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A SUB-tropical climate and hundreds o islands ringed by transparent waters make the Bay of Islands a favourite playground for lovers of everything aquatic.
To enjoy the abundance of birdlife, seals and dolphins around the Bay you can join a "Hole in the Rock" cruise.
This will take you through that famous landmark in the outer reaches of the Bay.
Most cruises depart from Russell or Paihia Beach resorts, the main tourist centres for the Bay, which are separated by a 4km ferry ride.
Outstanding big game fishing draws enthusiasts from around the world each summer in search of marlin, broadbill, tuna and hammerhead sharks.
The Bay of Islands is also the perfect place for the casual angler to dangle a line from the shore and sit back and savour the idyllic surroundings.
The Bay is renowned for superb diving spots, where exotic fish crowd around its reefs and mangrove estuaries.
The Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve, just off-shore from Tutokaka, was nominated by the late Jacques Cousteau as one of the world's top five diving locations.
After you have spent the day underwater or lying on the sand, you can choose from a variety of fine seafood restaurants and a range of accommodation in the main centres of Russell and Paihia.
Even in peak season the Bay of Islands offers privacy for those who wish to bask in the natural beauty of the surroundings and imagine they are the only souls on earth.
One of the world's largest and most majestic trees, the kauri, can be found in the soaring forests north of Dargaville on Highway 12.
The 9,000 hectare Waipoua Forest and other small forests comprising the Northland Forest Park are home to most of the mature kauri trees left in New Zealand.
The largest kauri of all Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest) - is 50 metres tall, 14 metres in girth and over 1200 years old. It's only a short walk from the road.
The mesmerising sweep of the "Long Beach of Tohe", Ninety-Mile Beach, can be enjoyed in near solitude almost any day of the year. Its northern tip, Cape Reinga, is the most northern point of New Zealand.
Here stands the venerated lone pohutokawa tree, a sacred Maori site where, legend has it, the spirits of the dead leap into the sea on their homeward journey to "Hawaiki".
The silvery sands of the beach are abuzz each January with the contestants of a surfcasting contest but are almost empty the rest of the year. The beach is famous for the shellfish delicacy toheroa but as this species is now protected, look out for the delicious tuatua - it's a little smaller but just as tasty.
The best way to take in this stunning stretch of beach is on a bus tour to Cape Reinga with a driver who has mastered the exciting beach highway section. There is access to a special section of the beach for those motorists who want to try driving along the sand themselves. But be warned: bogged vehicles are common and rentals aren't permitted.