The Poor Knights Islands are a beautiful marine reserve & Yukon Dive is a fantastic choice to take…read moreyou there on a dive or snorkel tour. Every part of the services they supplied was on point, from the dive & snorkel equipment to the thorough safety explanation to the hot drinks on board. The dive boat was also the nicest I've been on, very comfortable. They also drove us through beautiful natural arch ways of the islands & into the largest sea cave in the world . And the snorkeling was awesome, through caves teeming with fish. A day very well spent!

We were heading out for a snorkel at Goat Island Marine Reserve. Mask - check. Flippers - check…read more Wetsuit? Oops... I could have manned up and just battled the cold, but decided instead to drop in at Goat Island Dive and see if I could hire a wetsuit. Of course I could! They were friendly and efficient. Within minutes I was zipped up and for $15 I had the suit for the day. Little sis started chatting to them about doing her Padi. While I slowly melted in the corner, she was given loads of info and advice about their up-coming courses. She got so excited that she booked then and there. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly. If you have any questions about snorkeling or diving before heading to Goat Island, it's a good place to stop.

Goat Island Marine Reserve is an absolute diving mecca, so on a good day up there you'll find many…read morehundreds of people of all ages in wet suits and snorkels checking out/marvelling at the local marine life. While some of these folk are pretty hardcore and have their own stuff, you can bet that a fair chunk of them have hired their gear from Goat Island Dive, a snorkel shop which is set up a few minutes up the road from the reserve itself. They have everything you need for a good day in the water, and are full of helpful tips and hints on where to go and what to do - it couldn't be easier. Apparently they also do guided tours out to the outer Gulf which I'm yet to try - certainly on my list of things to do though!

People in New Zealand -- the West Pacific -- think that water is "really cold" and requires a…read morewetsuit when it is somewhere in the mid 70s F -- but for me -- that's the perfect temperature. Over here in the East Pacific, we have MUCH chillier water. I brought my own snorkel gear, found a nice family who were not leaving any time soon and deposited my stuff near the non-swimming grandfather to watch, though, being NZ, I had little to worry about. Then - I hopped in the water and swam off to circumnavigate Goat Island, solo and without (gasp!) a PFD or lifeguard. I saw heaps of rays and even some reef sharks. The current between the island and the shore is a bit pushy, so I recommend checking the currents and swimming anticlockwise on an ebbing tide. Total swim was about 2200 meters, and very doable for a strong swimmer. If you're not a strong swimmer - bring a SUP or a kayak and have fun!

One of my favourite daytrips out of the city is a visit to Goat Island, in the small town of Leigh…read more Goat Island offers plenty of fine attractions to keep you entertained for the day, and if the weather plays along, then you can have a great day out. We normally pack the cricket kit, the petanque balls, and our snorkeling gear, plus all the normal beach day stuff. The Goat Island area offers good grass areas, an excellent golden beach and if you're not too scared of cold water, great snorkeling. Now others like to scuba, but I love to snorkel, and the fish offer a display of nature at her best. Blue, yellow or silver, they're all gorgeous, and seeing the big predators is worth freezing your bum off.

Perfect spot for all your diving hardware requirements. These guys really know their stuff.read more

This has to be one of the busiest beaches during the summer months! And it's pretty obvious why…read more The beach itself is absolutely beautiful. The water is clear and crisp and the sand is squeaky clean... it actually squeaks sometimes when you rub your feet in it! This is a great beach for the family as more often that not there are little waves, which make for some fun boogie boarding or body surfing. As Jacob said it's not often that there's real surf-able waves here but when the east coast swell gets up and hits at the right angle you might be in for a treat. There are some awesome rock pools to explore and a hill to climb which gives you a great look out over the bay. But be careful! I once saw a group of young kids get washed along the rocks as a set wave rolled in. Make sure you accompany your kids and only go exploring if there aren't big waves and the tide's not too high!

