Whitianga is a nice little place right at the seashore. I stayed in a pretty nice backpacker called On the Beach BackPackers. In Whitianga itself there's not much to do except lying on the beach but there are a couple of nice activities in the surrounding areas. I went to Cathedral Cove and Hot water beach, both near Hahei. The Cathedral Cove is pretty impressive and you can get some good pictures there! I wasn't too excited about hot water beach because there were heaps of people on a really small piece of beach trying to find some hot water. I also went with the ferry to the other side of the harbor from where you can walk to Shakespeare's cliff. From here you have an amazing view over the sea and along the coastline! Really recommended!
