Whangaroa County is 40 minutes drive north of the Bay of Islands and 20 minutes south of Doubtless Bay; its central location on The Twin Coast Discovery Highway makes Whangaroa an ideal stopover for travellers searching for that something different, that speaks of authentic Northland, unspoilt and unique..
Video "Ive got the blues for Whangaroa"
Whangaroa's scenery is awe-inspiring, with towering sheer bluffs and volcanic rock formations protruding through steep forested shores, its colours reflected in tranquil water. Whangaroa remains an unspoiled natural resource, ideal for rest and relaxation. It's fishing is legendary. With its sub tropical summers, warm winters and Northland lifestyle, Whangaroa County offers the ideal destination for a family holiday or romantic getaway.
Whangaroa's immediate history goes back to Maori settlement, a mission station, gum digging, and a prodigious boom time when kauri logs were brought from the surrounding hills in enormous quantities, settlements and mills flourished, and busy shipbuilding yards operated around the harbour. In the years between 1850 and 1909 these shipyards produced over 100 ships - schooners, brigantines and ketches - which sailed the high seas and ended up in all corners of the globe.
Those days are past, but the unspoilt beauty remains to delight the traveller. The harbour itself is the jewel in a crown of beautiful bays that encircle Whangaroa's coastline. There are still substantial areas of native bush within the county. The small townships and settlements keep their sense of history and some of their original buildings remain to carry whispers of the past into the 21st century. Whangaroa remains a mecca for the game fisherman. Pristine white sand bays and clear water create the classic kiwi beach holiday in summer time. Whangaroa ..... you can't go past it. It's natures own coast.
