Far North Transport
Road: The Far North is easily accessible from Auckland by road State Highway 1 (Twin Coast Discovery Highway) or by air. For day to day needs in the Far North a motor vehicle is required as there is very limited public transport between the townships.
Driving around the Far North is an absolute pleasure. The Far North has no traffic lights and only 7 roundabouts. All the major townships are linked by a quality roading network. Phrases like 'road rage', 'traffic jam' and 'rush hour' are not known here!
Integrated Coach Services with the rest of New Zealand are available to the main towns in the Far North.
Air: Auckland International Airport is the main international gateway to the Far North. Salt Air Xpress operates a scheduled weekday service between Kerikeri - Bay of Islands, Whāngārei and Auckland's Central Business District. Air New Zealand operates 2 domestic routes from Auckland in to the Far North district: Kerikeri - Bay of Islands (4 return flights a day) and Kaitāia (2 return flights a day). Additionally Sunair Aviation operates direct scheduled service from Kerikeri - Bay of Islands to Hamilton, Rotorua and Tauranga. Charter flights can be arranged to meet your requirements.
Sea: The Far North has one port of entry at the Port of Ōpua, Bay of Islands. The Port of Ōpua has an excellent marina facility which makes it ideal for yachts and leisure craft, as well as small commercial craft. If you are entering NZ and the Far North by sea in your own vessel, please contact VHF Frequency 16 to reach Maritime Radio 48 hours prior to arrival. This way you will be able to arrange for Customs and MAF inspectors to meet you on arrival at your port of entry. The nearest commercial port that handles bulk freight is the Port of Whāngārei 50kms south of the Far North district. Port Whāngārei is operated by Northland Port Corporation (NZ) Ltd.
If you are entering with a commercial operator - these arrangements will be made for you.
As per NZ Immigration requirements, valid passports will be required for entry and if necessary a relevant visa. Please check this prior to departure for New Zealand.
Recreational boating facilities are available at the Port of Ōpua.
Railway: The state owned enterprise KiwiRail runs bulk rail freight services from Otiria, which is to the east of Kaikohe and is situated close to Kawakawa in the Bay of Islands. KiwiRail operate a twice daily rail freight service to Whāngārei and Auckland. Once in Auckland rail freight can be transported throughout New Zealand on the railway network. Rail freight that leaves Otiria before noon will be in Auckland ready for distribution at 4.30am the next day. Additionally KiwiRail in association with the government owned railway infrastructure company, Ontrack, are looking in the future to upgrade the marshalling yards at Otiria.
