Here’s some information to help your decision.
Check out this article on telegraph.co.uk
Excerpts
History-
“The Bay of Islands, so named by Captain Cook in 1769, is the most historic place in New Zealand. Home of early Maori settlers who paddled here from Polynesia some 1,000 years ago, of whalers and sealers, and of missionaries, who followed in their wake, this is where the famous Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, whereby New Zealand became a British colony, its terms a cause of Maori resentment to this day.”
Trip Suggestions-
Mortrura
“At nearby Moturua, we anchor for kayaking and snorkelling in the still-icy waters, the island a sanctuary for wildlife, including the endangered spotted kiwi. The remains of a pa – a Maori fortified village – sits atop the island. It was destroyed by the French in 1772, after the Maori roasted and ate the explorer Marion du Fresne, this being the ultimate sanction for his transgression against a sacred tapu.”
View from 1500 feet
“With so many islands, peninsulas, promontories, bays and coves, I am by now thoroughly confused as to which way is up. But a scenic flight, next on the agenda, clarifies this peculiar topography. From 1,500ft above forested interior and emerald pastureland, down to 500ft above the sea at 90 Mile Beach to watch diving whales, we fly from coast to coast: the west, bordering the rough waters of the Tasman Sea, straight and featureless; the east, notched with deep inlets and sandy bays as though edged with lace, the turquoise Pacific living up to its name.”
Small Towns
“Back on terra firma, it is time to explore the little towns around the Bay of Islands. Giving short shrift to the commercial centre, Paihia, I head for Kerikeri, surrounded by citrus and kiwi orchards, on the mouth of the pretty Kerikeri inlet. It was chosen, in 1819, as the site of the second Mission by the Reverend Samuel Marsden, who bought land from the local chief, Hongi Hika, in exchange for 48 axes. The axes no doubt came in handy at nearby Kororipo pa during the intertribal wars, while Marsden busied himself setting up the Mission House – the country’s oldest standing building, completed in 1821.”