This coastal reserve features sand dunes, pohutukawa trees, jutting headlands and picturesque beaches. DOC-managed accommodation includes an eight-person lodge (per week $945), a simple but comfortable cottage (per week $630) and a beach house (per week $630), all of which sleep seven to eight people. Basic camping (per adult/child $13/6.50) is available at secluded Waikahoa Bay.
Mimiwhangata Coastal Park
Bay of Islands & Northland
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
22.74 MILES
Occupying a headland draped in lawns and bush, this is NZ's most significant historic site. Here, on 6 February 1840, after much discussion, the first 43…
15.83 MILES
For 10 days in January 1846, 1600 British troops bombarded 500 Māori warriors hunkered down in a pā (fortress) composed of trenches, tunnels and wooden…
Clapham’s National Clock Museum
20.45 MILES
This charming collection of 1600 ticking, gonging and cuckooing timepieces is housed in a building shaped as a sundial. There are all manner of kooky and…
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17.12 MILES
It's a bit of a drive (30km) and a short steep walk down to the beach, but worth the effort. There's not a lot of beach when the tide is high so time your…
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20.89 MILES
Built in 1842 to house the Catholic mission’s printing press, this rammed-earth building is the mission's last remaining building in the western Pacific,…
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21.51 MILES
The characterful St Paul's was constructed of Kawakawa stone in 1925, and stands on the site of the original mission church, a simple raupo (bulrush) hut…
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20.88 MILES
English naturalist Charles Darwin made a donation towards the cost of building this, the country’s oldest surviving church (1836). The graveyard's biggest…
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29.02 MILES
Some 10km from town and reached via a permanent causeway through the mangroves, this 12-hectare island reserve provides a haven for the North Island brown…
Nearby Bay of Islands & Northland attractions
15.83 MILES
For 10 days in January 1846, 1600 British troops bombarded 500 Māori warriors hunkered down in a pā (fortress) composed of trenches, tunnels and wooden…
17.12 MILES
It's a bit of a drive (30km) and a short steep walk down to the beach, but worth the effort. There's not a lot of beach when the tide is high so time your…
17.61 MILES
Short walks around these 26m-high falls provide views of the water cascading over the edge of an old basalt lava flow. The falls can be reached on the…
4. AH Reed Memorial Kauri Park
18.3 MILES
A grove of immense 500-year-old kauri trees has been preserved in this lush tract of native bush, where a cleverly designed boardwalk leads you…
18.95 MILES
Abbey Caves is an undeveloped network of three caverns full of glowworms and limestone formations, 6km east of town. Take a torch, strong shoes, a mate…
19.07 MILES
With a growing reputation for red wines – especially its old-growth syrah – Omata Estate is one of Northland's finest wineries. To complement the tastings…
19.36 MILES
Explore these glowworm-illuminated limestone caverns on a 30-minute subterranean tour led by direct descendants of Ngāti Hine chief Kawiti, who fought the…
19.96 MILES
Green-fingered volunteers have transformed this old quarry into a blissful community park with a lake, waterfalls, pungent floral aromas, wild bits,…