New Zealand has a lot of different, weird and wonderful adventures to take hold of. These are the top places to visit and top things to do in the North Island, New Zealand. I have to split these blogs into the North and the South; there is just so much to fit in! Let’s start with the basics first of all and then we will get into the fun part.
There are two main airports which you can fly internationally into: Auckland and Wellington. Auckland will give you the most routes and airlines, they will also give you the biggest journeys for example: Singapore, Dubai, Los Angeles. If you wanted to fly into Wellington then international flights will go into this airport but you are likely to have stopped in somewhere like Melbourne or Sydney to have done this. Domestic flights run from Auckland by the hour and also into Rotorua, Taupo and Naples.
From experience if you would like to visit both the North and the South Islands of New Zealand you need 3 – 5 weeks. If you have any less time that this, concentrate on just one island. There is one main road which leads you from top to bottom; this makes journey planning nice and simple. I usually recommend for travellers to start from the top and work their way down.
So now the fun part, below I have listed all the different activities and areas you can visit, which I believe to be the best places to visit on any North Island New Zealand itinerary. If you are already aware of one area, you can skip this and go straight to another:
- Auckland
- Bay of Islands
- Waithere National Park
- Matamata
- Coromandel Peninsula
- Waitomo
- Rotorua
- Napier
- Taupo
- Tongariro National Park
- Martinborough District
- Wellington
Now, I’m not going to go into a huge amount of detail, as I want you to do most of the exploring yourself. However, this should provide you with a nice overview and help you to plan out your next North Island, New Zealand adventure.
Auckland
A very accessible city. Easy to walk around in, lovely harbour, beautiful parks, great time to do a bit of shopping. I usually recommend for travellers to have 2 nights here, the first is to get over your flight and the other is to have a walk around the city. Take a walk up the Eden viewpoint or enjoy an evening drink at the top of the Skytower.
Bay of Islands
This is around 4 hours drive North of Auckland. A peaceful place where you can take a dolphin watching cruise, visit 90 mile beach right at the top of the island, or you could even just stay in Paihia area to have a relaxed, slow paced, few days before getting back in the car again. Even if you are staying in Paihia everywhere in the Bay of Islands is very accessible by car so you don’t need to stay in two places and have to faff about with packing and un-packing. Paihia is a quaint seaside town.
Waitakere Ranges Regional Park
The drive back down you need to take to either the Coromandel Peninsula, Matamata or Waitomo is a long drive. Remember you had to do 4 hours from Auckland to the Bay of Islands, now you have to add on the extra journey of about 2 hours to get you to your next spot. Without having to travel all the way back into downtown Auckland you can stay outside in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park. Waitakere Resort & Spa is a good option for 1 night on the way back down.
Matamata
Matamata is next on the list and the area of the Hobbiton Movie Set, some people are interested in this, some people not. It all just depends on if you are a fan of the franchise. You can book tickets very easily on the Hobbiton Movie Set website, we just booked day tickets. However if you are staying in Auckland or Rotorua, and don’t have access to a car, you can also organise a day trip which will include your coach there and back as well.
Waitomo
Famous for it’s glow warm caves, there is one main company who runs the tours ‘Waitomo Glow Worm Caves’. Again, a very easy site to navigate and you can choose from either just a boat ride into the caves, a cave walk, tubing (getting in a rubber ring and chilling on the water through the caves) or abseiling into the caves. The choice is yours.
Coromandel Peninsula
This peninsula is the opposite way to Waitomo, so you need to check your map before planning your route. You can take a beautiful coastal walk along the side of the cliffs to Cathedral Cove. Later on you can continue the drive just down the road to Hot Water Beach. Here you can hire a spade and bucket and build your own jacuzzi bath in the sand!
Rotorua
Rotorua is the area which still has a huge amount of Mauri culture and influence. Here you can do white water rafting, highly recommended. Visit the smelly geysers at the Geothermal Park, you will know what I mean by smelly when you get there, eggy is the best word. My personal favourite was the ‘Mauri Cultural Experience and Hangi Feast’, a very traditional evening, wonderful entertainment and amazing food!
Taupo
Taupo hosts the great Huka falls which are worth a visit, they have a walk which takes you right down the side of the falls to get the best views. If you are daring enough you can try the Jet Boating or even a Skydive over Lake Taupo. For the less daring, I may suggest a scenic lake cruise.
Tongariro National Park
This national park is only worth adding into your itinerary if you are willing to do the 8 hour hike across the top of the mountains. If you don’t fancy that, don’t include it in your itinerary, simple. It’s an incredible hike to take the opportunity if you are outdoors explorers.
Napier
If you aren’t going to head South to the National Park from Taupo, you can head East to Napier, or Hawkes Bay which it’s also known as. A beautiful scenic wine region set on the banks of the Tasman Sea witch a bay which curves round as far as the eye can see. Wine tasting of course is recommended, 2 nights will need to be a minimum. No drinking and driving remember. It’s a beautiful area so you won’t be disappointed from having 2 nights here.
There isn’t a huge amount between Tongariro/Napier and the South. It’s about a 6 hours drive and I would recommend just taking a day to do this. Keep it relaxed, stop off on the way at a nice place for a coffee and then for lunch. You’ll stop to take multiple photos along the way, because let’s face it, it’s New Zealand.
Martinborough District
Martinborough is an area just outside of Wellington to the East. More wines regions set in the countryside, this time not on the coastline but right in the middle of the mainland. The Martinborough Hotel is a popular place to stay while you are there. Depending on how much more wine you would like to add to your North Island experience, 1 or 2 nights here is recommended.
Wellington
The South of the North Island. The place you will get your ferry across to the South Island or if you are coming from the South then this is your port in the North. 1 night is all that is needed here on an itinerary, before getting your ferry or just come off. It’s a pretty, small, city with rugged coastline if you venture to the very South part of it. However as a city there isn’t a huge amount going for the center. Shopping maybe? Just outside of Wellington, for the Lord of the Rings fans, you will find where ‘Rivendale’ was filmed. Pretty cool if you ask me.
Ferries to and from the South Island are very quick to book through three different companies, the best is the Interislander Ferry. Top tip is to book at least 3 days in advance to get the slot you would like. You can go over in either in a car, in a motorhome or as a foot passenger.
If you have any further questions or you would like some help planning your North Island, New Zealand adventure. Head over to my contact me page I will be happy to help.
LEAH HANCOX 