Paihia Lookout
Paihia Lookout sits at 443 feet on the Twin Coast Discovery Highway, facing 300 degrees, with the land dropping 375 feet within 600 meters of the overlook. The view spans a series of peaks and capes to the north and northwest, including Hobson Hill and Mount Bledisloe closer in, and Te Arakanihi, Te Puke, and Te Kume further out. To the west-southwest, Taratara rises to 741 feet at a distance of 4.4 miles, while Day Point and Poraenui Point mark the coastline to the north at 5.3 and 6.6 miles. The orientation of the lookout is angled 30 degrees off square from due west, putting it toward the sunset side of the sky. Sunset times vary through the year, from 17:19 at the June solstice to 20:38 at the December solstice. The lookout is positioned along the route between Paihia Beach Lookout and Rangikapiti Pā.
![500px provided description: New Zealands Bay of Islands [#trees ,#sky ,#landscape ,#sunrise ,#mountains ,#nature ,#sun ,#plants ,#colour ,#dawn ,#olympus ,#natural light ,#horison ,#nature photograph ,#New Zealand ,#Kiwi ,#Bay of Islands]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/Paihia_Sunrise_%28198258005%29.jpeg/1920px-Paihia_Sunrise_%28198258005%29.jpeg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
What you’re looking at
Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.
- Hobson Hill223 ftnorth-northwest · 2.1 mi
- Mount Bledisloe344 ftnorthwest · 2.6 mi
- Te Arakanihi430 ftnorthwest · 2.8 mi
- Te Puke446 ftnorthwest · 3.7 mi
- Taratara741 ftwest-southwest · 4.4 mi
- Te Kume282 ftnorth-northwest · 4.6 mi
- Te Taro184 ftnorth-northwest · 5.2 mi
- Day Point109 ftnorth · 5.3 mi
- Wharau285 ftnorth-northwest · 5.4 mi
- Pihoe174 ftnorthwest · 6.4 mi
- Poraenui Point50 ftnorth · 6.6 mi
Light
This overlook faces sunset — 30° off square to it.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:27 | 19:37 | 19:04 |
| June solstice | 07:33 | 17:19 | 16:40 |
| September equinox | 06:15 | 18:20 | 17:46 |
| December solstice | 06:06 | 20:38 | 20:01 |
Local time (Pacific/Auckland). Computed for this exact position.
Where it is
Take the scenic way to Paihia Lookout.
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How high is Paihia Lookout?
Paihia Lookout sits at about 443 feet (135 m).
What can you see from Paihia Lookout?
From Paihia Lookout: Hobson Hill (NNW, 2.1 mi); Mount Bledisloe (NW, 2.6 mi); Te Arakanihi (NW, 2.8 mi); Te Puke (NW, 3.7 mi).
Is Paihia Lookout better at sunrise or sunset?
Sunset. The land falls away from Paihia Lookout toward the sunset, so at sunrise the light is behind you. Exact times shift through the year; the page shows the current window.
What is the next lookout after Paihia Lookout?
Rangikapiti Pā is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Paihia Lookout.
Drive to Paihia Lookout with Byway
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Byways with this lookout
Locals make it Verified.
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