Getting Oriented

The West Coast, from Dargaville all the way up to Cape Reinga, is by far the least populated and developed; the unassuming little towns along the way and the lumbering Kohu Ra Tuama Hokianga Harbour ferry stand out in stark contrast to the luxurious lodges and yachts around the Bay of Islands. With the (no small!) exception of the 144 islands that make up the East Coast's Bay of Islands, the terrain is not so dissimilar; no matter where you are in the North, you're never far from the water and the combination of coast, rolling pastures, and ancient native forest is unlike any other part of the country.