest collections of clocks in the southern hemisphere.
  Quaside, Town Basin, Whangarei
  Phone: 09 438 3993
• Regional Museum
• Whangarei Falls - Known as the most photogenic waterfall in New Zealand, dropping 25 metres into a beautiful bush-fringed pool. Located centrally at Tikipunga, 5km north east of the city.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Big game fishing - off the coast.
• Diving - off the coast

[edit][add listing] Buy

• The Piggery - High quality and hard to find (mainly secondhand) books
  
• Reyburn House Art Gallery Gallery[4]
  Reyburn House Lane, Town Basin, Whangarei
  Phone: 09 438 3074
• Burning Issues Gallery [5]
  Quaside, Town Basin, Whangarei
  Phone: 09 438 3108

[edit][add listing] Eat

Around the Mall.

• Pimarn Thai Restaurant - Very popular restaurant. Reservations a must.
• Shiraz [6] - Indian Restaurant
• Killer Prawn [7] - Popular restaurant and bar with very tasty food and huge wine list
  26-28 Bank street, Whangarei
  Phone: 09 430 3333
• Asahi Japanese Restaurant - Delicious food at very very reasonable prices. Check it out!

Around the Town Basin.

• Mochaba - Good coffee, pleasant food but slow service. It shares a building with The Batch, an arts and crafts shop
• Reva's [8] - Terrific waterfront location but variable food and service.
• Mondos - Always busy but the quality of food tends to be low.
• Vinyl [9] - Small restaurant away from the main town basin restaurants on the other side of the water.
• Gybe [10] - Shiny new building shame about the food and service

Other Areas.

• à Deco [11]
  70 Kamo road, Kensington, Whangarei
  Phone: 09 459 4957

[edit][add listing] Drink

Most of the towns bars and clubs are located in the central city in or around Vine street.

• Grand Hotel
• Danger Danger
• Heaven
• Butter Factory
• Split

[edit][add listing] Sleep

Budget

• Whangarei Backpackers [12]
  90 Bank street, Whangarei
  Phone:09 459 7070
• YHA Youth Hostel [13]
  52 Punga Grove avenue, Whangarei
  Phone: 09 438 8954

Mid-Range

• Settlers Inn

Top End

• Kingsgate Hotel [14]
  9 Riverside Drive, Whangarei
  Phone: 09 438 0284

[edit] Get out

Whangarei is only 70 kilometres from the Bay of Islands and is the primary gateway to the rest of Northland. Alternatively you can take the road to Dargaville and travel north from there through the Kauri forests and along the rugged west coast beaches to Opononi and the Hokianga.

• Do the Hokianga (just 90 minutes drive from Whangarei)
  • Mangungu Mission House (Historic Site) — site of the biggest signing of the Treaty of Waitangi
  • Koutu Boulders — biggest concretions in the world
  • Sand Dunes — fantastic sandstone sculptures on top of dune opposite Opononi
  • Wairere Boulders (Nature Park) — an enormous basalt flow just south of Horeke
  • Omahuta Kauri Sanctuary — see 5 of the 12 biggest Kauri trees in an undisturbed healthy forest
  • Tane Mahuta — Lord of the Forest {most visited Kauri tree in NZ}

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