‘Discover the subtropical Whangārei, a city of adventure, culture and natural beauty…’
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We love Whangārei! Every time we visit we always find something new to do. There is something for everyone. Lots of museums, art galleries, gardens, hikes, cafes, shops, and all set in a multicultural city with flare.
One of the great things about Whangārei is the amount of freedom camping spots dotted around the city and the surrounding area. You just need a self-contained vehicle like ours to take advantage of these. This really keeps travellers staying longer and indeed spending more money. We have visited several times before so this time we decided to just spend two days here, but you can truly stop for a week in Whangārei and not get bored.
HUNDERTWASSER ART CENTRE
We started our trip in the popular town basin, which is a buzzing centre with cafes overlooking the river. The combination of boats, architecture and modern landscaping really creates a lovely place to spend some time.
The Hundertwasser Art Centre is the most iconic building here and it is a real marvel to behold! We were lucky enough to have a private tour with Pam, who is extremely passionate and knowledgeable regarding all things Hundertwasser.
The Hundertwasser Art Centre is the largest Hundertwasser museum exhibition outside of Vienna with original artworks, architectural models and more. The building also houses the Wairau Māori Art Gallery which features the contemporary artworks of Toi Iho Māori artists.
We could not film inside the main exhibition, nevertheless we can vouch that the artworks are truly amazing and as unique as the building itself. Our tour guide Pam, told stories of when she actually knew the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser as he used to live just outside of Russell in Northland. Friedensreich designed the art centre himself but unfortunately he passed away in the year 2000 before the building was complete.
One of the highlights of this visit was the aforested roof with awesome views over the river and the city. We highly recommend you add this onto your itinerary if you visit, and definitely get a tour!
WHANGĀREI FALLS
Later that day we decided to head to Whangārei falls which is located right in the city and literally a few steps from the car park you are greeted with a 26 metre high falls with basalt cliffs. Its a real special spot and great to spend a little time, go for a short walk or take a picnic. The pictures speak for themselves…
KIWI NORTH
The next morning we decided to head to Kiwi North. This attraction has a lot to offer and is split into three sections. Whangārei museum tells stories of early settler history, beautiful taonga Māori and natural history displays. Its a good museum with interesting bits and pieces.
The Kiwi House was a highlight for us, as we have never managed to actually see a real kiwi (we have spent many hours at night trying to spot them in the wild!). Before entering the nocturnal Kiwi house, there are several other rare animals to admire including Tuatara and Geckos. When entering the Kiwi house, it takes some time for your eyes to adjust. We must have waited for nearly ten minutes and then finally (after some noisy kids left) the kiwi came out from the back where it was hiding and came really close to us. You are not allowed to film or use your phones as this can scare and unsettle the kiwi, but this was fine with us as it was such a special moment you want to savour.
The final part to Kiwi North was the Heritage park which is set within 25 hectares of rolling farmland, forest & bush, with views that overlook the city & the Whangārei Heads. There are several heritage buildings to explore and it makes for a nice short walk.
Later that day we headed back into the town basin for some more sightseeing. Our first point of call was the Whangārei Art Museum. This one is free which is always a bonus. They seem to have new exhibits every time we visit which is fun. There are two very large rooms to explore, which doesn’t take long.
CLAPHAM’S CLOCK MUSEUM
After this we headed onto Clapham’s Clock Museum. Now we was not sure how much we would like this but oh my we were amazed! Whangarei’s world-famous clock museum is home to over 2100 clocks and timepieces, making it one of the largest collections of clocks in the Southern Hemisphere!
In such as small space, they have packed in so much to see and sooo many unique and wonderful clocks. Whilst we were there, one of the staff members Lena took time to show visitors how certain clocks worked and show special features of some of them. This really made the whole experience as some of these clocks were extremely old and valuable so it was great to see them working and still being used.
MOUNT PARIHAKA
After being museum’ed out, we wanted some scenery so headed a few minutes drive to the Mount Parihaka lookout. You can walk up from the city but we were lazy and drove most of the way to the car park. A viewing platform at the 241 metre high summit offers panoramic views over the city and the harbour.
The Parihaka Scenic Reserve was once reputedly the site of the largest pā in New Zealand. It contains the visible remains of fortified settlement including three pā site, housing terraces, storage pits and defensive palisades along its ridgeline. It is also an ancient volcano!
WHANGĀREI QUARRY GARDENS
Our final stop on our Whangārei visit was to the amazing Whangārei Quarry Gardens. This is a subtropical oasis created by volunteers in the remnants of a former quarry. This has been the culmination of work over a twenty year period by this group of volunteers, and oh my, it is just stunning. There is even a nice looking cafe on site, which was closed at the time of our visit.
In all we spent just over an hour exploring the many pathways and hidden areas. We could have easily spent longer here if we fancied walking one of the longer trials. A surprise for us was just how many exotic plants there were, with amazing colours, shapes and sizes, many of which we have never seen before!
A highlight of these gardens was definitely the reservoir and the waterfalls which just made everything more scenic.
Next on through Auckland, and South Auckland….