Parakao, Northland Map

About Parakao, Northland

Parakao is a locality in the Northland Region of New Zealand. It sits at an elevation of around 40 m above sea level. It lies approximately 34 km west of Whangarei, the regional capital. Parakao is located at 35.7167°S, 173.9500°E. It observes New Zealand Time (NZST/NZDT).

Parakao lies inland, a quiet pocket of Northland where the land rolls with a gentle, enduring grace. It lies 33.8 km west of Whangarei (from Whangarei: bearing 273°T), and is situated 14.3 km north-west of Tangiteroria. The countryside is a tapestry of green, a mosaic of pastures punctuated by stands of native bush. The air here carries the scent of damp earth and sun-warmed leaves, a subtle perfume that speaks of the fertile soil. The land slopes away from the few dwellings, eventually meeting the course of the Mangakahia River, a ribbon of water that carves its path through the landscape. To the north, the hazy outlines of the Maungaru Range offer a distant, softened horizon, while the Houto Forest to the east hints at deeper, wilder places. The quality of light, particularly in the late afternoon, casts a warm, golden hue over the paddocks, transforming them into fields of shimmering wheat, even though the primary crop is not grain.

The history of Parakao is closely tied to the land and its bounty. Dairy farming has long been the backbone of the local economy, the rhythm of milking cows dictating the pulse of daily life. This agricultural heritage is evident in the well-maintained fences and the sprawling, verdant pastures that define the area. While forestry also plays a role, with the nearby Houto Forest a significant resource, it is the enduring connection to the soil that most defines Parakao. Visitors might find themselves drawn to the nearby Wairua Falls, a beautiful cascade that offers a refreshing counterpoint to the rolling farmland, or perhaps to the distant, placid waters of Tauanui Lake, a place for quiet contemplation. Life in Parakao moves at its own measured pace, a testament to the enduring strength of its rural roots.

About This Parakao Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Parakao, Northland, New Zealand at coordinates -35.71667, 173.95. Use the Map and Satellite buttons to switch views, the plus and minus buttons to zoom, and Fullscreen to fill the screen.

Search Maps opens a second, independent map with four things the embedded map cannot do. It searches OpenStreetMap for any New Zealand town, suburb or landmark by name. It offers LINZ topographic maps as a base layer — the official Topo250 and Topo50 sheets, switching scale automatically as you zoom, and the standard reference for tramping, hunting and back-country travel. It offers LINZ aerial imagery down to 5cm resolution in urban areas. And it can take a single GPS fix from your device and report your position as both an NZTM2000 grid reference and plain latitude and longitude — the grid reference being what New Zealand search and rescue services work from. Map tiles require mobile coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map itself cannot load.

My Location & Navigate starts the vector-tile navigator: live turn-by-turn driving directions from your current position to any destination, with spoken guidance, lane hints and automatic re-routing.

Live weather conditions with current observations and a 7-day forecast are powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time New Zealand and world news feeds keep the page current, while an editorial description provides background on Parakao.

Parakao sits within the Northland Region. Location data is drawn from the GeoNames geographical database and verified by coordinates, ensuring the correct Parakao is identified even where the name is shared across multiple New Zealand localities.