The Bay of Islands, North­land, New Zealand

Often referred to as ‘The Win­ter­less North’ the Bay of Islands region enjoys a sub­trop­i­cal cli­mate with an aver­age of 2000 hours of sun­shine each year.  The aver­age Sum­mer tem­per­a­ture is 24C/75F with Win­ter tem­per­a­tures rarely below 16C/61F

Things to do from Orokawa Bay & the Bay of Islands

Fish­ing & Boat­ing
Surf cast­ing and fly cast­ing from the shore, or line fish­ing from your dinghy, choos­ing a quiet spot will not be a prob­lem!  Catch Snap­per in the warm Sum­mer months and a vari­ety of other fish year round.  Cray­fish, scal­lops and Paua (Abalone) are also on the menu.  Go fur­ther afield and ven­ture out into game­fish­ing ter­ri­tory. The calm waters of the Bay also offer ideal con­di­tions for water ski­ing and kayaking.

Swim­ming
Pris­tine, crys­tal clear waters will entice even the most reluc­tant swim­mer.  Both beaches are safe for swimming.

Walks
Lis­ten to the native birds and explore the magic of the bush on the Orokawa Penin­sula. Take in the breath­tak­ing scenery.

Lazy Days
Pick a spot under the shade of a mature Pohutukawa tree and soak up the views.  Kick off your shoes and spend count­less hours beach­comb­ing, take a pic­nic and enjoy a day out on your own prop­erty!  Or chill out in “The Tree House” with your favourite music and watch the sun set on another per­fect day.

In the Area

Fish­ing & Boat­ing in the Bay of Islands
Zane Grey once described the Bay of Islands as ‘an angler’s El Dorado’. World-class Game­fish­ing right on your doorstep!  Char­ter a boat from Pai­hia, or use your own launch and be right where the action is within 1/2 hour.  Species include Mar­lin, Yel­lowfin Tuna, King­fish, Wahu, Mahimahi, Mako and other large fish.  The Sword­fish Club, based in Rus­sell holds reg­u­lar tour­na­ments.  Dol­phins and Orca are also reg­u­lar vis­i­tors to the Bay of Islands.

Day Trips & Restau­rants
Should you ever tire of eat­ing your own freshly caught pro­duce, there are a wide range of eater­ies and award-winning restau­rants in the nearby ser­vice towns of Rus­sell, Pai­hia and Kerikeri.

While in Kerik­eri, fol­low the Craft Trail and shop for Maori sou­venirs in the arts and crafts stores and work­shops.  Visit Pai­hia, a pop­u­lar tourist town, widely con­sid­ered the North’s ‘Adven­ture Play­ground’, or stroll around his­toric Rus­sell with it’s quaint build­ings and art and craft shops.

Golf
The Wai­t­angi Golf Club near Pai­hia, offers excel­lent golf­ing con­di­tions and stun­ning views over the Bay of Islands.  Play the world class Kauri Cliffs course sit­u­ated along the coast near Matauri Bay.  Courses also at: Kerik­eri, Man­gonui, Whangaroa, Car­ring­ton Club in the Far North.

Scenic Walks
There are a num­ber of Depart­ment of Con­ser­va­tion walks in the area, some on unin­hab­ited islands.  The coastal walk to the Cape Brett Light­house is well worth the expe­ri­ence for the more adven­tur­ous hiker.  Details on local walks can be found on the D.O.C. web­site.

Scenic Flights
Salt Air oper­ate scenic flights over the Bay and to Cape Brett from the air­field at Pai­hia. They also offer heli­copter and spe­cial char­ter flights.

Div­ing
Fan­tas­tic new dive in the Bay of Islands — Dive the HMNZS Can­ter­bury wreck. Dive Char­ters are avail­able from Pai­hia that cover the Bay of Islands and fur­ther up the coast to the Cav­alli Islands where expe­ri­enced divers can dive the wreck of the Green­peace flag­ship, the Rain­bow Warrior.