Auckland to the Bay of Islands in 3 Days: A Campervan Itinerary
Quick summary: Three days is enough for a campervan or motorhome taste of Northland at its best. Drive north from Auckland to Paihia on day one, spend a whole day on and around the water in the Bay of Islands, and return to Auckland on day three. It’s around 480 km in total, mostly on State Highway 1, with a full day where the vehicle stays parked while you cruise, explore Waitangi and cross to Russell.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Length | 3 days, 2 nights |
| Total driving | Around 480 km |
| Start and finish | Auckland |
| Base | Paihia, both nights |
| Longest day | Around 230 km, about 3 hours 30 minutes without stops |
| Highlights | Whangārei Falls, Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Hole in the Rock, Russell |
| Best for | Short trips, first-time campervan drivers, add-ons to a longer holiday |
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How does this 3-day trip work?
It uses Paihia as a base for both nights, so you only pack up and move once. The drive north and the drive home are the same road, State Highway 1, which keeps navigation simple. The middle day is free of driving, which is the secret to enjoying a short trip: the Bay of Islands is best seen from the water, and most tours leave from Paihia’s wharf, a short walk from the town’s holiday parks.
Day 1: Auckland to Paihia (around 230 km)
Collect the vehicle, stock up on groceries before leaving the city, and head north over the Harbour Bridge. See our guide to driving north out of Auckland.
- Warkworth or Kaiwaka make good first coffee and stretch stops.
- Whangārei is roughly the halfway point. Take the short detour to Whangārei Falls, which drop 26 m into a bush-fringed pool a few minutes from the car park.
- Kawakawa is worth a brief stop for the colourful public toilets designed by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
- Paihia: settle into a holiday park for two nights and walk the waterfront at dusk.
For the road in detail, see Auckland to Whangārei and Whangārei to Paihia.
Day 2: The Bay of Islands (no driving needed)
Leave the vehicle at the holiday park and walk to the wharf.
- Morning: take a cruise out to Cape Brett and the Hole in the Rock, with a good chance of seeing dolphins along the way. See Hole in the Rock cruises and dolphin watching tours.
- Afternoon: catch the passenger ferry across to Russell, once known as the “hell hole of the Pacific”, for a stroll along the Strand, Christ Church and the Flagstaff Hill lookout.
- Late afternoon: walk or drive the short way to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed. See Waitangi tours.
Prefer something more active? Swap the cruise for sailing, kayaking or a parasail over the bay. See all the tours you can take from your campervan.
Day 3: Paihia to Auckland (around 230 km)
Take an early walk on the Paihia waterfront, then head south. Break the journey at Whangārei’s Town Basin or at the beaches around Waipū, and aim to reach Auckland with time to refuel, empty the tanks and return the vehicle. See our guide to returning to Auckland.
Is three days long enough for an RV trip to Northland?
It is long enough to see the Bay of Islands properly, but not the far north or the west coast. The drive to Paihia takes most of a day each way once you include stops, so three days gives you one full day in the bay. If you can add a fourth day, stay a third night in Paihia and take a Cape Reinga coach tour, which visits the top of the country and drives Ninety Mile Beach without putting any extra kilometres on your vehicle.
Where should you stay?
- Paihia’s holiday parks, within walking distance of the wharf, for both nights.
- Waitangi, just north of Paihia, also has camping close to the Treaty Grounds.
- Self-contained freedom camping is very limited around Paihia and only for certified self-contained vehicles where Far North District Council permits it. A holiday park makes more sense when you want to walk to the wharf. See our Paihia campervan base guide.
How can you stretch this trip?
- Four days: add a Cape Reinga coach tour or a day around Kerikeri.
- Five days: follow our 5 days in the Bay of Islands and the far north.
- A week: do the full 7-day Twin Coast loop.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Drive to Paihia on day one, spend day two on the water and at Waitangi and Russell, and drive back to Auckland on day three, around 480 km in total.
Around 230 km, about 3 hours 30 minutes without stops on State Highway 1. Allow most of a day with stops at Whangārei and Kawakawa.
Paihia’s holiday parks are the most convenient, because you can walk to the wharf for cruises and the passenger ferry to Russell.
No. A passenger ferry runs from Paihia’s wharf to Russell, so you can leave the vehicle parked. A vehicle ferry also crosses from Ōpua to Okiato if you want to drive.
Not comfortably by campervan. Add a fourth day and take a Cape Reinga coach tour from Paihia instead.