Northland - The great escape

In the first of a series on places that Aucklanders dream of escaping to, Cate Foster investigates the attractions, and real estate, in Northland.

With the northern-most traffic lights in the country and a population of 48,000, Whangarei is the administrative centre of the region with the base hospital, an airport, a number of high schools and a reasonable shopping centre complete with cafes and restaurants.

Although the region has many small towns servicing the rural community, ratrace refugees tend to head towards the coast and the small towns that service these. Places such as Whangarei and the nearby east coast, Kerikeri and the Bay of Islands, Kaitaia and the far north, and the linked towns of Kohukohu, Rawene and Omapere on the shores of the Hokianga on the west coast.

With approximately 112,000 inhabitants, the Far North and Whangarei District makes up a region that can be spectacularly empty over the mild, rainy winter months. But come summer the locals don't know themselves.

It is then that the regular occupations of dairy farming and fishing must exist alongside the influx of holiday makers from the south. Roads, especially in coastal areas, become busy and the shopping centres hum with activity.

Kerikeri, with its decile 8 high school, is a magnet for families, although both Kaitaia and Whangarei have secondary schools with good ERO reports. All these towns have a good range of shops, and Kerikeri in particular has cafes and delis to suit all tastes.

The pretty villages that dot the coast of the Bay of Islands - Paihia, Opua and Russell - seem to have a greater appeal for retirees and families with younger children, perhaps because of their lack of secondary schooling.

For those with business links back in the city, airports in Whangarei, Kerikeri and Kaitaia run regular services. But for those who want to leave it all behind, the magnificent sweep of the Hokianga Harbour and the grandeur of the sand dunes of the northern heads have an irresistible pull.

Once the biggest mill town in the Southern Hemisphere, Kohukohu has the faded charm of yesteryear, and the lack of a commercial centre is no problem since Rawene, a short ferry ride away, is a vibrant township.

Cultural life, while not being at the top of the holiday visitors' list, takes on a greater importance for fulltime inhabitants. The Centre at Kerikeri, a recently opened multi-million dollar events centre, complete with fully equipped theatre and conference facilities, permanent art collection and bar, provides a venue where entertainment and business can mix.

Forum North in Whangarei, while a busy conference centre, also hosts numerous musical and theatrical events plus the ragingly popular Summer Festival in March. While Kaitaia has only a small community centre and does not have a cineplex it does have an icon of the North in the form of the tiny art house cinema Swamp Palace at Peria, a short drive into the rural hinterland from the northerly east coast beaches. All the towns profiled, plus several others, have libraries which range in size from the grand to the tiny.

Generalising wildly, city escapees to Northland can be seen in some respects to reflect the geographical prejudices of Auckland from where most of them originate. Just as Auckland divides into east and west using Queen Street as an axis, so too does Northland with SH1 as the divide.

The east coast attracts Auckland's easterners while the Hokianga with its wilder coast-line and more alternative ambience has a growing appeal for those from Auckland's inner and western suburbs.

Maurice and Sue Kirton are a case in point. After selling up in Mt Albert in January last year, Maurice recounts how moving north was not a difficult decision.

``We'd owned this land near Maungaturoto for about 15 years and always thought we'd retire here. But we took a look at our lives and thought why not do it earlier. Now I help out on the farm next door, read a lot - we have a life. It was absolutely the right thing for us to do. I'd recommend anyone thinking about it, don't leave it until you are old. Change what you need to and make it happen.''