Whangarei

I spent the last 2 weeks at a farm near Whangarei. Whangarei (pronounced "fa-nga-ray", because "Wh" is pronounced like "F" in Maori) is the capital of Northland region, the most northern region in New Zealand. Whangarei is located about 160km north of Auckland.

Whangarei, population 52,000.

Being the northern region of New Zealand, the winter is fairly warm. The coldest night I encountered was 4C, but it was about 7-11C at night, on average. That's warmer than Melbourne. When I was in Melbourne, it was as cold as 1C on some nights.

Earlier this year, Northland was hit by a severe drought, the worst in 60 years. Fortunately, the drought has passed, and it rained a lot while I was there. As I found out, winter in Northland can be quite wet.

Like many coastal New Zealand cities, sailboats can be seen. Many sailboats are docked at Whangarei harbour. Thanks to my WWOOF hosts, I had the opportunity to ride on a sailboat. More on that exciting experience later.

Marina near Whangarei city center