Good health begins with how you nourish your body, and here you’ll find everything you need to be kind to yourself from the inside out. As Ecostore’s shopfront, there’s no shortage here of gentle creams and cleansers for your skin, and a bounty of organic grains, fruit, vegetables and more to inspire wholesome cooking. The in-store alternative health professionals can help answer any specific concerns.

If you’re the kind of person who thrives on a goal to get into shape, now is the perfect time to sign up for the well-established and popular event at Kerikeri. Then set a training plan (you can find plenty of help online, or check out the Nike+ running app) and stick to it, and enjoy the wonderful, expansive views on the day and the major rush you’ll get from completing such a massive goal. You can do it!

For a gentle, whole-body workout that takes care of mind and soul too, visit Leighia Murray at Sundara Sanctuary Studio. A morning class in this friendly and unpretentious environment will send you out into the day feeling limber, calm and centred. Only $12 for an hour-long class.

Getting fit is so much easier if you can make it fun, so if you find it hard to get moving otherwise, sign up for an invigorating and confidence-boosting six-week workshop with the Hardcore Dance Company. Or if you think that demands too much co-ordination for your two left feet, consider surfing, roller-blading, hiking, mountain-biking - the aim is to have such a blast that hell befall the thing that stops you taking part every chance you get.

For anyone in need of a serious reboot, this is luxury accommodation at its most healing. Ora Ora retreat takes a holistic approach to health, offering specialist massages, aromatherapy, reflexology and more, and the natural bush setting encourages you to get outside and soak up the fresh air. With nutritious, gourmet cooking, organic wines, sauna and facials, it has all the right kinds of indulgence.

Personally, I can think of no better activity for a rainy day (and if it ain’t broke…) than getting lost in a bookshop, heading home, curling up and absorbing myself in a story. Some good reads to look out for include the very funny Hokitika Town by Charlotte Randall, Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin, or if you’re a non-fiction fan, The Good Girls Revolt by Lynn Povich. Or maybe you’re more visual? DVDs and popcorn, all the way home.

Flex your creative muscle and try out flax weaving at any one of a number of workshops throughout Northland – the Far North club meets every second and fourth Saturday of the month, but check creativefibre.org.nz to find a group meeting in your area. Similarly, you could give bone carving a go with Jim Taranaki in Omapere, or get a group together and book in for a printmaking session at Wharepuke in Kerikeri.

I’ll admit it may not sound like the most exciting prospect, but this is a delightful collection of mechanical wonders with a tonne of history, art and science combined. The guides are a great resource, offering lots of fun anecdotes. All up a great way to spend your time (and cost effective at $8 for adults, $4 for children).

Think about brushing up your skills in the kitchen with a cooking class at Flourflower – events coming up include making your own sausages, a visit by a French culinary expert and a session on Italian cooking. If that really tickles your fancy, there’s a cooking club that meets every second Monday of the month, going on roadtrips, taking lessons together and hosting fundraising events for the community.

Get some mates together, sharpen your competitive edge and go slay some pins … if you’ve got the aim. One way or another it’s bound to be fun and you’ll shake off some of that wet-weather lethargy too.

The chef at this rustic harbourside café is a genius. The pastries are nothing but buttery deliciousness and as well as all the old favourites for fillings, there’s creative takes such as steak and blue cheese, and vegetarian choices (because everybody loves pie!) so popular they’ve been known to start (good-natured) fights among locals. They’ll run you a little more than a standard pie, but are worth every cent.

Because you can’t eat enough in one sitting to have your fill of these tasty pastries, pop back across the harbour on the ferry and collect some more to take home from the well-stocked freezer section. What could be better than whacking a couple of top-notch pies in the oven when you can’t be bothered cooking?

Feeling fancy? Get a wicked taste of Northland with the lamb shank and kumara pie, served with mint sauce, a salad and excellent views. The place does one pie only (unless you count the chicken and spinach filo), and they do it well.

