Waipu: Scottish heritage and nature

Waipu brings together several appealing themes: Scottish immigration history, memorial sites, and nature and outdoor activities at Waipu Caves Farm Park. If you enjoy combining culture and exercise, you can choose from historic memorials, exhibitions, guided cave tours and trails of varying lengths.

Scottish history and living memory

The Nova Scotian Settlers Memorial in the centre of Waipu commemorates Scottish-descended immigrants from Nova Scotia. After arriving in Aotearoa New Zealand, they settled in Waipu and neighbouring places in the 1850s. The World War One Memorial is a stone obelisk on a concrete base. For more than a century, it has been the focal point of annual Anzac Day commemorations. It also commemorates those who died in the Second World War, as well as those who died and served in later international conflicts.

At the Waipu Scottish Migration Museum, a modern, interactive exhibition featuring artefacts tells the story of 1,000 Gaelic-speaking emigrants from the western Scottish Highlands. The museum’s Scottish migration collection is inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. If you want to research your family’s history in Waipu, you can conduct genealogical research at the museum; an appointment must be made in advance.

Established in 2002, the Heritage Trail leads to landmarks and buildings associated with Waipu’s early Scottish settlement. Together with the two memorials and the museum, it offers different ways to explore local history: through a tangible memorial, a collection, or places and buildings connected with early settlement.

Trails and activities at Waipu Caves Farm Park

Waipu Caves Farm Park is a privately operated nature and recreation park. The Jurassic Walks range from an easy route that is only a few hundred metres long and almost flat to several connected trails that can take four to six hours. Length, difficulty and time required therefore vary considerably. The Milky Way Glowworm Cave is explored on several guided tours each day; a shorter tour lasts 60 minutes, and a longer one lasts 90 minutes. The Jurassic Climbs also offer climbing and bouldering routes.

Cycling can also be planned around different sections of the route. A 2.5-kilometre section of the Waipū Cycle / Walkway between Waipū Village and Riverview Place is a shared cycle and walking path. The remaining 5.5 kilometres to Waipū Cove can be cycled on the road. This gives you two clearly defined sections with different lengths and route types.

Events and markets

The Waipu Highland Games are a family-friendly Scottish gathering at Caledonian Park. The Waipu Caledonian Society has held them for more than 150 years. The Waipu Street Market takes place on Saturdays or Sundays during long weekends, along Main Street and at Caledonian Park and the Celtic Barn. It features up to 100 stalls, live music, food stalls and family entertainment. Check the event dates and programme before your trip.

Nature destinations nearby

Near Waipu, a short forest walk of about ten minutes crosses the Ahuroa River to Piroa Falls. There are swimming spots along the way and at the foot of the falls. The Waipū estuary is also nearby. It provides habitat for the critically endangered tara-iti, or New Zealand fairy tern, as well as wrybills, reef herons and banded dotterels. Migratory bar-tailed godwits can also be seen there at certain times.

Waipū Cove combines white sand with a river, rocky outcrops and shaded grassy areas. Lifeguards patrol the beach in summer; patrol periods may change. If you plan to visit this beach, check the current patrol periods in advance.

Choose the right focus for your trip

When looking for a hotel in Waipu, it helps to decide first what you want to focus on: would you like to spend time at the museum, on the Heritage Trail and at the memorials; are guided cave tours and longer trails your priority; or would you also like to include destinations nearby? The activities described vary in subject, time required and seasonal conditions.

Discover more destinations: Matapouri, Whangaruru, Matakohe, Rawhiti, Awanui, Ruakaka, Cable Bay, Kaikohe.

View the broader travel guide: Northland.