John Kidde Writes

Yes, “quick” is in quotation marks. Why, you may ask? Because it wasn’t such a quick trip. Doi.

From the CBD, Central Business District, of Auckland up to the Bay of Islands it was about a 3.5 hour drive. Our idea of a “quick” trip up north was quickly (there’s that word again) dashed. Nevertheless, we pressed on. We were determined to see some more of the country, outside of the most popular spots.

The drive was very beautiful. There were rolling green hills, scenic vistas, and numerous roundabouts. This country, they love their roundabouts. As someone who had only ever driven on the right side of the road, driving on the left was initially daunting but once I got the feel for it (and the turn signal and windshield wipers being on the opposite sides of the steering column) I was as cool as you like.

Did I once get pulled over for speeding but was then let off with a warning and told to spend the money, that would’ve been on the ticket, in town at a local shop? Who can say.

After driving for a long time, we decided that it would be best to actually find someplace to go as opposed to just inputting “Bay of Islands” into the GPS. We exited the main road, found a little marina to park at and we looked up someplace to go.

After some searching we decided to set out to Opito Bay. It was close by and there looked to be a trail we could walk to get a view of the water and islands. Because at this point, we needed to get out of the car for a bit, take in some scenery, and breathe in that fresh sea air.

At Opito Bay there was a small car park right next to the water and people’s homes (jealous!). From the car park it was an easy hike up a well-maintained trail to the Tareha Point Scenic Lookout. On our way up, and down for that matter, we saw a few of the local residents on their daily walk on the trail. I mean, I would be out there too if I lived there.

That video is from the near end of the trail to the lookout point. It was, as you can see, stunning. The weather was in full cooperation that day and we could see for miles and miles.

This will turn into Instagram for a hot minute as I show you what we saw.

Just, wow. Right?

After seeing some of the other natural wonders New Zealand has to offer, it was nice to visit a place that was not as crowded. This is truly the place to check out if you want to get away from the city. There are numerous islands and spots that we did not have time for but are keen on visiting on our next go around.

Thank you for visiting, and I will see you next time!