road trip

[lidistick 70]

HI guys,

Everytime I buy a car, I go for a road trip

Earlier this year, it was the West Coast in my Accord. Nows its Northland in the 328i. any tips or ideas? Where to go? Roads to drive?

Current plan (very flexible)

1) Go via SH16 to Warkworth heading up north on the east coast.

2) Stop at Whangarei

3) Stop at Bay of Islands

4) Kaitaia and 90 mile beach to cape

5) Down the west coast towards dargaville

6) Down via SH1 to Auckland

7) and maybe to Paeroa via Miranda back to Hamilton

anything that I HAVE to see? experience?

cheers.

[cainchapman 0]

Look at www.newzealand.com or www.aatravel.co.nz

The Kauri forest and Tane Mahuta is always worth a look. Waitangi. Russell. Kerikeri Stone store. Cape Reinga and Spirits bay.

[lidistick 70]

Cool.

Will do that

Thanks.

Can U recommend like places to stay?

Price range from $100 ~$150 a night for 2?

Edited October 6, 2006 by lidistick

[CaM 0]

awesome idea mang. can't be of any help though.

Just hit cheap dives for accom. can't beat tha for the real experience.

hah

[B*Emz 0]

Natthaaan and Grahhaaam~ where to send this guy?

Russell is kinda cool in a touristy way, if you go up past Long beach or whatever it's called. Mad veiws of the bay.

Kawakawa toilets? The town is uber-scummy, but the bathrooms are kind of cool. If your into that sort of thing..

You gotta beach it though, as your keen on heading way up north anyway, you might as well stop off at some of the really nice beaches, Tauranga Bay, Taupo Bay and Matauri Bay. All pretty nice.

The Monganui Fish and Chip place is pretty iconic of northland too so if your hungry, like actually, apparently servings arnt that small.. you have to stop there.

Hmmmm. Like Cain said, Tane Mahuta if you want to see a freakn big tree, teh Stone Store in Keri, our yachts sometimes moored just off there, and theres a quite nice restaurant just over the road too so its not too bad at all. Kemp house is next door. old collonial style place etc. But yea thats a few places. Good old northland.. hive of activity and all that..

Other suggestions Bay people?

[kiwi535 538]

Natthaaan and Grahhaaam~ where to send this guy?

Russell is kinda cool in a touristy way, if you go up past Long beach or whatever it's called. Mad veiws of the bay.

Kawakawa toilets? The town is uber-scummy, but the bathrooms are kind of cool. If your into that sort of thing..

You gotta beach it though, as your keen on heading way up north anyway, you might as well stop off at some of the really nice beaches, Tauranga Bay, Taupo Bay and Matauri Bay. All pretty nice.

The Monganui Fish and Chip place is pretty iconic of northland too so if your hungry, like actually, apparently servings arnt that small.. you have to stop there.

Hmmmm. Like Cain said, Tane Mahuta if you want to see a freakn big tree, teh Stone Store in Keri, our yachts sometimes moored just off there, and theres a quite nice restaurant just over the road too so its not too bad at all. Kemp house is next door. old collonial style place etc. But yea thats a few places. Good old northland.. hive of activity and all that..

Other suggestions Bay people?

I am not a bay person but have had a couple of holidays up that way.If you are keen on NZ bush,make sure you take a walk to the old man of the forest,a huge kauri tree near kerikeri i think,also the kauri forests out on the west coast .

When i bought my 535 i drove from Auckland,Hamilton,Tauraunga,Wellington,then picked up the family and went up to Napier and Waimarama,during which time the car was virtually dismantled,and cleaned polished to within an inch of new!Awesome way to check out your new car and make it YOURS

oops repeated Cains advice

Edited October 6, 2006 by kiwi535

[nath 131]

Heading north, the back way to russell, out to tapeka pt, ferry to opua, paihia- kerikeri, kerikeri to matauri bay (matauri bay hill!!!)

up the coast road and back in at whangaroa, up to mangonui for fesh and cheps, up to either of those 2 beaches.... what are they called g? rarawa beach is one i think.

then over and up to the te paki stream to the dunes (park cars at end of road and on foot up the dunes (for people that havent been there its amazing- star-wars style.

from there could go to the cape, but really there isnt tooo much to be seen for the long drive (hang on, once at the stream i think the cape is close anyway) or could go straight back down to waipapakauri or ahipara(bottom of 90 mile)

then do some sort of west coast thing which i havent a clue about (there be dragons)

here is a bad map

Edited October 6, 2006 by nath

[bravo 34]

If your going to Matauri then make sure you make the most of the mad mile - any local will tell you what I'm on about.

Usual stuff - I'm sure the idea for yuo is cool driving, not spending money doing touristy things so here's my suggestions:

Take the Tomarata Road to Mangawhai on the way up hitting the coast road past Waipu Cove etc. The Pizza barn at Waipu is a must see for lunch - licensed and mad pizza.

