Paihia

A quiet little hide away 4 hours north of Auckland - a place to either chill out, or, if you have any energy left there are options to jet ski, take a helicopter flight (taking off from a tiny patch of grass near the bus terminal - quite something to see) or hike for 5 hours to a local waterfall (be aware that there are sand flies here and they bite so bring some antihistamine cream!!). I decide to chill for a couple of days in preparation for heading back to Auckland and a duel flight to Sydney and onto Honolulu…
ps. There is a fab little fish and chip shop on the water front called ‘Vinnies’ - well worth a look.