Locally made pies, hand-filled and cooked with love, and stocked at locations across Northland, so there should always be one nearby.

Get here for the winner of last year’s best mince pie (as judged at the Bakels Supreme Pie Awards). Because what’s a kiwi list of pies without a damn good appearance by some mince?

Widely regarded among the best café/restaurants in the Far North, try an entrée of warm Hawkes’ Bay lamb salad with peanut dressing, followed by aged Angus eye fillet on potato mash and greens. If you’re making a trip of it you can even stay on-site in one of five cottages, and enjoy the art gallery and gardens too.

Awarded the Beef + Lamb NZ excellence award for four years running, The Duke is a sure bet for a mouthwatering, creative take on what New Zealand does best – think lamb sirloin with Kerikeri macadamia dukkah and couscous, Houhora scotch fillet on the bone with scallion & potato crush, sautéed zucchini & chimichurri salsa, and much more - and in beautiful Russell, no less.

Another excellence award-winner, this is fine dining with very fine service. Try the lamb loin with spiced eggplant or the aged beef fillet with agria potato puree.

The DIY choice: Pick up your prime cuts or specialty sausages from the Mangawhai Meat Shop and enjoy a hearty meal with all the comforts of home. Check out recipes.co.nz for inspiration.

The seriously extravagant choice: Spoil yourself with a stay in the wonderful, award-winning Waipoua Lodge. The menu changes frequently, but the beef and lamb is always locally sourced and exquisitely prepared.

With a great range of flicks and big, comfy seats, plus a decent choice of eateries nearby, Kerikeri can really deliver for a night out at the movies. My pick for an indulgent meal would The Italians, just around the corner from the cinemas. The menu is enormous and the cooking authentic and totally scrumptious. Five stars.

Festival and art house films screening at the Town Hall along the beautiful waterfront, with movie and meal deals offering excellent value – ticket and grub for $20, anyone? If you’re in the mood to splash out, you’re spoiled for choice with The Duke, The Gables, The Wharf and plenty more all just a hop, skip and a jump away.

After more than 35 years without a cinema, locals rallied hard to get the Anzac Theatre established. It opened just last year, screening new releases and art house flicks. Be sure to grab a loyalty card for free treats on your way to a free movie. For dinner, head to the crowd-pleasing Shiraz just around the corner, where you’ll find Indian cuisine, pizza, steak, chicken and more.

The slick experience you’ve come to expect from the major players in the cinema business, with all the latest releases, goodies and 3D. For a laidback meal beforehand, try the Killer Prawn restaurant a short walk away. I need a bib just thinking about the Seafood Orzo Paella. Mmm…

In Kaitaia’s modern, new community centre, Te Ahu Cinema opens on public and school holidays, showing the latest releases, though it is available for private, group bookings outside those times. For a bite to eat beforehand, head to the Beachcomber Restaurant and enjoy the fresh, local catch.

Wander through the brilliant aviary making friends with the charming birds. The staff are friendly and informative, and will help you get up close and personal as you like with their charges.

This fascinating tour is rich with information about the history of the Waiomio Valley and all its cave life, from glow worms and massive eels to stalactites and stalagmites. The guides are friendly and charming, sure to delight all ages.

Wait for a windy day, rug up and rent a fleet of blokarts, then go hooning around rugged Ninety Mile Beach. If you’re licenced, grab a quad bike instead and test your courage on the sand dunes. Pop into Gumdiggers Café afterwards to warm up with a hot chocolate or coffee.

Warm your bones in these thoroughly unpretentious pools. Only $5 per person, and the kids will entertain themselves seeing how hot they can handle, while you soak it up. You can even use the silt on the bottom of the pools for an all-natural exfoliating scrub.

For an action-packed day visit the AE Fun Park, where general admission includes archery, shooting, laser tag, a flying fox and more. Or to really get the adrenalin going, have a go at any of three paintball classes in a bush setting. Be sure to book ahead.