Historic Kerikeri And Glow Worm Caves

Historic Kerikeri And Glow Worm Caves Photo #1 of 2 Photo copyright ShoreTrips.com.

Overview

This small group highlights tour will show you the best of Bay of Islands!

New Zealand is known for it's 'jaw droppingly' beautiful landscape and the Bay of Islands is the 'crème de la crème' of all New Zealand has to offer. Turquoise waters surrounded by lush green landscape, this is truly one of the most scenic locations on the planet. Beyond the scenery, the Bay of Islands is a place of enormous historical significance, as this was the birthplace of European colonization in New Zealand.

Our first stop of the day is the Waitangi Lookout Loop. This is the perfect opportunity to take the stunning photos of the views over Waitangi, Russell and the Bay of Islands. Next, we'll stop at the beautiful Haruru Falls, the largest horseshoe shaped falls in the Southern Hemisphere.

We'll then travel to the famous Makana Chocolate Factory. Here, we'll sample their handmade chocolates and visit the adjacent Kauri Workshop. If you choose, you can buy lunch at the delicious little coffee shop adjacent to the factory.

From here we'll travel to the Kerikeri Mission Station which was established in 1819. There are two significant buildings, "The Stone Store", originally used as a Missionary Society warehouse and the adjacent "Kemp House", New Zealand's oldest building completed in 1822 by missionary carpenters and Maori sawyers.

Next, we'll explore the enchanting Kawiti Glow Worm Caves. We'll be lead through the magical underground caverns to admire the glow worms and discuss how the caves were found.

After we explore the caves, we'll take a short drive to Kawakawa, home of the world famous "Hundertwasser Toilets". These restrooms are one of the few seen as an international works of art. They were designed by the expatriate Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and features the use of recycled materials from the local community.

The Opua Kauri Forest is our last stop. This is a 15,000 hectare forest which contains magnificent stands of Kauri and a rich ecological diversity. This is how Northland looked 150 years ago.

As the tour concludes, we'll be transported to Waitangi wharf, or, if you choose, to Paihia to do some shopping. There is a free shuttle bus which will take you back to the wharf if you choose to shop.

- Entrance fees are included in this program.
- This is an active tour. Be sure to wear appropriate footwear.

- There is a minimum of 2 people for this tour to run. The maximum group size is 10.

Days offered: 7 days a week

Departures:

• 09:15 AM, duration: 5 hours Meeting time. Departure time 9:30am.