Bring learning to life with memorable school group experiences!

Situated in the heart of the Bay of Islands, our park offers unique onsite activities, including guided kiwi tours, waiata and storytelling around the firepit, Rongoā, Harakeke Weaving and the chance to experience a traditional hāngī.
Our School History package will step your students into New Zealand’s rich past and is a memorable, educational and fun way to learn about History.
A 3 day, 2 night accommodation & history activity package for just $209 per student.
Our location offers over 50 activities that are rich in content for your school’s curriculum requirements, covering a range of educational areas including Social Sciences, History, People and Places. Ask us for a copy of our activities booklet – schools@russellaccommodation.co.nz
From cultural immersion to hands-on history and nature encounters, we can help you create an inspiring and memorable learning experience for your school group!

Discover, Learn & Explore: Onsite activities available at the park.

 

See Kiwi in the wild!

Give your students a chance to see Kiwi in the wild with our guided Kiwi Night Tour.

Waiata & Legends

An evening of waiata, Māori legends and inspiring stories around our firepit.

Plant a Tree

An opportunity to restore and support toitū toirua (regeneration) of our park.  And it may also contribute to reducing your carbon footprint.

The Art of Hāngī

A full day/evening of mātauranga (learning) the traditional art of Hangi.

 

Raranga

Weaving is a living art form passed down from our ancestors and symbolises the survival of the Māori culture.

 

Rongoā

Take a wander around our native bush and learn about the incredible properties of a number of our native plants.

Waka Ama – one of the highlights of our history package

We talk to Richard Ferguson about Waka Ama one of the unique activities he has made accessible to schools that visit us. It’s one of the highlights included in our History Package.

 

Bring Freshwater education to life!

Give your students a hands-on environmental learning experience with Whitebait Connection—an action-based programme that connects schools with the health of streams, rivers, and wetlands.
What’s Included?
During a 1 – 1.5 hour field trip, students will:
🐟 Assess stream habitats and learn what makes a healthy waterway.
🦠 Survey macroinvertebrates to understand water quality.
🎣 Identify fish and aquatic species as real citizen scientists.
For Northland schools: They also offer two in-class educational sessions before your field trip.
With a focus on ecology, biodiversity, conservation, and kaitiakitanga, Whitebait Connection empowers students to take action in protecting Aotearoa’s freshwater ecosystems.
This opportunity is FREE for school groups that book before June 2025, thanks to secured funding! After June, it’s still affordable at an estimated $5 per student (dependent on the number of students, the location and the time of the session).

Whakamana te maunga, Whakamana te wai, He mauri o ngā tangata, Ngā mea katoa he pai.
If we look after the water from the mountains to the sea, it will look after us—it is our life force.

Activity ideas at the park…

There is so much to do at Russell – Orongo Bay Holiday Park for school trips you won’t want to leave!

Some activities we recommend for your school are:

  • Cooling off in the Swimming Pool (October until May)
  • Free time on the Playground (currently closed for maintenence)
  • Exploring our Kiwi trail, cut within acres of native bush at the rear of our Park and if you venture the trail at night you might be lucky enough to see a kiwi in the wild! You will regularly hear the distinctive call of the kiwi at night.
  • An authentic camping experience sitting around the outdoor camp fire (subject to fire regulations), toasting marshmallows and star gazing
  • Cooking your own meals in our wood fired pizza oven and barbecues
  • Table tennis
  • Exploring the native bush and nature walks that surround the park. Building dens or net fishing in the stream.
  • Play sports and plan activities on the large grassed areas
  • Learning about and seeing native flora and fauna – tree planting, conservation, predator control and bird identification
  • Waking up to the sounds of over 55 species of bird, including rare Pateke, Weka and Kiwi
  • Onsite activities, including guided kiwi tours, waiata and storytelling around the firepit, Raranga, Rongoā and the chance to experience a traditional hāngī (by prior arrangement and subject to additional cost).

Activity ideas in Russell…

Many schools stay at Russell – Orongo Bay Holiday Park to discover New Zealand’s historic sites. The Bay of Islands was where the Māori first arrived in New Zealand and Kororāreka, Russell was the first European settlement established in New Zealand.   There are so many historic sites and activities for schools including:

  • The first capital site of New Zealand in Okiato en route to your accommodation in Orongo Bay, Russell.
  • A stroll on the boardwalk around the mangrove fringed Orongo Bay and walkway to Russell township from the Park.
  • The oldest working church in the country – Christ Church – take a look inside and spot the musket holes from the battles between the Europeans and the Maori.
  • A trip along the picturesque Russell waterfront past the Duke of Marlborough (1st liquor licence in the country)
  • Pass by The Gables, NZ’s oldest restaurant, built on whale bone foundations and once a hideout for stowaways, retell stories of drunken debauchery in the hellhole of the pacific.
  • Pompallier Mission and Printery – New Zealands earliest industrial building – a print house and tannery. Set up by the French Catholic missionaries who preceded the English.  A fascinating and well presented story and tour for all school groups.
  • Kororāreka Museum
  • Waitangi Treaty Grounds – Learn about the Treaty of Waitangi with a fun and invigorating tour ending with an exhilarating cultural show.  A short ferry trip from Russell to Waitangi.
  • Heritage Sites to visit in the area include Marsden Cross, Kerikeri Mission – Stone Store & Kemp House, Kororipo Pā, Te Waimate Mission and Okuratope Pā.
  • A ride on the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway – the very first railway in the North Island, leading to the longest wooden curved bridge in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • A trip out to the Hole in the Rock to spot the dolphins and maybe some Orca.
  • Setting sail on an iconic Tall Ship – take a Youth Sail training voyage out on the R Tucker Thompson, operated by a not-for-profit charitable trust.
  • Get involved in some conservation activities with Project Island Song, a community group who are bringing back the birdsong to the Islands through organising volunteer efforts, reintroducing species to the islands, and providing conservation education, such as floating classrooms for schools.

and much much more!