Taurikura is a small, rural township in the Whangarei District, approximately 30 kilometres south east of Whangarei

Whangarei

Whangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...

 city in Northland, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

.

The town is located on the shores of Calliope Bay at the base of 420 metre high Mt Manaia which, along with Bream Head

Bream Head

Bream Head is a promontory on the east coast of Northland in the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the end of a 30 kilometre-long peninsula, the head juts into the Pacific Ocean to the southeast of Whangarei...

 and the Hen Island

Hen and Chicken Islands

The Hen and Chickens Islands lie to the east of the North Auckland Peninsula off the coast of northern New Zealand. They are located to the east of Bream Head and southeast of Whangarei....

, collectively form the ancient remnants of a very large andesitic volcano

Volcano

2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

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Features of Taurikura include a Baptist-owned camp and a general store. The local school is Whangarei Heads School whose claim to fame is being the second oldest school in New Zealand still operating on its original site.

The town offers a number of good vantage spots of the Marsden Point Oil Refinery

Marsden Point Oil Refinery

Marsden Point Oil Refinery is located at Marsden Point, Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand. It is the only oil refinery in New Zealand, and is operated by Refining NZ....

 - located on the opposite shore of Whangarei Harbour.

A number or excellent ocean beaches are a short drive away.

External links

• Whangarei Heads Tourism