Rawene is one of those delightful surprises that you are sometimes lucky enough to stumble across in your travels. After working your way up the Kauri Coast and into the Hokianga, you take the turnoff to catch the ferry at Rawene and find yourself in another world.
The scenery approaching Raweneis a panorama of rolling hills set in the sparkling water of the Hokianga harbour.
However, the first impression on driving down the hill into the township itself if of the immaculately maintained historic buildings. Rawene was built in the early settler period and the town is proud of its history and beautiful environment. Buildings like Clendon house are open to the public and it is well worth taking the time to go inside and have a look.
Other Historic buildings are in good use such as the Ferry House Restaurant, Postmasters Boutique Hotel, The Boat Shed Cafe, Masonic Hotel and more. Be sure to check out all of your options for eating out in Rawene.
The shallow waters around Rawene become mud flats at low tide and feature beaches of mangroves. Mangroves provide a very important role in the ecology of our harbour coastline and a recent addition to the town is a boardwalk constructed to take you on a tour through the mangroves. It makes for a very pleasant walk, especially after enjoying lunch or dinner at one of the local restaurants or cafes.
When you are finally ready to leave, simply drive onto the car ferry, which leaves every hour for Kohukohu where you can take the scenic, back route to Kaitaia and the far North.
