Things to do in Whangarei
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Pimarn Thai
As gaudy as every good Thai restaurant should be – there’s plenty of gold and glass bling on the walls and around the necks of the serving staff. The lengthy menu features all Thailand’s blockbuster dishes, including a tasty pad thai.
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Old Library Arts Centre
The Old Library Arts Centre exhibits local artists in a wonderful art-deco building. Between this and the library is Pou, an intriguing sculpture consisting of 10 large poles carved with Maori, Polynesian, Celtic and Korean motifs. Grab an interpretive pamphlet from the library. The newest addition is a brightly painted Croatian gumdigger with a gum-seeking stake in one hand and his heart on fire for his woman back home – portrayed upside down and balanced on his head.
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Abbey Caves
The budget traveller’s answer to Waitomo, Abbey Caves is an undeveloped network of three caverns full of glowworms and limestone formations, 4km east of town. Grab a torch, strong shoes and a mate (you wouldn’t want to be stuck down here alone if things go pear-shaped) and prepare to get wet. The surrounding reserve is a forest of crazily shaped rock extrusions. If you’re staying at neighbouring Little Earth Lodge, you can borrow helmets and hire head torches.
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Museum & Kiwi House
West of Whangarei, 5km down the road to Dargaville at Maunu, is the Museum & Kiwi House. The complex includes a veritable village of 19th-century buildings and an impressive collection of Maori artefacts. It also offers a rare chance to see a North Island brown kiwi, although he’s a bit shy and doesn’t always feel the need to face his adoring public.
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à Deco
Northland’s best restaurant, with an inventive menu that prominently features local produce: Northland scallops, Tutukaka tuna, Waimate mushrooms, Kaipara flounder, Dargaville kumara (sweet potato) and the native flavours of horopito and manuka. Art-deco fans will adore the setting – a wonderfully curvaceous marine-style villa with original fixtures.
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Whangarei Falls
The 26m-high Whangarei Falls are the Paris Hilton of NZ waterfalls – not the most impressive but reputedly the most photographed. Short walks provide views of the water cascading over the edge of an old basalt lava flow. The falls can be reached on the Tikipunga bus, leaving from Rose St in the city.
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Butter Factory & Butterbank
Tucked away in a back lane, Butter Factory is an atmospheric wine bar with stone walls, exposed beams and so-cool-it-hurts staff. As the hours dissolve, DJs kick in and the crowd spills outside. It’s proved so popular that it’s taken over the old bank upstairs and converted it into a nearly-as-cool tapas and cocktail bar.
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Pupurangi Hire & Tour
Offers hour-long waterfall abseils in the Kauri Park ($35), hour-long bike tours of the town ($35), six-person waka (canoe) trips on the river ($35) or 2½-hour combos of the above ($85). It also hires kayaks (per hour $15), waka ($20), aquacycles ($15), bikes ($15) and rollerblades ($10).
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Quarry Gardens
Green-fingered volunteers have transformed Quarry Gardens, part of the Coronation Scenic Reserve which is an expanse of bush just west of the centre, into a blissful park with a lake, waterfalls, pungent floral aromas, wild bits, orderly bits and lots of positive energy.
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Native Bird Recovery Centre
West of Whangarei, 5km down the road to Dargaville at Maunu, and beside the Museum & Kiwi House is the Native Bird Recovery Centre, which nurses sick and injured birds back to health. Say hi to Woof Woof, the talking tui.
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Nectar
Oozing boho cool, Nectar has strong fair-trade coffee, hip staff, chilled-out grooves and urban views from the back of a fabulous old building. Breakfast couldn’t be sweeter than the passionfruit muesli sundae.
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Quarry Arts Centre
On one side of the Coronation Scenic Reserve, an expanse of bush just west of the centre, the Quarry Arts Centre is an eccentric village of artists’ studios and co-operative galleries.
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Skydive Ballistic Blondes
Skydive Ballistic Blondes is not only the oddest-named skydiving outfit in the country, but also the only one licensed to land on the beach (Ruakaka, Ocean Beach or Paihia).
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Clapham’s Clocks
Clapham’s Clocks is far more interesting than it sounds. This collection of 1400 ticking, gonging and cuckoo-ing timepieces constitutes the National Clock Museum.
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Bob
Hey Bob, nice coffee. How would you describe yourself? Deli? Cafe? All that fancy produce spices up the standards – like the kransky sausages in the big breakfast. Nice one, Bob.
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Salut Bar & Brasserie
A grand setting for a boozy lunch. Grab one of the booths scooped out of dark chocolate leather and settle in for delicious fresh dishes such as the tuna carpaccio salad.
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Whangarei Art Museum
The Whangarei Art Museum is an interesting little gallery with changing displays in cute Cafler Park, which spans Waiarohia Stream.
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Deluca Cafe
Sink into one of the moulded white-plastic chairs at this stylish yet relatively reasonably priced cafe and order something delectable from the cabinet.
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Botanica
Botanica displays native ferns, tropical plants and cacti, although the ‘restful’ music might have you murderously agitated.
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Brauhaus Frings
This popular microbrewery has a range of great chemical-free beers, a terrace, board games and live music on Wednesday and Friday nights.
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Fresh
Fresh as a daisy with white walls and supersized flower photography, this chic cafe serves up great coffee and interesting breakfasts.
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AH Reed Memorial Kauri Park
The AH Reed Memorial Kauri Park, includes a cleverly designed boardwalk high up in the treetops.
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McMorrissey’s
A better-than-average Irish pub with cosy old-world decor and live music (trad Irish, rock and jam sessions).
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Kathmandu
A branch of the excellent outdoor and travel supplies chain, selling everything from tents to plug adapters.
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Caffeine
There’s no prize for guessing what the regular junkies are here for. Nice brekkies and cafe snacks too.
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