This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel.
Pukenui (Houhora Harbour), New Zealand, is a village in the Northland Region of the country. It is located in the Far North District, the northern tip of the North Island. The region is rather rural and more than forty percent of the population are Maori. Pukenui is around three hundred fifty kilometres north of Auckland, the biggest city of the North Island. If you come from abroad, you usually land in Auckland Airport, the largest airport of the country and an important airline hub for neighbouring countries. There are regular bus services connecting the Far North District with Auckland. Alternatively, you can rent a car and enjoy the flexibility of traveling around whenever and wherever you want. Pukenui is close to many natural attractions such as Ninety Mile Beach and Cape Reinga. In addition to that, many outdoor activities for a young crowd are available.
Cape Reinga is around seventy kilometres north of Pukenui. It is the northwestern-most tip at the northern end of the North Island. It is a popular tourist attraction and offers a very picturesque setting -- the sunsets especially are superb. The exceptional location is also part of the Maori mythology. The well-known Ninety Mile Beach is on the western coast of the Northland Region. For this reason, it is easy to get from Pukenui. The endless beach, the unspoilt nature, and the dunes attract tourist from all over the world. You can try out sand boarding, quad biking, fishing, diving, horse trekking, and many other outdoor activities in the region.
The area is rather sparsely populated. However, tourism is an important source of income for the local population. Therefore, you can choose from a couple of lodges and motels, if you want to stay in the Pukenui area. Generally, New Zealand is backpacker friendly, but since Pukenui is very small, the supply of Pukenui (Houhora Harbour), New Zealand hostels is limited. There are some more hostels in the Northland Region, but you need to be flexible in terms of the location. Some accommodations are rather far away from Pukenui.
Written by local expertz for Pukenui
Flo