Hokianga & Waipoua Forest

A cluster of harbour towns on Northland's west coast, close to the Waipoua Forest and its 'King of the Forest' giant kauri, with golden dunes across the harbour for sandboarding.

Hokianga lies on the west coast of Northland on New Zealand's North Island. It is a narrow, fjord-like harbour that reaches about 30 km inland. Its full Māori name is 'Hokianga-nui-a-Kupe', meaning 'the place of Kupe's great return'. Legend says the Polynesian navigator Kupe set out from here on his return to his homeland, Hawaiki. Opononi and Omapere on either side of the harbour are the main places to stay. From South Head, you can overlook the harbour bar and the towering golden dunes on the opposite shore; take a water taxi across to slide down the dunes. Deeper in the harbour, Rawene, Kohukohu and Horeke are 19th-century settlements from the timber and missionary era. They preserve colonial-era wooden houses and the Mangungu Mission station, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed for a second time in 1840. About 20 km south lies the Waipoua Forest, one of the best-preserved kauri primeval forests in New Zealand. It is home to the nation's largest kauri, Tāne Mahuta, the 'Lord of the Forest', and the widest, Te Matua Ngahere, the 'Father of the Forest'. Further south are Trounson Kauri Park, where night walks reveal kiwi birds; the turquoise Kai Iwi Lakes; and the kauri museum at Matakohe. The best season is November to April. Summers are warm and suited to swimming, sandboarding and night walks in the forest; winter is wet and damp. Getting there: no public transport runs directly. Most visitors drive north from Auckland along State Highway 12 (the Kauri Coast), a 3.5–4 hour journey. You can also drive about 1.5 hours from Paihia in the Bay of Islands, and some tour groups offer day trips. Plan 1–2 nights to join an evening guided Māori night walk in the forest. Note: kauri dieback disease threatens the ancient trees. Clean your shoes at the disinfection stations before entering forest tracks, keep strictly to paths and boardwalks, and be aware that some tracks close for protection.

Top sights

• Tāne Mahuta – New Zealand's largest known kauri, standing about 51 metres tall with a trunk girth of nearly 14 metres. Estimated to be more than a thousa…
• Te Matua Ngahere – New Zealand's kauri with the thickest trunk, about 16 metres in girth. Along the forest walk you will also pass the 'Four Sisters', four ka…
• Hokianga North Head Sand Dunes – Towering golden dunes on the north side of the harbour. Take a water taxi from Opononi across the water, then slide down the dunes straight…
• Arai te Uru Heritage Walk – A short coastal walk on the southern headland at Omapere, with views over the harbour bar, the dunes opposite and the Tasman Sea. It is a c…
• Kauri Museum – A museum telling the story of kauri logging and gum digging, with giant kauri planks, antique machinery and what is said to be the world's…
• Wairere Boulders – A private nature park near Horeke, where huge basalt boulders have been etched by acidic water into rare grooved patterns, with forest trac…
• Kai Iwi Lakes – Three freshwater lakes among sand dunes south of the Waipoua Forest, with white sand and turquoise water that rival a tropical beach. Swimm…
• Trounson Kauri Park – A kauri forest reserve managed by the Department of Conservation, with a 40-minute loop track through ancient trees and the chance to spot…
• Rawene – A colonial-era town in the middle of the harbour, with timber houses built over the water, the Clendon House, a mangrove boardwalk and a ca…
• Opononi & Omapere – Two seaside villages joined along the southern shore of Hokianga Harbour, the region's accommodation hub. The dolphin statue of 'Opo' and t…
• Māngungu Mission House – The site of a Wesleyan mission station in Horeke, where the largest number of chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi in February 1840.
• Kohukohu – A quiet village on the north shore of the harbour. Once a 19th-century logging centre, it keeps rows of Victorian timber houses, an art gal…
• Koutu Boulders – Giant spherical concretions scattered across the mudflats on the south shore of the harbour. Some are up to 3 metres across and can be reac…

Where to eat

• The Boatshed Café – A waterside café by the Rawene wharf, one of the most popular dining stops on the Hokianga, praised for its coffee and…
• Landing Thai Café – A café by the Opononi harbour that serves New Zealand brunch and coffee by day and turns into a small Thai eatery in th…
• Kotare Coffee Shop – A coffee shop in Omapere, converted from an old petrol station, with coffee, pastries and evening pizza that are well r…