"A booming place with nowhere to go" a Paihia Travel Page by iandsmith

Paihia, pronounced py-he-a is unashamedly here for the tourists, which is where VT comes in.
The winding narrow road off highway 1leads to a town labelled the jewel of the Bay of Islands.
It’s a place that certainly has some things going for it. The Bay of Islands itself is a pleasant enough place, more particularly enjoyable if you like the water which, no matter where you stay, is apt to be close by whichever of the myriad of accommodation houses you may be staying at.
Whether you want to chill out or have a good time with the family there’s sure to be something at or around Paihia.
Though it's ideally situated there's not a great deal of suitable land for buildings, and I include some that have already been built on!. So, what you see today will probably be close to what you see next time with expansion taking place at other locations nearby.