Driving around to look at Christmas lights is one of the best free nights out of the year, and Whangārei has more displays than most people realise. The catch is that it does not get dark here until after 8.30pm in December, so this is a late night for small children. A bit of planning turns it from a grumpy drive into a tradition.
Where to find this year's map
Homes join and leave the trail every year, so the reliable source is the list the Northern Advocate publishes each December as the "Northland Christmas Lights Trail", usually in the second week of the month, with late additions a few days later. In some years The Hits has run a competition with Whangārei Lions and Rotary and posted a map of the entries.
- Northland Christmas Lights Trail, Northern Advocate (the 2024 list; search the paper for this year's)
We have left individual house numbers out of this guide on purpose. These are private homes, and the people in them decide each year whether to take part. Use the current list.
The suburbs that usually shine
Looking back over several years of lists, the same areas come up again and again:
- Morningside: Hilltop Avenue has been the heart of the trail for years (more on that below).
- Kamo: Bush Haven Drive and Fairway Drive have had standout displays.
- Whau Valley: Whau Valley Road has had one of the biggest single-house displays.
- Onerahi: several streets close together, including Alamein Avenue and Montgomery Avenue, which makes it a good suburb to park and walk.
- Maunu and Raumanga: Ngahere Drive and Raumanga Heights Drive have featured.
- Selwyn Park Village has put on a display in past years.
The walk-through garden in Morningside
The best-known display in town is on the corner of Hilltop Avenue and Tikorangi Place in Morningside. Glenice Hall has lit her home and garden with thousands of lights for many years, switching them on in late November. The driveway runs through the property, but visitors are invited to park in Tikorangi Place and walk through, because that is how you see the small details: snowmen, an angel grotto, and a few jokes for the grown-ups. There is a wishing well, and what goes into it goes to hospice.
Go gently here. It is somebody's home, the neighbours live there all year, and the display keeps going because visitors are kind.
Displays set to music
Some homes time their lights to music. The usual set-up is a sign at the gate with an FM station: you tune your car radio to it, or stand at the fence, and the lights dance in time. If you see a number on a sign, that is what it is for. Turn the radio down again before you pull away.
In the city centre
You do not need a car for everything. The Town Basin has its Christmas tree, the boats in the marina are often strung with lights, and the canopy over the Cameron Street Mall got new coloured lighting in December 2025. Walk the Hātea Loop at dusk and finish at the water jets in Pūtahi Park, which are lit at night.
Indoors, the Christmas Tree Festival at St John's Church on Kamo Road is at its prettiest in the evening, and it suits children who cannot last until dark.
What time to go
- Lights generally come on at dusk, about 8.30pm to 9pm in mid December, and go off around 10.30pm.
- The week before Christmas is the busiest. A weeknight in the second week of December is calmer.
- Friday and Saturday bring the most traffic into small streets. Park once and walk where you can.
How to plan the night
- Pick one suburb, not five. Three or four houses seen properly beats twelve seen through a window.
- Pyjamas on, teeth brushed, blankets in the car. Children who fall asleep on the way home go straight to bed.
- Take a thermos of hot chocolate and something small to eat.
- Bring a few coins for donation boxes. Many displays collect for hospice or another charity.
- Dim your headlights when stopped, do not block driveways, and keep voices down after 9.30pm.
Make it the night Santa rings
The drive home is a lovely time for the phone to ring. Book a phone call from Santa for about the time you expect to be back in the driveway, and the last thing they hear before bed is Santa saying their name. You can choose the minute when you book.
For a trail closer to home, see our ideas for making your own Christmas light trail.