Warkworth

This pretty little town has a large number of cafes, restaurants and art stores and is a great place to spend a while browsing. Just east (and well signposted) you will find Goat Island and the Tawharanui Marine Reserve. At Goat island you can hire snorkels and fins and swim amongst the thousands of fish that have made the marine reserve their home while Tawharanui Regional Park has kilometres of walking tracks and lots of birdlife.