A great boys' trip up north is about golf and sleep not babes and beach for family man Rob Cox.

Elisabeth Easther visited Russell for a sneak preview of the Bay of Islands Walking Weekend and found a wealth of wanders on offer.

The lovely Bay of Islands has something for all, writes Penny Lewis.

A bottlenose dolphin thought to have lost its calf has adopted a baby of another species.

The sky is the limit as a Northland town turns on the charm for a winter festival, writes Elisabeth Easther.

Rachel Grunwell finds plenty to keep her busy on a weekend in Russell.

Danielle Wright discovers clubs happy to welcome you in out of the cold.

Ewan McDonald completes a personal triathlon in the Far North.

Elisabeth Easther discovers a gem of a town in Northland where the train runs down the middle of the main street.

Elisabeth Easther finds New Zealand's former capital is still a capital place.

History was written here, writes Elisabeth Easther.

Elisabeth Easther finds a touch of Northland paradise.

Danielle Wright takes her family on a vintage steam train along the main street of a tiny town with a big reputation.

Elisabeth Easther finds a Far North town steeped in history.

A pair of humpback whales thrilled tourists in the Bay of Islands, breaching several times out of the water in full display.

Most travellers in the north know Kawakawa as the town with the railway running down the middle of the main street.

A popular drawcard for overseas visitors, the Bay of Islands proves an action-packed success, too, for Geoff Cumming's family holiday.

Summer time and the living is made easy at a Provence-style bed and breakfast. Geraldine McManus reports.

Michele Crawshaw visits a luxury boutique lodge which commands a grand view over the Bay of Islands.