Collect your rental car and head north to Tutukaka, a small harbour village on the Northland coast that most visitors drive straight past but shouldn’t miss. A short drive away, Matapouri Beach is a gorgeous sweep of white sand nestled in a horseshoe-shaped bay, calm enough for swimming and blissfully uncrowded.

In the evening, stroll down to the marina, watch the boats come in, and settle in for a sundowner at Schnappa Rock. If time permits, an early morning dive or snorkel trip to the Poor Knights Islands is well worth it. A marine reserve 24km offshore, it was rated by Jacques Cousteau as one of the world’s top dive sites, with sea caves, dramatic arches and extraordinary underwater visibility.

Auckland > Tutukaka | 170 kms

Quality Hotel Oceans – Marina View Room

Leave Tutukaka and continue north to Paihia and the Bay of Islands. The Bay of Islands is one of New Zealand’s most historically significant and scenically stunning destinations. It was here at Waitangi, on 6th February 1840, that Māori chiefs and the British Crown signed the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document, and the beautifully preserved Treaty House and grounds bring that story to life.

Check into your hotel before stepping aboard a sundowner evening cruise, sailing the inner bays past Paihia, Waitangi, Russell and Opua on calm water, with stunning scenery all around. The perfect way to end the day in the Bay of Islands.

Tutukaka > Paihia | 75 kms

Scenic Hotel Bay of Islands – Standard King Room

Wake up in Paihia and spend the day on an organised tour to the very tip of the North Island, one of the most culturally significant and scenically dramatic landscapes in New Zealand.

The journey takes you along Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe, the vast sandy shores of Ninety Mile Beach, through a region steeped in Māori tradition and history. At Cape Reinga, known in Māori as Te Rerenga Wairua, stand beneath the iconic lighthouse and watch the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean collide. Māori believe this is the place where spirits depart on their journey back to the ancestral homeland, and even for those unfamiliar with the tradition, the sense of standing at the edge of the world is deeply moving.

Scenic Hotel Bay of Islands – Standard King Room

Leave Paihia and head west to the Hokianga, one of Northland’s most beautiful and unspoilt destinations. Pass through the ancient Waipoua Forest before arriving at the vast harbour where the great Polynesian navigator Kupe is said to have first landed. With towering sand dunes, crystal-clear dune lakes, prehistoric rock formations and a coastline steeped in Māori tradition, this is a dramatic and deeply rewarding corner of New Zealand that most visitors never discover.

Paihia > Hokianga | 125 kms

The Sands Hokianga – Courtyard Deluxe Room

Spend today exploring the Hokianga at your leisure before an unforgettable twilight journey into Waipoua Forest. As darkness falls, the ancient kauri trees take on an extraordinary presence, these are among the oldest living things on earth, silent witnesses to centuries of history.

A guided evening walk brings the forest to life through Māori legend, story and tradition, revealing the deep spiritual connection between the Māori people and these magnificent trees.

The Sands Hokianga – Courtyard Deluxe Room

Leave the Hokianga behind and make your way south to Auckland, taking time to enjoy the scenery of the Northland countryside en route before dropping off your rental car.

Hokianga > Auckland | 275 kms