| Paihia
is the tourist centre of the Bay of Islands and the starting point
for a great range of sailing and sea
adventures. Swim with Dolphins, take
a cruise around the Bay of Islands, or a fast
boat out to the Hole in the Rock. For more sedate and
peaceful sailing adventures, a day cruise on the Tall
Ship R. Tucker Thompson is a unique way to explore the
islands. Bare boat or skippered sailing
charters are also readily available. For something a
little different take a sedate and historic ride along the picturesque
Kerikeri Inlet on a gracious wood fired Steam
Boat – the SS Eliza Hobson.
For those looking for adventure try a tandem
sky dive over the Bay of Islands. A range of scenic
flights from the Bay of Islands Airport, just 25 minutes
drive provide a more relaxed way to experience the beauty of the
Far North’s coastline from the air.
Magic Cottage & Takou River Lodge
are perhaps the closest boutique accommodation to the world class
Kauri Cliffs Golf Course and offer an excellent
base from which to play the areas courses – Kauri Cliffs,
Waitangi, Kerikeri to suit your budget and preferences.
Puketi and Omahuta Forest form
one of the largest continuous tracts of native forest in Northland
and provide a range of walking and tramping opportunities.
Perhaps best known for the magnificent Kauri Trees,
the forest is an important habitat for a wide range of native
plants and animals including the iconic kiwi, kaka and kokako.
The forest is an easy 25 minute drive from Takou River.
A wide selection of walking routes can be recommended
in the Bay if Islands area, including trips to Rainbow
Falls near Kerikeri; longer forays to Haruru
Falls via the Waitangi National Trust Mangrove
Walk; coastal treks around Cape Brett;
to Marsden Cross site of the first Christian
Sermon preached by the Rev. Samuel Marsden and on the Islands
themselves.
Northland is the historical birthplace of viticulture
and wine making in New Zealand. The Rev. Samuel
Marsden planted the first vines at Kerikeri in 1819. Northland
now boasts 6 wineries, 3 or which - Marsdens
Estate, Cottle Hill Winery and Omata
Estate are within easy reach of Takou River and provide
excellent original cuisine to compliment their wines; great for
long lazy lunches or a little more serious
wine tasting.
A comprehensive range of contemporary and traditional
New Zealand and Maori Art can be viewed at many of the Arts
and Crafts Venues in and around Kerikeri.
The Bay of Islands is known
not only for its beauty and climate,
but also as one of New Zealand’s most significant historic
areas. It supported a large Maori population and was
a scene of much early contact and conflict. Kororipo Pa
the site of a Maori fortified village together with Rewa’s
Village a full scale reconstruction of a Maori Village
in pre-European times provide an insight into early Maori way
of life. Both are set around the beautiful Kerikeri Basin.
The oldest surviving European
Stone and Wooden buildings are also found around the Kerikeri
Basin. The Stone Store built from 1832-36 and
the Kerikeri Mission House or Kemp House
built in 1821/22 have been preserved and provide much interest
and information on the local early European history.
A visit to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds,
House and Visitor Information Centre, the site of the signing
of Treaty of Waitangi, the founding document
of modern day New Zealand are an essential element for anyone
interested in the history of New Zealand. Just a 40 minute drive
from Takou River, Waitangi is only minutes from Paihia
from where the passenger ferries depart for Russell.
Possibly New Zealand’s most historic village,
Russell has seen much change and had a chequered history. Beautifully
situated in a sheltered harbour in the Bay of Islands, Russell
has drawn early Maori, explorers, settlers, whalers, sailors and
missionaries, not to mention their attendant and often colourful
followers! Once described as the “Hell Hole of the Pacific”,
Russell has seen many conflicts. It is now known for its well
preserved colonial architecture, quaint surroundings and beautiful
setting.
The historic small town of Mangonui
is an easy 45 minute drive north of Takou River. The Polynesian
navigator Kupe visited the area in about 900 AD, and
Mangonui was known as a safe harbour for whaling
vessels by the late 1700s. In 1831 the first European Settler
arrived, and by the mid 1800s Mangonui was a centre for whalers
and traders with flourishing saw mill and flax industries. Mangonui
has a wealth of historic buildings and a well
marked Heritage Trail. The Butler Point
Whaling Museum is just a 15 minute drive around the coast.
The house dates back to the 1840s and houses a fascinating collection
of original whaling artefacts.
Venturing further a field, a range of day trips
offer guests the opportunity to explore further north to New Zealand’s
spectacular 90-mile beach with its miles of pristine
sand and dune systems; to Cape Reinga, New Zealand’s
most northerly point; across to the beautiful West Coast and Hokianga
Harbour and Waipoua Forest and the giant
Kauri Tane Mahuta.
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