Wairoa is a quiet river town in northern Hawke’s Bay, set where the Wairoa River meets the sea. It is not a tourist hub, but it is a useful base for some of the best trout fishing in New Zealand and for reaching the wild Mahia Peninsula.
The town itself stretches along the river, with a Heritage Trails Walk starting at Marine Parade. The Portland Lighthouse — built of solid kauri on Portland Island in 1878 and the last in New Zealand to use kerosene lamps — now stands on the parade. Nearby, the Memorial Park Riverside Walkway leads to the birthsite of Sir James Carroll, New Zealand’s first Maori Acting Prime Minister, and past remnants of the old river wharves from Wairoa’s days as a working port.
The real draws are outside town. Trout fishing on the Ruakituri and Wairoa rivers draws serious fly fishers from around the world — the Ruakituri Valley in particular is considered among the finest in the country. Mōrere Hot Springs, 45 kilometres north on SH2, offer hot mineral pools set in nikau palm forest. The Mahia Peninsula has calm swimming beaches, good surfing, and an active rocket launch site at its southern tip. Lake Waikaremoana in Te Urewera, 63 kilometres west, is one of New Zealand’s most beautiful lakes and the starting point for one of the country’s nine Great Walks.