Inger Question for you

Hubby has never been to the BOI so we are planning a couple of day trips up next week while he is on holiday. He is looking into seeing if we can get on some of the tours to Cape Rianga and also the hole in the rock and dolphin spotting. On that one we could also do the shipwreck museum.

If we were to drive all the way up for a day what would you consider a must see. Will probably go see the flag pole, but unless we did a group tour probably no point in going to Marsden house.

Just looking for suggestions from locals.

During a trip to the BOI early last year we did a guided tour of Pompallier House in Pussell. Its history as a leather tannery and printing house was intriguing and well presented by the guide.

I work for a company that does Hole in the Rock and Cape Reinga trips and some sother stuff. If you want any info pm me if you like

Oh yeah, and we are the small friendly company

moonshiner;241703 wrote: I work for a company that does Hole in the Rock and Cape Reinga trips and some sother stuff. If you want any info pm me if you like

Oh yeah, and we are the small friendly company

We also did the Dolphin/Hole in the Rock trip in the 'Big Yellow Cat' (which I assume is the small friendly guys) and highly recommend them :cool:

From memory the deal with the dolphins is that if you don't see dolphins then your next trip with them is free

I live here

Kiwismum, sorry I don't know where you're coming from, but Cape Reinga is really a day trip from the BOI I think. It's actually quite a long drive and by the time you factor in a stop for lunch and then a stop at the Cape it's a long round trip.
The Hole in the Rock and dolphin trips are all fab - we've taken every visitor we've had on at least one of them and we've never been disappointed. Absolutely the best way to see the bay. The excitor or macattack are others to do but best go on a choppy day for more excitement!
Daryls dinner cruise is also a right laugh.

Waitangi is a must, I reckon, it's incredibly interesting and it also has a lovely cafe in gorgeous gardens.

Russell is lovely, I always feel like I'm on holiday when we go there.
Kerikeri is nice as well.
Paihia has yummy ice cream!

Puketi forest is a great walk with huge Kauris.

The Hokianga is stunning

There's loads to do!

Thanks guys, keep the info coming.

BTT there is a day trip for Cape Rianga from Paihai, we just have to be there at 6.00am, so not out of the question.

The tannery sounds interesting, but not sure it will appeal to 10 yr old DD, so will think more on that one.

We had talked about Waitangi so we are on the same page there.

if you have kids then there's a place outside Paihia that has trapezes and all sorts of stuff, my niece and nephew went there ant were blown away!

And Mahoe cheeses are on the way to kerikeri if you return thru there. cosmetics factory [living nature at kerikeri] and fudge factory too. Lots of Ingers on here

MMM Mahoe cheese.
Did you know that if you like mozzarella you can ask them to give you a bucket of it in the brine rather than getting it vacuum packed - it's truly amazing! ( and incredibly good value) excellent for home made pizzas and tomato and basil salad.

Pompallier House's interest to a 10 year old would depend on the individual child and the guide that you get. Our guide was a European Kiwi woman in her mid 50s who was great. The tanning process includes stories of human urine used for tanning, real smelly pits containing skins in tanning liquid and lots of interesting trivia derived from the printing trade. What is the origin of the term "Upper case" ? Hand book binding, the origin of written Maori language, mummified rats found during restorations. If the 10 YO gets bored they can wait in the houses gardens, but they may well enjoy the tour of an interesting old house full of cool stuff.:cool:

The Engineer thinks the Hole-in-the-Rock and Dolphin Spotting are top of the list, then the Cape Reinga trip (the bus visits a museum as well). Fish and Chips at the Manganui chippy shop/dairy, that overhangs the water, is a must do. They make the best fish and chips in Northland.

There's a tall ship that does cruises out around the Bay of Islands sometimes. Contact the information centre in Paihia or Russell and they'll give you all the sailing times and prices.

The Mahoe cheese factory can be a bit smelly and the cheeses are expensive, but if that interests you, its on the road that goes South from Kerikeri.

There's a Farmers' Market in Kerikeri on Sunday mornings. Also there's the Stone Storehouse. That's fairly mandatory to visit.

There are so many things to do in the Bay of Islands that I can't list them all. So its better to contact the information centres or the Fuller's Office. A lot of the excursions can be booked there as well.

As you can tell, everyone has there own favourite activity in the B.o.Is. I'm sure you'll find plenty to fill the alloted time. Have a fun weekend away.