Top O'The Tide Motel

sand toboganing...

by dragontml

ever wanted to give sand tobogan a try ? well, i did give it a go. it was brilliant ! a whole lot of fun. i do not have any pics of anyone doing this as we were advised not to take out cameras along and so i only have this picture to remember going down the board.
we first had to ' hike ' up this dune and then at some point, put your board down and then our bus driver told us how to brake with our feet ! and going down this dune was fun ! i only had one go at it as it was really tiring to ' hike ' up this sand dune.
was fun !

Bay of Islands: Urukapuka Is

by darthmilmo

We then continued on our journey as we headed back into the bay. We stopped at the north side of Urukapuka Is for a picnic lunch. I decided to leave the large group at the beach as I headed up to the hills. The view from the top was astounding with full 360 degree views of the vast green islands, the crystal clear blue sea, and more. The grass on this island was so thick that one will fall deep into it on every step taken. It made for a perfect natural mattress where I got to relax and take a nap. For those interested, you can stay overnight at the basic accommodation ran by Fullers.

Paihia, action town

by Kate-Me

Paihia may only be small (population about 1700 people) but there's no lack of places to stay and things to do, especially water activities.

The town is touristy, but I wouldn't say overly so, and there's a good balance between shops & adventures & natural activities, and if you want more quiet, you can take a 10 minute ferry ride across the harbour to Russell, which is even smaller, and has more of a quiet village feel, and a smaller but nicer (better sand) and more natural beachfront/waterfront area.

We spent about 3 days in this area, and really enjoyed it.

views of Paihia from one of the hills overlooking the township.