Hokianga Walks and Tracks

Whiria: a Climb to the Top – Length: 1.2km Time: 1 hour

Whiria is a pa site. Rising up from the harbour edge at Pakanae, the hilltop commands 360-degree views, which is why for centuries it was an occupied pa. It remains a sacred site. A monument commemorates the historic pa Whiria, as well as Rahiri the paramount ancestor of the northern tribes. At the base of Whiria’s north-eastern flank among a grove of macrocarpa trees close to the beach is the site of an early Methodist Mission established in 1836.

Waipoua Forest : 4 Walks to Big Trees (Footprints Waipoua offer guided night & day walks through the forest)

Waipoua is home to the kauri, 1 of the world’s mightiest trees. The largest kauri reach more than 50 metres tall, have trunk girths up to 16 metres and sprang from seed as long as 2,000 years ago. The trees are vitally important refuges for threatened wildlife. Waipoua may well contain the biggest remaining population of North Island Brown Kiwi, with numbers reaching into the thousands. Another distinctive creature is the large kauri snail, a carnivore which feeds mainly on earthworms, slugs and soft-bodied insects.

- Tane Mahuta, the largest living kauri and god of the forest, is just minutes walk from SH12 in the northern reaches of Waipoua Forest. The track is well-surfaced and suitable for wheelchairs.

- The Yakas Track , named after the Yakas brothers, Dalmatian timber workers. Recorded as the 7 th largest kauri tree in the Waipoua Forest, it’s the largest tree in Cathedral Grove, 40 minutes walk from the carpark.

- The Four Sisters , is an impressive stand of 4 tall and graceful trees growing extremely close together seeming to fuse at the base. A 10 minute walk from the carpark. This path is suitable for wheelchairs.

- Te Matua Ngahere , the second largest living kauri tree and father of the forest, is just a 20 minute stroll from the carpark.

Across the Harbour for a Stroll in the Sand – Time: min of 1 hour, max 4 hours.

Head over the dunes to the highest ridge where you’ll be rewarded with views of both harbour and the outer coast, and have the chance to admire North Head’s remarkable wind sculptures. These forms, sculpted by nature by hardened sand and claystone stand like statues on a moonscape, their surfaces pristine as if newly scoured which they have been, by the wind. Another option is sand-boarding. Sand-boards are provided by Hokianga Express and no other equipment is needed.

Wairere Boulders

Wairere Boulders - The Hokianga Harbour is home to the Wairere Boulders. The valley, now a New Zealand Nature Park, is a prime landmark that has existed since thousands of years is now an eco tourism venture. It is one of the awesome activities and an exciting adventure to explore this unique Tourism Attraction. The valley features an easy walk and tracks and the unique walking possibilities make it an outstanding site of eco-tourism or nature tourism. The length of the rock amassments on the valley floor is 1 1/2 km. There are thousands of boulders stacked on top of each other, some around 30 m high. They look like a stream of rocks and boulders flowing down towards the Hokianga Harbour. www.wairereboulders.co.nz

Footprints Waipoua - offers several different day and NIGHT programmes. Their signature 4-hour night walk 'Twilight Encounter' is an experience that allows visitors to enter the Waipoua forest at a unique time; a time experienced by not many; a time when its inhabitants change; a time when seeing is replaced with listening and a time when the clouds and sun are replaced by stars and the moon. www.footprints.co.nz