Mangōnui: The New Zealand town with a 90-minute heritage trail

Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Arriving to the squawk of seagulls and the buzzing of cicadas, Mangōnui instantly makes me feel like I’m on holiday.

This picturesque town has colonial buildings and a scenic boardwalk, but perhaps you’ve only ever passed through, stopping for the famous fish and chips at the Mangōnui Fish Shop which you smell before you see.

The harbour quietly laps against the sea walls as I park my car and set off to browse the trinkets in The Wharf Store. Before I enter the shop, I stumble across a teal and yellow sign with a number two on it, telling me it was built in the 1890s and thought to be one of the earliest two-storey kauri buildings in the country. The number two, I discover, is its part in the 22-stop Mangōnui Heritage Trail which takes about an hour and a half on foot.

Once a bustling whaling and trading port in the 19th century, remnants of Mangōnui’s past can be seen on the trail as well as how it got its name which means big shark.

Number one on the trail is the Mangōnui Courthouse, now an art gallery, which was built in 1892 and used as a courthouse until 1948 before it became the local police station from 1949 to 1975.

The trail also takes you to the Three Early Cottages still owned by the same family who built them in the 1830s, the grave site of three young sailors who died while crossing Mangōnui Harbour in 1864, and the single-room Mangōnui School where you will get sweeping views of Doubtless Bay. Pass several colonial houses and The Old Oak Boutique Hotel, stop number 13 on the trail, known as the first Mangōnui Hotel.

Number 16 on the trail, The Leser Buildings, is now home to Jesse’s On The Waterfront, serving up food all day, but particularly the best pizzas in town. Pop in for a coffee or a meal for the kids with a view of the boats before coming to another highlight of the trail, Stop 20.

The three-star Mangōnui Hotel built in 1906 is considered by The Historic Places Trust of New Zealand to be the most beautiful old hotel in the country and is Category One listed.

Walking past the Mangōnui Wine and Whiskey Bar, I chose to get my fish and chips at number 21 on the trail, the former Mangōnui Post Office, now the Remarkable Cafe and Seafood Restaurant. The building was built in 1876 and once housed the local telephone exchange before the technology was automated in 1983. It now has a cabinet full of baked goods and freshly caught fish.

The last stop on the trail is the former Mangōnui General Store and Offices, built in 1907, across the road from stop one. With all that walking, it’s now time to get an ice cream or milkshake at The Village Creamery and enjoy the charm of the harbourside village.

Fact file

Mangōnui is a four-hour drive from Auckland and about two hours from Whangārei.

The writer visited Mangōnui courtesy of Northland Inc.