Blogs from Paihia, Northland, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 4

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Northland » Paihia April 18th 2005

Sam and Jo came to meet me at the airport in Auckland and we jumped in our family sized hire car (just as well given all our luggage!!) to start our 5 day road trip to the Northland area. We quickly faced our first challenge.... trying to get out of the city!! We could see the motorway we wanted to get on to and spent a happy half hour zig zagging over it on bridges and driving along side it but I swear there wasn't a single signpost for getting on to it in the direction we wanted to go.... we later found out that to go north you first had to go south??!! Our first stop was a place called Whangerai (still can't get my head around how a wh is pronounced f but I ... read more

The Bay of Islands

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Northland » Paihia January 21st 2005

Paihai

Family Mudpie

We got picked up at 10am and taken to the car rental place to pick up our car, it's a great day and after a wee check over for scratches and that we're on our way to the Bay of Islands in Northland, the top of New Zealand. We have 3 different maps and they all say Paihia is 270 KM from Auckland but they all give different estinates for time, the AA goes with 7 hours and our hostel sugests 3.5 hours, we were slightly more than the ACE car rental map (4.5 hours) and done it in 5, however we did have busy traffic leaving Auckland and stopped for lunch along the way. The drive up was amazing, stunning scenery and a clear blue sky, it was roasting so the air-con took a fair ... read more

Great weekend away

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Northland » Paihia October 10th 2004

Magic bus with Kauri trees

Jo and Graeme

We're just back from a great weekend in the Bay of Islands, in the north of New Zealand. We went with Magic, a company that specialises in backpacker tours and covers the whole country, and takes you to places that you might not find if you were to drive yourself. On the way to Paihia (the town we were staying in) we went up the west coast of Northland, through forests and past lovely beaches on the Tasman Sea. We stopped to visit Tane Mahuta, the biggest tree in New Zealand (it's massive!). It was a long drive up the west coast, but we finally got to Paihia at about 4.30 (having left Auckland at 8 in the morning...) The next day was an early start as we were going to Cape Reinga, the most northerly ... read more

Sea-Kayaking

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Northland » Paihia July 9th 2004

Kayaking in Paihia

vikki5678

I really enjoyed sea-kayaking when I tried it in Canada last year - so I was looking forward to having another go here in N.Z. Although last time I was in a tandem kayak with the instructor doing most of the work. This time in Paihia the guide said I should try a single kayak - the main difference would be I would be in control of steering aswell as the paddling. I got paddling and the steering was quite tricky(possibly it as adjusted properly for my short legs) - I just seemed to be going zig-zag the whole time making alot more work for myself. It wa hard work and the sea despite being in a sheltered bay was quite choppy. We headed out towards an island, the guide said I was doing well so he decided ... read more

In N.Z

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Northland » Paihia July 7th 2004

Excitor Jetboat

vikki5678

As I am sitting here I seem to be getting eaten alive by little black flies that don't even have the decency to inject a chemical so I don't feel it! I am a bit stuck for words at the minute so this won't be a long entry and I have left my written journal back at the hostel so I will fill in a log about the trip to Dubai later in the week. I am feeling a little dodgy, I went on this 40knott jet boat ride out to see 'the hole in the rock' it was 17miles out to sea. I sat at the front originally which was very bumpy, Dad and his back problems came to mind I could almost feel the discs in my back smashing together each time we went over a wave ... read more

Bay Of Islands

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Northland » Paihia November 29th 2002

Whales

Ali

A four hour bus ride north from Auckland and the Bay of Islands, described some where as the "jewel of Northland". I felt that after almost 5 days working in Auckland - from the Net Central Internet Cafe - that I deserved a break. Paihai is a small town with a population of 7200. It caters really well for backpackers, on just one small road over 2000 backpacker beds are available. The beach is just out front of the town and the just across the bay is the pretty town of Russell. I stayed in a small and friendly backpackers (hostels are called backpackers in NZ) called Pipi Patch Lodge, really nice place. The rooms of the Pipi Patch are clean, hold 8 backpackers and have comfy beds. Though on the downside the BBQ at $10 ... read more

Brief history of New Zealand

The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year...more history

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