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Heading North This Summer? Here’s Why Battery Town Might Be Your Most Important Stop
Every summer, thousands of Kiwis point their cars North and make their way toward the beaches that define the warmer months, Ruakākā, Waipū, Paihia, Kerikeri, the Hokianga. The roads get busier, boat ramps fill before sunrise, and holiday parks swell with campervans and caravans that haven’t seen a long haul since last January.
And every year, something else happens too: batteries give up.
They do it quietly, unpredictably, and almost always at the worst moment.
That’s when people discover how useful it is having Battery Town locations in Ruakākā, Whangārei, Kaikohe and Kerikeri, dotted neatly along the routes we all travel during the holidays.
Northland Heat: The Silent Battery Killer
If there’s one thing the region is known for in summer, it’s heat. Long, still days. Warm nights. Hot cars left in beach carparks. Boats sitting on trailers with the sun beating down on their electronics. Jet skis dragged out of storage and expected to fire on the first push of a button.
It’s the kind of environment that accelerates battery failure.
Even healthy batteries lose performance in prolonged heat, and older ones, or ones that have spent the winter doing very little, often decide that summer is the perfect time to give up entirely.
The Classic Northland Breakdown
The first hint is often small:
A sluggish crank outside the servo at Wellsford.
A dash light that flickers somewhere between Waipū and Whangārei.
A jet ski that coughs once and then refuses to turn over.
A caravan fridge that drains the house battery overnight.
A boat at the Marsden Cove ramp that simply… won’t.
They’re not dramatic failures, but they stop holidays in their tracks.
And they’re exactly the situations Battery Town teams deal with all summer long.
Four Points of Help, Right When You Need It
With Battery Town stores positioned in Ruakākā, Whangārei, Kaikohe and Kerikeri, most travellers heading north will pass near at least one.
That means if your battery is weak, your car feels off, the boat won’t wake up, or your camper isn’t holding charge, help isn’t far away.
- Ruakākā catches the Bream Bay crowd, the beachgoers, the day-trippers, the boaties.
- Whangārei supports everyone pushing north through the city or launching from the east coast.
- Kaikohe is the rescue point for trips inland: Hokianga, Opononi, Rawene.
- Kerikeri picks up the Bay of Islands holidaymakers, from Russell to Paihia and beyond.
Each one is set up to test batteries on the spot, replace them if needed, and diagnose electrical issues that a roadside jumpstart never fixes properly.
Boats, Jet Skis, Campervans — Summer’s Usual Suspects
Northland’s summer breakdowns aren’t limited to cars.
Boats and jet skis are perennial offenders. They sit untouched for months, pick up corrosion in the salty air, and then get woken up abruptly on launch day. Battery Town stores handle a steady line of marine batteries every December and January, most of which never stood a chance.
Campervans and caravans bring their own challenges. House batteries drained by fridges, lights and fans; solar systems that don’t charge enough; connectors that fail after storage. Visitors often only discover the issue after they’ve set up for the night.
Again, Battery Town deals with all of it.
A Small Check That Saves a Big Hassle
The easiest way to avoid any of the above?
A simple, pre-trip battery and electrical check before you head north.
It’s quick, it’s inexpensive, and it turns potential holiday-ending problems into nothing more than a short stop on the way.
But even if you don’t check ahead, even if the issue hits halfway up the highway, chances are there’s a Battery Town nearby.
Ruakākā. Whangārei. Kaikohe. Kerikeri.
Covering coastlines, holiday parks, inland routes and summer hotspots.
Wherever you’re going, and whatever you’re taking with you car, camper, boat or jet ski — there’s a Battery Town ready to keep your summer moving.