Private Jeep Expedition from Bay of Islands

Your day begins with a short drive south from Paihia to the first of your tour’s unsealed roads with the Jeep’s off-road capabilities providing a safe and comfortable ride. You will follow the approximate path the British troops took in 1846 to reach Ruapekapeka Pa, the Maori fortifications, and site of the last battle of the Northland wars. Following an elevated ridgeline brings you to the WW1 monument at Tapuhi before travelling to the main highway for a stop at a rural tavern for lunch. Here you can purchase traditional kiwi pub food and a cold beverage if you wish before you continue onto the next of the expeditions unsealed roads.

Passing through the Taikirau wetlands, an area of varying bio-diversity, will give you the opportunity to do some bird spotting in the reeds and swamp along the way. Next you pass through pine plantations and see one of Northland's major industries up close before making your way to the quirky town of Kawakawa. Famous for its photogenic public toilets, designed and built by the Austrian artist Friedrich Hundertwasser, the town also features a historic railway that passes down the centre of the main road. If you are lucky a train may even pass through town and stop traffic.

Next the 4WD of the jeep is re-engaged to make the trek up another unsealed back country road into the Opua Forest. Here you can go for a 20-minute walk along a well formed trail that will allow you to get up close and personal with ancient kauri trees. Lastly you will visit the seaside port of Opua for a final spectacular viewpoint of the Veronica Channel before your personal Jeep expedition finishes back where you started in Paihia.