Northland's gateway city — Art Deco harbour, the Hundertwasser Art Centre and the jumping-off point for the Bay of Islands
Whangarei is the largest city in Northland and the gateway to the Bay of Islands — a compact harbour city with a beautifully revitalised Town Basin marina, the Hundertwasser Art Centre (the last building designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, completed 2021), and easy access to kauri forests and pohutukawa coast. Parihaka volcano provides a short climb with panoramic views over the city and harbour.
Whangarei Harbour was a significant site for Māori of the Ngāpuhi iwi long before European arrival — the name means 'cherished harbour' in te reo Māori. The harbour was among the earliest sites of sustained European contact in New Zealand in the early 19th century, and Whangarei's position as the northernmost commercial city on the North Island has made it the hub of New Zealand's most subtropical agricultural and horticultural region.