Our Activities

It never gets boring in the beautiful Bay of Islands, which offers more exciting activities than you can experience.

Pampering Body and Soul

MAORA Wellness Centre includes a Finnish sauna and various water treatment possibilities inspired by old Father Kneipp from Germany. In addition, a variety of body massages, reflexology, aromatherapy, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, spiritual healing, yoga, health seminars and other treatments are available.  You are really worth it! 

Walking in the Vicinity

The popular Rainbow Waterfalls Walk is accessible through a gate from ORA ORA RESORT – allowing for an exciting and comfortable 40 minutes walk in a "Lord of the Rings"- like environment to the 26 meter Rainbow Waterfalls, whose spray provides you with an enormous benefit for your skin and energy level.

Guided walks with plenty of information about lush sub-tropical vegetation are offered by Annemarie of Living Leaves.

Rewa Fishing Village, a replica Maori historical settlement with the educational Discoverers' Garden full of native trees, bushes and plants and with explanations about their uses, is just across the road from ORA ORA RESORT.  Don’t miss the video about the area's early history!

Across the river stop by the Mission House (1822) and the Stone Store (1836), New Zealand's oldest European buildings, operated by the Historic Places Trust as a museum, and climb up to the Kororipo Pa Site, a couple of minutes further across the road, which provides historical information about this fortified Maori settlement and a magnificent view.  This area is considered The Cradle of the Nation for the initial contact between Maoris and Missionaries.

A forested path leads to Kerikeri village, which may attract your interest with numerous attractive shops and restaurants and a few art galleries.

		Nearby Aroha Island is a precious little kiwi sanctuary with various day activities and numerous rare birds.  At night, a guide may lead you through the bush until you spot one of the shy Brown Kiwis living in the protected nature reserve.  The ecological centre features an interesting video about the Kiwis' behaviour and habitat and other related information. At Puketi Forest, you may wander among the amazingly huge Kauri trees, some of which are 2000 years old.  Perfectly arranged wooden pathways allow for easy walking while protecting the Kauri trees' sensitive roots. Ian offers to guide you on short or long walks with plenty of explanations.

Exploring the Kerikeri Inlet and the Bay of Islands
Alan's old fashioned and almost silent steamship "S.S. Eliza Hobson" allows you to get close to the mangroves on the banks of the Kerikeri Inlet with plenty of bird life, Kerikeri's villas in their magnificent setting with (expensive) water views and the skipper's interesting yarn about old and new times. The little steamer leaves from the little yacht harbour at the Stone Store opposite ORA ORA RESORT. If steam draws your interest:  visit Collin Bros's Steam Sawmill in Kerikeri www.steam.co.nz/collins.html , where you may observe the whole milling process with creation of its own power.

		Explore the Bay of Islands on John's 15-meter (50-foot) comfortable motor sailor "Grandma", built from New Zealand's valuable Kauri wood.  Skipper John enjoys sharing his extensive knowledge about the Bay of Islands with its 144 islands and the Northland coastline, gathered in his 30 years of sailing experience, and he will certainly take you to some beautiful beaches. If the tide is right, you can board directly at the pier of the Inlet wharf opposite the Stone Store, otherwise at the Kerikeri Yacht Club at Doves Bay.
Fullers Bay of Islands, Kings Tours, R Tucker Tompson and Dolphin Discoveries offer numerous boat tours around the Bay of Islands for you to watch the marine life, including dolphins, whales, and penguins. They start at Paihia (about 30 minutes drive from ORA ORA RESORT).

Go Golfing The beautiful Kerikeri Golf Club, the Waitangi Golf Club near Paihia and famous Kauri Cliffs golf course near Matauri Bay are all close by, waiting for you to show your skills.  There are 13 further golf courses in Northland for the golf enthusiast - most of them very affordable! Dare the Air Grant and his boys will give you an air tour, providing magnificent overviews of the entire Northland up to Cape Reinga, where the Pacific meets the Tasman Sea.  The surface contours of Northland and the display of the 90-Mile-Beach, bays and islands with sharks and dolphins in clear waters are dream material!  Salt Air flights start from Bay of Islands Airport, Kerikeri, or from Paihia Airport.

	Explore Vulcanic Rock Formations Felix and Rita discovered world-unique volcanic boulder formations with "fluting" in the Hokianga and created spectacular Wairere Boulders as marvellous nature park with walkways, exciting bridges and views. There are numerous other excursions and adventures in the "wild" Hokianga.  www.hokianga.net.nz/hokianga/