A week camping around the Bay of Islands

Choose the first base

Paihia keeps ferries, groceries and tours within walking distance, while Russell offers a smaller waterfront atmosphere after the day visitors leave. Confirm parking and late-arrival conditions before choosing between them.

Use the first morning for Waitangi and allow more time than the headline attractions suggest. The grounds, museum and landscape explain far more when the visit is not squeezed between boat departures.

Let the boat replace the road

Sailing, kayaking and water taxis reveal why this region is a bay rather than a chain of viewpoints. Check marine weather and operator conditions, then pack sun protection and a warm layer even on a bright morning.

Urupukapuka and other islands have conservation rules that protect wildlife. Clean gear, take rubbish away and use only the campsites and facilities identified for overnight stays.

Kerikeri and the northern bays

Move to Kerikeri for food, orchards, historic sites and easier access to Matauri Bay or Whangaroa. Summer bookings and local road traffic can make a spontaneous coastal night difficult.

Leave one day unassigned. Wind may move a boat trip, rain may favour a forest walk, and a flexible plan gives the best bay of the week room to become a second visit.

Getting out on the water is the point

The Bay of Islands is a marine destination and a week spent entirely on land misses most of it. Options run from the passenger ferry between Paihia and Russell, which takes minutes and costs little, through to full-day sailing, dolphin and Hole in the Rock trips.

Book weather-dependent trips early in your stay rather than late. That way a cancelled day can be rescheduled within the week instead of becoming the thing you missed.

Urupukapuka Island camping

DOC runs campsites on Urupukapuka, reached by water taxi from Paihia or Russell. It is a genuinely different experience from a mainland holiday park: no vehicles, limited facilities, and you carry everything in and out including your rubbish.

Book the site and the boat together and check the return timetable carefully, because the last taxi is not negotiable. Take more water than you expect to need, since supply on the island is limited and untreated.

Waitangi is worth the entry fee

The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are the single most historically important site in the country, and the guided tour and cultural performance are what make the visit land rather than the buildings alone. Allow half a day, and take the guided option rather than wandering it alone.

For a fuller picture, pair it with the Russell museum and Christ Church, which carries musket ball damage from the 1845 fighting. The two sites together explain the region far better than either does on its own.

Summer here is genuinely busy

January in Paihia and Russell means full campgrounds, booked boat trips and queues for the ferry. It is also warm, calm and exactly when the water is best, so the trade is real rather than one-sided.

Shoulder season in November or March gives you the same coastline with space and lower prices, though the water is cooler and some operators reduce their schedules. Check that the specific trip you want is still running.

Where to stay around the bay

Paihia has the most accommodation and the ferry to Russell, which makes it the practical base for a week without a boat. It is also the busiest and noisiest, particularly in January. Russell is quieter and more attractive but has fewer campgrounds and everything runs on the ferry timetable.

Kerikeri sits inland with the historic Stone Store and Kemp House, good food and cheaper sites, and it works well for a couple of nights if you want a break from the waterfront. It is around twenty minutes from Paihia.

For something quieter again, the campgrounds around Matauri Bay and Tauranga Bay north of the Bay of Islands give you comparable coastline with a fraction of the traffic, and they are an easy detour on the way north.

Rainy day options

Northland gets substantial rain and a week here will usually include a wet day. The Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the Kerikeri historic buildings and the Kawiti glow worm caves near Waiomio all work regardless of weather.

Boat trips are the thing most likely to be cancelled, which is the argument for booking them early in the week rather than saving them for the end.

Places along the way