Whangarei (Maori:
Whangārei) (Pronounced:
Faa - ngaa - re - i) is the major population centre (Pop ~50,000) of Northland and the northernmost "city" in the North Island of New Zealand. It has a warm semi-tropical climate, with summer daytime temperatures around 24-26 degrees Celsius, regular rainy days year round and mild winters that rarely have frosts and are mild enough for the region to be described as
the winterless north.
Get in
By BusNorthliner runs busses from Auckland to Kataia with a stop in Whangarei. Traveltime is just under three hours.InterCity Coachlines runs the same route as the Northliner but has a more frequent schedule as well as connections to the rest of the country.By CarWhangarei is around two hours drive north of Auckland. One hour South of the Bay of Islands and one hour East of Dargavile.
By AirWhangarei Airport (WRE) is about ten minutes drive from the central city in the suburb of Onerahi. Taxis and a shuttle service as well as car rentals are available from the airport to town.
Air New Zealand has several daily flights from Auckland and Wellington. Flying time from Auckland is 30 to 40 minutes.Great Barrier Airlines runs flights twice weekly from Whangarei to Great Barrier Island depending on minimum passenger numbers.Get around
BusWhangarei's only form of public transport is the
bus service being run as a trial by the Whangarei District and Regional councils. It covers most of the suburbs and the inner city. Tickets are $2.00 for adults and can be purchased from the driver.
See
Claphams Clock Museum One of the largest collections of clocks in the southern hemisphere.
Quaside, Town Basin, Whangarei
Phone: 09 438 3993Regional MuseumWhangarei Falls - Known as the most photogenic waterfall in New Zealand, dropping 25 metres into a beautiful bush-fringed pool. Located centrally at Tikipunga, 5km north east of the city.Do
Big game fishing - off the coast.Diving - off the coastBuy
The Piggery - High quality and hard to find (mainly secondhand) books
Reyburn House Art Gallery Gallery
Reyburn House Lane, Town Basin, Whangarei
Phone: 09 438 3074Burning Issues Gallery
Quaside, Town Basin, Whangarei
Phone: 09 438 3108Eat
Around the Mall.Pimarn Thai Restaurant - Very popular restaurant. Reservations a must.Shiraz - Indian RestaurantKiller Prawn - Popular restaurant and bar with very tasty food and huge wine list
26-28 Bank street, Whangarei
Phone: 09 430 3333Around the Town Basin.Mochaba - Good coffee, pleasant food but slow service. It shares a building with The Batch, an arts and crafts shopReva's - Terrific waterfront location but variable food and service.Mondos - Always busy but the quality of food tends to be low.Vinyl - Small restaurant away from the main town basin restaurants on the other side of the water.Gybe - Shiny new building shame about the food and serviceOther Areas.à Deco
70 Kamo road, Kensington, Whangarei
Phone: 09 459 4957Drink
Most of the towns bars and clubs are located in the central city in or around Vine street.
Grand HotelDanger DangerHeavenSleep
BudgetWhangarei Backpackers
90 Bank street, Whangarei
Phone:09 459 7070YHA Youth Hostel
52 Punga Grove avenue, Whangarei
Phone: 09 438 8954Mid-RangeSettlers InnTop EndKingsgate Hotel
9 Riverside Drive, Whangarei
Phone: 09 438 0284Get out
Whangarei is only 70 kilometres from the Bay of Islands and is the primary gateway to the rest of Northland. Alternatively you can take the road to Dargaville and travel north from there through the Kauri forests and along the rugged west coast beaches to Opononi and the Hokianga.
Whangarei, pronounced ɸaːŋaɾei in Maori and fæŋæreɪ in English ("fang-a-ray"; the initial consonant is pronounced /f/ in English), is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although it is commonly classified as a city, officially it is under the jurisdiction of the Whangarei District Council, a local body created in 1989 to administer both the city proper and its hinterland.
Whangarei has a subtropical climate and very few frosts. Summers rarely exceed 30°C, and there is plentiful rainfall, spread relatively evenly over the year.
Whangarei District
Whangarei district includes the town of Hikurangi, and the suburbs of Kamo, Tikipunga, Whau Valley, Otangarei, Kensington, Regent, Maunu, Morningside, Raumanga, and Onerahi as well as a large amount of rural land, including beaches such as Ngunguru, game fishing mecca Tutukaka, and a variety of beaches along Whangarei Harbour.
The district extends as far south as Bream Bay, north towards the Cape Brett peninsula, and west almost to Waipoua Forest. It also includes the Hen and Chicken Islands and the Poor Knights Islands.
Famous people from Whangarei
Country singer Keith Urban was born there, but was raised in Australia, and has made his name in the United States. He is married to Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman.Ted Salmon, a field hockey player who represented New Zealand twice at the Summer Olympics: 1968 and 1972.Arthur Parkin, a field hockey player who won the golden medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.Suzie Muirhead, a field hockey defender who competed in two Summer Olympics (2000 and 2004).Comedian Billy T. James attended Whangarei Boys' High School.Winston Peters, current Minister for Foreign Affairs, was born there in 1945.Samantha Warriner, silver medalist in Women's Triathlon at the 2006 Commonweatlth Games, lives there.Jack Marshall, Prime Minister of New Zealand for part of 1972, attended Whangarei Boys' High School.Brad Carter, a member of the New Zealand rock band Steriogram, attended Kamo High School.External links
Whangarei District CouncilNorthland Regional CouncilWhangarei Street MapWhangarei Information & Travel Centre
