New Zealand campervan road trip: Northland activities and culture

As well as bringing us to some of the most awesome beaches, along the Northland trip we were able to take in some great activities and learn about some of the rich history here.

When in Whangarai

Technically, the law in New Zealand states that you can stay overnight anywhere on public land, as long as you’re in a certified ‘self contained’ vehicle (has containment for waste water and a loo) and there aren’t any signs stating that you can’t overnight there. In reality, many places where you park up and think “this would be an excellent place to stay, with these beautiful beach/mountain/lake views and a handy public toilet” very often do have those pesky ‘no overnight parking’ signs. While campervanning and freedom camping is still very popular, it depends on the local council policy as to how easy it is to find a spot. Which brings me to Whangarei (say Fung-uh-ray), the only city in Northland. Here, the local council appear to have a vision to make the city & surrounds into the destination of choice in the region. There’s a shiny new arts centre, designed by Hundertwasser (more than a few hints of Gaudi, Klimt and perhaps Picasso here), a walking path around the city & marina, bars & restaurants, a cool clock come marble run, and best of all, they actively welcome campers and have assigned overnight camping zones in many locations. Their plans are working too, as Lonely Planet have recently declared Whangarei an ‘up and coming destination’.

We particularly enjoyed the kauri tree boardwalk around the AH Reed memorial park, which is handily just out of town. A raised walkway took us through groves of tree ferns via some impressively large kauri trees. There is an option to walk to Whangarai falls, the most photographed waterfall in New Zealand too. In keeping with Whangarai’s welcoming approach to freedom camping, there is a spot in the car park here.

Seeing a real live kiwi

For much of the road trip we had apparently been amongst kiwis. There was plenty of evidence from roadside signs to fenced off nature reserves, but we hadn’t seen any. For the good reasons that they are highly protected, nocturnal, and understandably skittish. There are no native mammals in New Zealand (aside from bats), but various imports such as weasels, stoats (which are of course stoatally different to weasels), cats and dogs etc all tend to prey on the flightless ground nesting kiwis. This has resulted in significant population decline for the national symbol from an estimated 40 million before humans arrived to around 68,000 today, although protected zones and awareness campaigns have resulted in recent increases in numbers in some areas.

Just outside Whangerai lies Kiwi North who’s primary draw is a kiwi house with live kiwis. As you might imagine, when we heard this news we were bang on it, arriving before opening on Sunday morning. As the hour hand passed to 10am we were in, tickets purchased and through to the kiwi house itself, which was very well done. A forest floor environment set indoors behind glass, crucially in a darkened room so that the night-loving blighters wander about while you are there rather than at night time. It was a great thing to see them too, all of us in awe. The kiwi are surprisingly large, approximately the size of an unusually plump and large cockerel without any tail feathers or noticeable neck.

From what we saw and read about them, they spend their time jabbing at the ground with their super-long, pointy beaks in the hunt for grubs and other food. This was born out during kiwi feeding time where a keeper dug a small cup of food into the ground for the kiwi to come out and get.

Overall, seeing a live kiwi was a brilliant, unforgettable thing.

There was plenty else to detain us on the Kiwi North site too, and we had a great time. The Whangarai museum was really interesting with us particularly fascinated by the sunken ship carrying 550 gold bars, and the skeleton of the extinct Moa bird found in a nearby cave. The video story of the disputed Moa sighting was also enthralling. Outside, the wider park area is populated by a range of third party societies with their own opening times. It would certainly be worth looking up the narrow guide railway association to see when they are running, and also to see when the geological society rock room (!) is open.

Learning about the Gum Diggers

In ancient times much larger swathes of New Zealand were covered by kauri forests than they are today. The kauri tree secretes resin which then tends to fall to the ground where it stays. Few of these forests exist today and many trees were suddenly felled during two catastrophic events in history. There is much conjecture and contention over how this occurred, but it is now thought the most likely cause was a massive tsunami resulting from a meteor strike – so large that the giant wave knocked all the trees down in the same direction. Back in the 19th and early 20th centuries digging for the kauri gum amongst the roots of the buried trees became a massive industry and the gum trade was huge. The gum has a multitude of uses and was first exploited by the Māori. The export market was especially strong once it was found to make excellent varnish for wood, and some examples rival amber for ornamental uses.

None of this we knew before chancing upon the Gum Diggers Park one damp afternoon. Curious, we followed the brown signs from the main highway along a gravel road surrounded by avocado orchards. The welcome was warm and the whole affair was great fun. The visit centres around following a short walking circuit around this old gum digging area. Along the way you can peer into old gum holes, and learn about the working life and living conditions of the gum diggers. As well as kauri roots, there is a preserved ancient kauri trunk that has been raised from the peaty earth below. There were also rare Northland geckos to see and a multitude of local wildlife, including fantails flitting around the trees. All in all an enjoyable and informative diversion for a few drizzly hours between overnight stops.

The Oldest Tree in New Zealand – Tane Mahuta

The largest and oldest known living giant kauri tree in New Zealand is estimated to be between 1200 and 2500 years old. To visit the tree in Waipoua forest one first navigates a boot cleaning and disinfecting station which is common when entering many of New Zealand’s national forests. The concern is the incurable Kauri dieback which is spread through infected soil and is almost always fatal for the ancient and revered trees.

The Rainbow Waterfall

The Waianiwaniwa or Rainbow Falls of the Kerikeri river certainly delivered on the rainbow promise. It was also a very short walk either up to the top of the falls, or down to the pool below and some pleasant walks in the surrounding bush along the river. A worthwhile stop on our tour.

The Mangungu Mission House

We took the more scenic route south on the recommendation of the friendly proprietor of Kiwi Kai cafe in Okaihau and were glad we did as it meant we could stop by the Mangungu Mission house at Horeke, overlooking Hokianga estuary. The mission house is where some of the first Wesleyan missionaries settled in the late 1830s. It is best known though as being the location of the largest number of Mori tribal leaders signing the Treaty of Waitangi, the founding document of New Zealand between the British and the Moāri chiefs. Heavy rain and wind greeted us here so we didn’t spend as long here as we might have done, but the blustery conditions were perhaps appropriate as the centuries subsequent to the treaty have been somewhat turbulent themselves.

It is worth mentioning that Hokianga estuary is also home to the Wairere Boulders. We were keen to see them, as we have seen the Moraki Boulders on the south island previously and were keen to see how they compared. The Wairere site is however privately run and wanted to charge us 35NZD for the privilege of walking down to the beach to see the boulders- which we weren’t going to pay, so we can’t report on the boulders themselves.