A natural playground

Doubtless Bay boasts over 70km of unspoilt coastline and an abundance of safe beaches.

Secluded pohutukawa-fringed bays, cosmopolitan marinas and anchorages with full chandlery, lively cafes and bars fill the coastal run from Auckland to Northland. For New Zealand boaties, the whole region is a boating and fishing mecca with areas like the Bay of Islands holding iconic status. Each year from late December until June, Marlin and other billfish swarm here in their thousands. Yellowfin are taken from December to March, sharks from November to May and yellowtail kingfish all year round. The number of fish, the large fleet of world-class charter boats available and the skill and experience of the skippers are internationally renowned.

And beneath the waters lie many other attractions. Some of the world’s top and most easily accessed dive and snorkeling sites exist in Northland. Spectacular reefs, walls, pinnacles, archways and tunnels provide a unique marine habitat not seen anywhere else in the world. Magnificent mixtures of subtropical and temperate marine species inhabit the local reefs, with great wreckdives on sunken warships and the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior. The warm waters of Northland make this New Zealand’s natural playground.