Central city cool: Is Whangarei the best small city in New Zealand?

It could be. Whangarei, population 91,000, location Northland (two hours drive north of Auckland, it’s the northernmost city in New Zealand), may not be as big as, say, Auckland, or have quite as many baristas per capita, as, say, Wellington, but it does have a thriving arts scene, good coffee, a warm semi tropical climate, thickets of specialty shops, amazing art galleries, a kiwi aviary, and an unbeatable location.

Awesome, right? Here are five things that make Whangarei very QL.

Who needs a heated swimming pool? Whangarei has got the Northland coast.

Whangārei City and surrounding Whangārei District sit on some of the finest coastline in the world, and by finest we mean there are more than 100 beaches to explore, and they have a Southern Hemisphere tropical vibe.

Whangarei enjoys summertime temperatures in the high twenties, and a relatively warm winter, so no time is a bad time to hit the seaside in Whangarei and in the localities nearby, including Whangarei Heads, Ocean Beach, Bream Bay and Tutukaka. Whether you’re keen on surfing, diving, kayaking, swimming, bird-watching, snorkelling, fishing or just walking on the beach, Whangarei has it.

If you do prefer an indoor heated pool, the Whangarei Aquatic Centre is the bomb, complete with hydroslides, a wave pool and a spa.

Speaking of QL, how about that Hundertwasser Art Centre…

Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery is a landmark. Tourism NZ calls the centre “a unique architectural project dedicated to artist, visionary and ecological activist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser”, and there’s nothing else quite like it in New Zealand.

The building takes everything we normally associate with, well building, like straight lines and concrete, and chucks it out in favour of curves, uneven floors, wall tiles placed in swirly / crooked patterns, a nod or two to classical Roman fountains and, top top it all off, a golden onion dome worthy of the Moscow city centre.

Along with his public toilets in Kawakawa, which are equally unusual, the Hundertwasser Art Centre is one of only two examples of Hundertwasser’s architecture in the southern hemisphere.

The Hundertwasser Art Centre is complemented by the Wairau Māori Art Gallery, the first dedicated public Māori art gallery in Aotearoa.

It’s all on in the Whangarei city centre

One of the best things about Whangarei is the way its urban-ness is always framed by nature.

A good example if this is the Town Basin. Set where the Hatea River meets Whangarei Harbour, it’s a hive of activity, full of cafes and specialty shops. It’s also the site of the Heritage Trail and Art Walk, a pathway bordered by sculptures by local artists, including the stunning Waka and Wave work at Hihiaua Point.

Other town centre highlights include Claphams National Clock Museum, which is, you guessed it, a museum dedicated to clocks. It’s amazing. There are about 1400 clocks in the place and they are all fascinating. Who knew?

And the Whangarei Museum has everything from a full moa skeleton to a heritage park with historic buildings including the original Whangarei women’s jail cells, as well as Kiwi North, a nocturnal kiwi house complete with burrow cameras.

The best of Whangarei’s walks

You don’t need to be an adventurous person to enjoy the outdoors in Whangarei, there are plenty of short walks right in the inner city, or on public transport routes, that showcase the best of the region’s natural wonders.

Accessible via a short circular walk through native forest, the 26.3-metre Whangarei Falls are sometimes called the “most photogenic waterfall in New Zealand”.

Take the 35-minute detour to AH Reed Memorial Park, where a treetop boardwalk gets you up close and personal with what’s left of a mighty kauri forest.

One on-foot must-do is the Whangarei Quarry Gardens. It used to be a functioning quarry, by now it’s a gorgeous oasis marked by a terraced amphitheatre and spectacular subtropical plantings and features like the Five Senses Garden, where different plants invite you to get all of your senses fired up.

Bonus fact! Bream Bay is the hometown of Aotearoa New Zealand heavy metal royalty

Bream Bay, a huge sandy bend south of Whangarei Harbour, is home to the small and charming rural centre of Waipu. Waipu, in turn, is where the members of New Zealand heavy metal legends Alien Weaponry grew up.

Which is funny, because it’s a pretty quiet place. Ah well, horns up!


Posted

in