Bay of Islands: City girl experiences the best of the bush

Tuesday, 29 January 2019

Scenic Hotel Bay of Islands is located just up from the beach in Paihia and has a pool.

When I told a colleague I was heading up to the Bay of Islands for the weekend, I accidently said I was going to the Bay of Plenty. I won't make that mistake again.

I had never been that far north before and driving through Dome Valley and the Brynderwyn Hills, I was quite proud of myself. The drive was beautiful but the destination even more so.

The Duke of Marlborough Hotel and Restaurant in Russell is located just across from the wharf.

We arrived in Paihia around 5.30pm and hurried around our hotel room at the Scenic before jumping on a ferry to Russell for dinner at The Duke. The annual Christmas Parade blocked the road, causing us to stress we would miss it. It's probably the only time anyone in Paihia would ever be stuck in a traffic jam.

Russell is a beautiful place. The view is picturesque and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

Dessert at The Duke consisted of a Callebaut Chocolate Bar with feuilletine, hazelnuts, while chocolate chantilly and sour plum.

Tane Mahuta - Lord of the Forest in Northland's Waipoua Forest.

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Te Huia Brown, left, and Joe Wynyard, our Whispering Trails tour guides.

Dinner was divine. We spoilt ourselves with the finest of seafood (oysters and cockles) and dessert was a chocolate lover's delight. We went to bed in a food coma, nestling in to the most comfortable hotel bed I have ever slept in.

Saturday was all about what the natural environment had to offer. We headed an hour north of Paihia to Whirinaki where we met up with our Whispering Trails tour guides Joe Wynyard, Te Huia Brown and fellow tour mates, a couple from the Netherlands.

Koutu Boulders at the beach in Opononi, Northland.

After a karakia and morning coffee in Opononi to start our day, we continued our journey to Waipoua Forest. It's home to our largest kauri tree, Tane Mahuta - Lord of the Forest. Now, I had no idea this is where we were heading. I had only ever read of Tane Mahuta so to see it in person was incredibly exciting.

Joe, our main tour guide, is extremely knowledgeable in his field. He has lived in the Hokianga all his life and shared the importance of the land and the forest with us. He told us kai (food) is at the centre of what they do and helps bring the whānau together. He found it surprising I had never visited the area before and made sure to tease me about it for the majority of our seven hour tour.

Legend has it that a Taniwha lives below the Haruru Falls in Paihia.

As we drove up to the forest, Joe told us it covers 22,000 acres and is home to more than 1800 flowers, trees and fauna. As we walked, we touched, smelled, and tasted what the forest has to offer. He taught us how to tell trees apart and shared stories of the past.

He told us the detrimental effects of kauri dieback disease and that one of the tracks to a popular kauri tree is currently closed as a result.

A game of Hungry, Hungry Hippos near Haruru Falls in Paihia.

We continued our trek up to Te Matua Ngahere - Father of the Forest. Te Huia greeted the 'magnificent giant' in Māori and then it was lunch time. It's a delicious homemade sandwich accompanied by brownies and fruit. We sipped on the tea we made earlier from kawakawa leaves.

Heading back down to where Tane Mahuta stands is a treat. Joe thanked us for coming on the journey and handed us some kauri gum to take home as a souvenir.

La Spa Naturale at Paihia Beach Resort & Spa.

The second half of the tour took us down to the beach in Opononi where the Koutu Boulders can be found. We wandered up the beach in gumboots too big for our feet. We put out a net to catch some fish and trawl the sand for kai moana (seafood). Although failing to catch any fish in the net, we hauled our bucket of cockles and pipis back to the car where Joe brought out a saucepan and started steaming the shellfish.

On our way back, the men of the group helped push a car out of a muddy ditch which had 'gone to get help' written on it in mud. Classic NZ.

Being able to eat what we had found straight from the beach, with fry bread supplied by Joe, was a definite highlight of the day.

Sunday is all about adventure, with a touch of relaxation before we make the trip back to Auckland. We checked out of our hotel and waited in the sun to be picked up for our kayaking tour. As soon as Chad arrived, we could tell we were in for a good time.

As we loaded into the van, Chad warned us to watch our heads. I managed to bump my head, stand on my sister's foot and sit on the arm rest. All at the same time. Smooth.

'This one needs to be wrapped in bubble wrap,' Chad said.

We head down to the beach, life jackets on. Dry bags were also offered which is a big plus if you want to take a camera.

In saying that, Chad also takes a bunch of photos which were emailed to us later that day.

We are joined by another six people. They hail from the UK, Scotland, Germany and again, the Netherlands. With the jokes Chad is pumping out, we hope they understand Kiwi humour and don't think he is actually drinking vodka from his water bottle.

The tour started with a safety briefing and then we paddled out towards Haruru Falls, a small but wide waterfall - similar looking to Niagara Falls.

We played a game of Hungry, Hungry Hippos in the water. As we are in two-person kayaks, the one in front is blindfolded and the person behind has to paddle in the right direction and tell them where the balls are.

I end up heading in the wrong direction (I'll blame the current) and when I got back, my sister grabbed as many balls as she could and threw them into the kayak. Despite her feeling quietly confident we have a lot of balls, we come last. Team Netherlands manages an impressive 77 balls. Our 26-ish balls didn't have a hope.

We continued up the river and paddle through the mangroves, or in my case, tree branches. My sister's desire to take photos meant her directions weren't so great and we ended up having to dodge trees on the way. Admittedly, my use of the right and left foot peddles weren't so flash either.

A couple hours later we pulled up to La Spa Naturale at Paihia Beach Resort & Spa for a kawakawa massage. The oil is soothing and the massage includes having hot rocks rubbed over our backs. Heaven.

GETTING THERE

It's about a three hour journey from Auckland to Paihia. Maybe leave a little early as there is currently quite a bit of roadworks along the way.

WHERE TO STAY

Scenic Hotel Bay of Islands is located just up from the beachfront at 58 Seaview Rd. A standard king room for two people starts at $188 per night, and $232 for bed and breakfast. See scenichotelgroup.co.nz

WHERE TO EAT

Charlotte's Kitchen, located at 69 Marsden Rd, is right on the wharf and provides a beautiful outlook. It's open Monday-Thursday from 11.30am until 10pm, Saturday from 8.30am until 11pm and Sunday from 8.30am until 10pm.

Alfresco's Restaurant & Bar is located at 6 Marsden Rd and open every day from 8am until 11pm.

The Duke of Marlborough is a quick 15 minute ferry ride over to Russell and located at 35 The Strand. It is open daily from 7am until 9pm.

The writer travelled with assistance from the Bay of Islands Marketing Group. See visitboi.co.nz for more information.