Beautiful Anchor Bay is a day trip spent perfectly in one of our regions golden treasures…read more I spent Easter Sunday here with my son and partner, we arrived not too long after lunch, and the car park close by was already packed to maximum capacity. A short walk down to the beach via the beach path and we found a lovely patch of sand with our name on it. I spent my time here swimming in the beautiful clean cool ocean, body surfing waves, and sun tanning. I recommend if you're not too relaxed to take a walk down the beach towards the rock pools which fill up and explore a deep human sized rock pool that you can dive bomb into! Sublime. The little kids will enjoy running about the rock pools and soaking in them, or searching for the little and big crabs that call it their home. The oceans out beyond the bay are protected as a marine reserve so the fish/sea creatures are happy and you won't see a fisherman in this regional park area. I love the peace I feel at Anchor Bay and always cherish my time here.

To access the trailhead from the cruise port, head over to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and pass it,…read morecontinue up the hill until you find an unmarked path in a field which heads left and leads to a parking lot which has the next sign to walk toward. Upon finding this sign, take a very short jaunt past the golf course (really?) and enter the forest at the next sign. For the next 3 1/4 miles, you get to hike through a forest with the most interesting/complex/R2D2 sounding birds called the Tui which was probably the most fascinating part of the hike. At about 1.7 miles, you encounter the iconic bridge which leads to the mangrove trees where you can take Instagram worthy photos. Before the falls, the path has a fork in the road that is (again) unmarked at which point you want to take the path up the hill through the turnstile. Upon arriving at the falls, you'll see a parking lot (you mean I could have driven here?) and toilets on the side. Taking photos at the falls is, of course, fun, but it was the Tui birds that I remember the most about this hike.

Such a cool waterfall! I loved being able to see it from the top, and after a long road trip filled…read morewith lots of falls (and lots of hiking to get to those falls), I sincerely appreciated that the parking lot is less than a one minute walk to the falls. Because it's not a trek, the crowds do build up, and this isn't really the ideal spot to spend some time. There are picnic tables around if you're into that, but they are not looking at the falls - more so at the road. We found some stray chickens which were really pretty, they were just chilling around the falls. I would totally recommend checking this place out if you're in Paihia - it's a great photo spot!

Puhoi is a perfect escape from the city for a day…read more The village itself is adorable, replete with a quaint library, general store, local pub and (if your lucky)...bohemian dancers. Yep, not a typo. There was a bohemian dance performance in the local hall during my visit. Anyway, kayaking. That's what this review is about. At PRC, located right in the center of town, you can hire kayaks (single or double) or canoes and enjoy a leisurely paddle along scenic Puhoi river. This isn't a guided tour - which, frankly would be unnecessary given the straightforward route and calm waters. Plus, this way you can go at your own pace and choose to meander off piste as much (or as little) as you like. I took all the little side routes since I'm blessed (cursed?) with endless curiosity and it took me a bit less than 2 hours to arrive at Wenderholm Regional Park. It's pretty easy paddling (especially when there aren't strong winds and the tide's going with you). The owners of PRC were professional, helpful and clearly passionate about what they do (clear WIN in my book). A single kayak was $50 and they also provided a shuttle pickup from the Wenderholm back into town. Nice. This trip is suitable for all levels and a great way to get out on the water!

Kayaking the Puhoi River is a really neat thing to do if you have a day free on the weekend. You…read morecan hire a kayak from with the Puhoi Village or Wenderholm Beach and paddle either up or down the river. It only takes around 2 hours one way, the water is generally flat and it's an easy relaxing journey. It's gentle enough for the kids to do it too (I think I was 10 when we first did it).It's really peaceful getting amongst the mangroves and navigating your way along the river. If you leave from Puhoi have a BBQ at Wenderholm when you finish (they have public BBQs; bring a few coins for the gas operated ones). If you leave from Wenderholm there's always the Puhoi Pub for a celebratory beverage on arrival