hi,
my girlfriend and i have booked onto a flying kiwi trip just after xmas. we are doing the north island and hoping to get in a fair few hikes and cycle rides. the trip only takes 14 days but we have about 20 in total so thinking of taking a north island stop off along the way, any recommendations would be great - we were thinking of taking a week in the bay of islands. also is that the best part for surf as i had heard northlands had some superb beaches?
hope you can help 
james
There are no waves whatsoever in the Bay of Islands. *hunts through pictures* It's like this.
There are surfing spots somewhere - I remember quite a few surfing daytrips working out of Auckland - but unfortunately I don't know where. Just that it wouldn't be at the Bay of Islands.
(I know there's awesome waves on the west coast, but I also know that anyone and everyone spoke about the lethal riptides there and how you never ever should think about going swimming in the Tasman, so I assume the same would hold for surfing.)
Hi,
One of the best places for surf in NZ is at a place called Mount Maunganui which is located near Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty, North Island. Mt Maunganui is a very popular holiday destination for kiwis.
Matt.
[ Edit: Edited on Nov 22, 2006, at 4:38 PM by matt_25 ]
Hi There,
Thats right, no surfing in the bay of island - it is really beautiful though so well worth the visit.
For surfing head to Piha just north of auckland - quite dangerous however, there are alot of rips, in summer they have pretty good lifesaver petrols on the beach but there are still quite a few drownings every year. The most famous place for surfing in the N.Island is Raglan its about 2 hours south of Auckland on the west coast.
Hope this helps.
I learnt to surf at Raglan, it was most good.
hey guys,
Have to agree with the person who said Mount Maunganui was the best surfing place. It's amazing. I've been traveling up to the Mount ever since I was a kid, and the place is a summer paradise, apart from the fact it's a relatively small place (if you haven't seen any pictures, it's a stretch of land off the city of Tauranga) and gets totally crammed with people over summer.
It also used to be THE place to go for New Years Eve, but the drunken kids used to riot and totally trash the place, so the police presence is so intense these days.
Here is the wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Maunganui
It's got a cool picture down the bottom of the beach.
Just remember that there are two beaches on the Mount, on either side of the coast. Main beach is where all the surfing, etc, goes on, and the other on the other side of the 'island' is Pilot Beach, which is more family suited, doesn't get waves, but has great fishing, and it's right off from the port, so you can see all the ships going out, etc.
Also, if your there, try to actually climb Mount Maunganui, It's a bitch, but well worth it for the views once you get to the top!
Kim
Hi James!!!!!!!
I am recommending that you also visit Manila, Philippines. There are so many beautiful and historical places that you will find very interesting. The Boracay Beach is one of the most visited islands in our country. We have also Palawan islands considered as the cleanest island in Asia. We have also the Pagudpod island.
Our people are known for hospitality and kindness. Im sure you will enjoy your stay here in Manila, Philippines. Thank you and hope you will consider our country as one of your destinations for your vacation.
Gafs.
Quoting loz76
hi,
my girlfriend and i have booked onto a flying kiwi trip just after xmas. we are doing the north island and hoping to get in a fair few hikes and cycle rides. the trip only takes 14 days but we have about 20 in total so thinking of taking a north island stop off along the way, any recommendations would be great - we were thinking of taking a week in the bay of islands. also is that the best part for surf as i had heard northlands had some superb beaches?
hope you can help
james
[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please ]
Hey,
can give you some advice on the surfing situation. Bay of islands is definitely NOT the place to go.
West coast of auckland on Piha, Bethels (Te Henga) and a few others are good if you in that region but has to be off shore on the west coast obviously. Raglan, in the waikato region boasts one of the best left handers in the world. Some of the best surfers in the country are from the east coast around gisbourne and although I know little about it, it gets lots of praise.
There are many beaches with potential though my advice if your serious would be to buy a surf guide book. Be wary of the west coast if your not a strong swimmer though!
Another thing, not sure why people go to Pihia (bay of islands), think its highly over rated. not many NZ'ers ever go here, pretty much for tourists.
My advice is to head up to the beachces on the very northern most eastern tip. bugger all tourists!!