far north in 3/4 days?

am hoping to do a mini roadtrip north of auckland in January or February. i only have a month in NZ in total and probably only about 10 days in the North island so i was wondering if the following was a realistic itinerary for a far north trip:

Day 1: Auckland - Paihia. dive the Rainbow Warrior. get to Kaitaia that evening from Paihia.
Day 2: day trip to Cape Reinga etc. from Kaitaia.
Day 3: back to Auckland along the west coast, hoping to stop off at the Kauri forests. perhaps spend an extra night somewhere along this route if driving time necessitates it.

would there be any difference between doing this at the beginning of January, or the beginning of February?

any tips or comments welcome, cheers:)

Beginning of January busier. <BR>Day 2, I'd go Kaitaia- Cape Reinga and than back as far as KohuKohu on the North Hokianga to The Tree House Backpackers Hostel. Its only a couple of k's from the ferry across to Rawene. Its only another hour from Kaitaia to KohuKohu.

January is definitely busier, particulary around New Year as most Kiwis are on their holiday then.

Day1 sounds fairly exhausting, with a long drive, a dive and then another few hours onwards to Kaitaia. On Day2, unless you are going to do the bus trips (which leave from Paihia as well as Kaitaia) which go along the ninety mile I am not sure if it is worth driving all the way from Paihia to the Cape (unless getting to the most northerly part of NZ is a prized goal). You could easily spend a relaxing day taking in the sights of Russell, Waitangi or the Bay of Islands instead.

Enjoy your holiday.

Agree with ChrisB12 on the need to get to Cape Reinga, for whilst there are some spectacular sand dunes and beaches about, they are some distance from the road and the area is often overlooked for the good walks/camping that would do the trip justice - but like most I've fallen for the same day trip trap, but did not have such a tight agenda.

If you're driving (which I assume you are to have flexibility of heading down west coast), you would have to backtrack down SH1 from Sh10 to get to Kaitaia when coming from Paihia/Kerikeri, and alternatively you will find a great little YHA at Pukenui heading up to the Cape. Nice little Tavern there as well.

If you have not checked with the Paihia dive companies on their dive trip start times, it could be a good idea for you might have to be leaving Auckland around 4-5 am if like most trips they head out at 8am -9am.

Hi

The drive from Auckland to Paihia is about 3.5 - 4 hours so you should check with the local dive companies about their departure times.
From Paihia to Kaitaia is about a 1.5 - 2 hour drive. I'd recommend an organised tour to Cape Reinga - they depart daily from Paihia and Kaitaia.

You might be best to try

Day 1 Auckland to Paihia - leisurely drive via Mangawhai and the Tutukaka Coast. (Good diving at Tutukaka also) or

Day 2 Organised tour to Cape Reinga from Paihia.
Day 3

oops!!

pushed the wrong button.....

was going to say day 1 Auckland to Doubtless Bay,
Day 2 day trip to Cape Reinga from Doubtless Bay - organised tour is definitely the way to go
and
Day 3 Drive over to the West Coast Hokianga ( about 1.5 hours from Paihia) maybe a couple of hours from Doubtless Bay. From Omapere (Hokianga) its about 40 Mins to Waipoua Forest and the giant kauri, also worth a look and you drive further south is Trounson Kauri park.

Have a great time!

cheers for all the feedback, guys!
i'll look into all those places you recommended.

for reference, i've decided on the following:

day1-to Paihia, spend the afternoon in and around the bay of islands
day2- diving from Paihia, then on to Kaitaia
day3 - Cape Reinga tour
day4 - down the west coast, and back to auckland either that night or the following morning.

also, for anyone else planning a similar trip i found the following useful:

http://www.jucy.co.nz/travelhelp/Times_Distances.pdf
http://www.northlandnz.com/about/map.htm
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/getting-to-around-nz/driving-routes/themed-highways/twin-coast-highway/twin-coast-highway.cfm