Easily one of the finest hostels in Paihia, Haka House Bay of Islands offers backpacker accommodation in a fantastic location right on the town’s seafront complete with spectacular ocean views – somewhere you’ll love calling your home-away-from-home in the ‘Winterless North’.
The Paihia backpackers hostel offers both private and shared rooms, while the range of facilities includes a fully equipped kitchen, dining and living room, movie room, laundry and free WiFi. Guests can enjoy 24-hour access.
Paihia is the main tourist town in the beautiful Bay of Islands, and is an excellent base from which to explore this ever-popular holiday destination. Various cruise tours – including the famous Hole in the Rock cruise – depart daily from Paihia Wharf, which is where other Bay of Islands activities like fishing, sea kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing and dolphin-watching can also be arranged.
Paihia Wharf is situated just across the road, making this Bay of Islands backpackers address ultra-convenient for guests, who can literally stroll across the street and onto a cruise tour. The Bay of Islands is a natural harbour some 16 km wide, and is home to nearly 150 islands that range from rocky outcrops to large inhabited islands with private farms. Its sheltered waters are ideal for viewing different marine life, like dolphins, whales and seals.
Paihia and the Bay of Islands is also a place that’s steeped in history, having played a key role in the development of New Zealand as a nation.
A 25-minute ferry ride from Paihia Wharf is the town of Russell, a charming location today but notorious during the 19th Century as a shore leave destination for sailors, whalers and traders. The town was the country’s first seaport, its first European settlement and New Zealand’s first capital in nearby Okiato. Among the historic buildings that stand proudly to this day are the country’s first licensed hotel, bar and restaurant The Duke of Marlborough, the country’s oldest surviving Roman Catholic building the Catholic Mission ‘Pompallier’ which was built in 1841-42, and Christ Church the oldest existing church in New Zealand.
A few minutes’ drive from Paihia, the Treaty House at Waitangi Treaty Grounds is where – in 1840 – New Zealand’s founding document the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. Visitors can purchase admission which includes access to all heritage buildings and taonga, the world’s largest waka (canoe), two museums, tours and cultural performances.
Other Bay of Islands activities, sightseeing and touring possibilities include visiting the town of Kerikeri which is known for its wine, history and citrus fruit production; exploring the Waiomio Glow Worm Caves; taking a helicopter flight over the area’s beautiful coastal and island scenery; parasailing at 1,300 ft with specially designed boats; skydiving from New Zealand’s highest skydive level of 18,000 ft; cruising around Paihia on a custom V8 Chev Thunder Trike with the wind in your hair; and mountain biking at Waitangi Mountain Bike Park, five km outside of Paihia and offering plenty of tracks of varying difficulty.
For those who fancy the idea of exploring the local countryside by bicycle, the Twin Coast Cycle Trail is a cross-country route that can be taken from Opua just south of Paihia on the east coast of the North Island to Hokianga Harbour on the West Coast, or vice versa. It passes through rolling farmland and native forest, and along country roads, suspension bridges and wetland boardwalks. Featuring for the most part a comfortable ride level, the route combines picturesque Far North scenery and chances to visit cultural sites and attractions.
Walk into any Haka Hostel, and you’ll discover stories of Māori culture, told through custom-created mural paintings. Each mural gives a glimpse into fascinating legends, and an introduction to the artistry of the Māori people, brought to life by Charles and Janine Williams, local contemporary artists who are passionate about sharing their heritage.
Long renowned as a geothermal wonderland, a nature-lover and outdoor-adventurer’s playground, and a center of Maori culture, the list of things to do and places to visit in Rotorua – one of New Zealand’s most popular tourist destinations – is both a long one and a fun one!
Occupying a fantastic location on the shores of stunning Lake Wakatipu, within minutes of Queenstown’s shops, restaurants and charming pedestrian avenues, is an absolute jewel in cosy and modern hostel-style Queenstown lakefront accommodation – the aptly named Haka House Queenstown Lakefront.
Haka House Aoraki Mt Cook couldn’t be better named and it couldn’t be better located – nestled snugly as it is into the gorgeous alpine landscape of Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park and with the mighty Mt Cook, stunning Tasman Glacier and gorgeous Southern Alps mountain range all on its doorstep, making it the best Mt Cook hostel for mountain walks.