Austria's Iris Berger came to Whangārei at least in part to see the Hundertwasser Art Centre, designed by her fellow countryman Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Photo / Susan Botting
Northland’s population is likely to quadruple with more than 800,000 visitors pouring into the region for the summer holiday peak.
Northland Mayoral Forum chairman Moko Tepania said Northlanders welcomed hundreds of thousands of manuhiri (visitors) and whānau (family) to the “birthplace of New Zealand”.
But visitors and their hosts had to do their bit to be kaitiaki (guardians) of Northland, he said.
“We love welcoming manuhiri into Northland and urge them to look after our home that we love,” Tepania said.
Thousands of visitors typically flood into the region in the summer peak – from Christmas to Waitangi Day – in the tourism industry’s busiest months.
Northland is home to about 200,000 residents. Tepania said the quadrupling of the population challenged local infrastructure.
Far North District Council brought in water restrictions for its Ōpononi-Ōmāpere water supply on Christmas Eve, partly in anticipation of the influx.
There were 804,200 visitors to Northland last summer and 818,500 in 2023/2024.
Northland Inc acting head of destination Amy Lang said the organisation did not have forecast figures for this summer, but bookings looked strong and tourism operators were feeling positive.
“During the summer, we generally see visitors heading to Northland’s amazing beaches, exploring the ocean and waterways with boat cruises in the Bay of Islands and places like [Kaipara’s] Kai Iwi Lakes proving popular.”
Four out of five visitors to Northland in summer are Kiwi.
“However, international visitation remains strong, and often this audience continues to travel Northland throughout summer and into the autumn months,” Lang said.
“The international market is generally strongest from February onwards.”
Lang said visitors spent about $1.2 billion in the Northland economy each year.
Houhora Heads (Wagener) Holiday Park manager Chonelle Combrinck said the campground was fully booked from December 27 to about January 3, with heavy demand continuing after that.
About a thousand people would be staying at the large campground, which is partly owned by Far North District Council, during the summer peak, and extra French and German backpackers on working holiday visas were employed in response.
Combrinck said camping was popular because it was still an affordable holiday.
“It’s a great, healthy family holiday,” Combrinck said.
“It’s lovely to see families enjoying themselves. For some children, it will be their first time fishing this summer.”
Combrinck said 45% of guests returned year after year, coming from Auckland and Northland, including Kaitāia and Kerikeri.
Meanwhile, Far North Taupo Bay Holiday Park manager Cora Urlich said guests at her family’s campground near Mangonui had booked to stay a week longer than usual this year, into the second week of January.
The campground was fully booked from December 27, with around 500 visitors.
Urlich said guests typically also came from Auckland and Northland.
Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper encouraged first-time visitors to spend money locally and to become repeat returnees.
He said it was becoming ever easier for Aucklanders to travel to the region as State Highway 1 four-laning from the country’s largest city into Northland continued its northward march.
Couper said there was plenty to do locally if the weather became inclement.
Austrian tourist Iris Berger spent the last few days of her three-week New Zealand visit in Whangārei, the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga.
She visited Whangārei just before Christmas, in part because of New Zealand’s Hundertwasser Art Centre in the seaside Town Basin.
Berger said Northlanders should be proud of having such a building.
It is the only one of its kind in New Zealand and the last building designed by the Austrian architect.
Berger previously had no idea her fellow countryman’s zany buildings could be found outside Austria.
She said the Whangārei building was tiny, between a quarter and half the size of Hundertwasser buildings in Austria.
Berger also visited the city to walk from the Town Basin to Whangārei Falls.
Waikato visitors Faith, who did not want her surname published, and her children were among those visiting Northland to stay with family in summer.
She said they loved its laid-back feel, the ocean, hiking trails, nature and outdoors and the general sense of being out of the city.
The family were boogie boarding at Ocean Beach near Whangārei just before Christmas and were excited to watch a pod of around 100 dolphins putting on a 10-minute performance.
“They were leaping out of the water two at a time doing acrobatics. Ten fins would then be going through the water together in synchronised swimming,” she said.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.