Then on to Whangaz. Drive thru the city and take the road out to tutukaka. It not bad, but the road from tut's back to the highway is f**kn mad - gary aka hamwallet back me up on this!

Then on up to Kawakawa - take SH 11 instead of SH1 at kawakawa and see Russell and Paihia on the way past. Kawakawa to Paihia would be a feckn cool road if it weren't for the campervans.

From Paihia go Kerikeri - hit my skid paddock on the way past - and go up the coast road (SH 10 to the top and do the whole 90 mile thing). Then go back down SH1 thru the mangamukas - if its not busy then you'll be opposite lock oversteering the whole way corner to corner. (if that's your thing)

Then take the vehicle ferry from Horeke accross to Rawene so you can go thru Opononi and then down the west coast to dargaville then home.

Follow this itinerary and you'll see all the sites and also see the best driving roads Northland has to offer. Have I missed anything Gary et. al.????

Peace.

Edited October 7, 2006 by bravomikewhiskey

[nath 131]

i'd say choose between the tutukaka coast and mangawhai heads runs, they are very similar and are really out of the way..... but pizza at waipu is a must.

[TronSpec 0]

Follow this itinerary and you'll see all the sites and also see the best driving roads Northland has to offer. Have I missed anything Gary et. al.????

Peace.

Nah man you pretty much summed up the best roads for a driving expereince...

[lidistick 70]

Sweet.

I'll be looking at maps and planning it out.

not too touristy.. we've done the dolphins and 'hole-in-the-rock' boat cruise. Just wanna go for a long deserved fang

[Mikal 4]

I used to live in Waipu and highly recommend the Pizza Barn, best pizza ever. Plus my mate works there.

[Nobimmer 694]

Morewa through 90 Mile Beach FTW

[ED1RTY 2]

From Paihia go Kerikeri - hit my skid paddock on the way past - and go up the coast road (SH 10 to the top and do the whole 90 mile thing). Then go back down SH1 thru the mangamukas - if its not busy then you'll be opposite lock oversteering the whole way corner to corner. (if that's your thing)

Mangamukas should be D1NZ special stage.... the Far North Corp Boys (i gotta few mates up there) do drift battles through the gorge at 120 + at 3am saturday morning lol its insanely scary... not that i would know

O yea and you gotta go to moerewa. That has the meanest tourist destination of all.... AFFCO Meat Works! Yayaaa that butcher next to it must have the freshest meat in the far north!!!

Edited October 8, 2006 by sakdbma

[nath 131]

Beware of the mangumukas- if you see the fawn hitchhiking on the side of the road, pick him up and take him to where he wants to go, otherwise you will crash and die.

[lidistick 70]

WOW! Northland has some freaking wicked roads.

Best drive has probably got to be from Omapere to Dargaville through the forest. No cars or f**king annoying campervans.. just tight twisty bits with no chance of ever being over the 100km/h speed limit unless you are a moron.

The drive to Mangawhai heads was pretty cool and so too Mangamukas but the roads were poor and I kept bottoming out the left rearside for some reason so wasn't really pushing it. Car is filthy on the outside after taking it to the Cape. Cool drifty action there.

BTW, if anyone is going up there during summer, stay at Ahipara and do the Tua Tua Tours. MAD FUN. 3hrs of insane quad biking through sand dunes and old Kauri forests. Never done it before and thoroughly recommend it.

Too bad the drive back today was sh*t. From Kaiwaka all the way through to Orewa we were doing 30km/h cos some dipshit couldn't climb the hills. And from Ngaruwahia to Hamilton.. some old fart in a Hyundai who kept at 60km/h and left a trail of cars behind him causing at least 4 stupid overtaking manoeuvres. Gah.

anyway, left rear wheel is coming off tomorrow to see if its the inner guards that's rubbing or if I need to raise it just a wee bit. She needs a clean but right now she can stay filthy.

[Mikal 4]

Did you stop at the Waipu Pizza Barn? your loss if you didn't.

[lidistick 70]

We stopped there but after a massive buffet breakfast in Auckland a few hours earlier.. there was no way we could eat anymore so we pushed on. Now that I know where it is

[OLLIE 26]

Brilliant! i love good old roadies and northland has some great roads. i'd have to agree that the road from opomere down to kai iwi / dargavile is flippin fantastic! also the mangawhai road is a good but an oldie and whoever mentioned the pizza barn at Waipu is on target too!!

i'm feeling a bimmersport northland roadie is on the cards for this summer!

[Guest Spargo]

The drive to Mangawhai heads was pretty cool

My record is causeway to SH1 turnoff in 10 minutes.

[OLLIE 26]

My record is causeway to SH1 turnoff in 10 minutes.

8 min 30 secs in a pulsar gtir

[318isCoupe 0]

i'm feeling a bimmersport northland roadie is on the cards for this summer!

Sounds fun to me! or east cape..

[318isCoupe 0]

Auckland to Hawkes Bay Wineries?