Although the main destination for scenic beauty for many is South Island, a visit to this beautiful country would not be complete without including North Island.
Geothermal hot springs, pristine beaches, glow worm caves, massive volcanoes and captivating landscape – these are what we found in the North Island, and we loved our trip here.
A long flight from Singapore took us to Auckland where a quarter of New Zealand’s population lives. Despite being a busy city, it offers some beautiful sights.
We picked up our rental car from the airport and started on our 10-day North Island drive. Here’s our route map:
Auckland
Aucklanders adore One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie), located within Cornwalk Park and surrounded by flower beds, majestic trees and walking trails. The peak is adorned by an obelisk. Great views from here, too.
The best thing to do while in Auckland in our opinion is the scenic drive around Devonport via Northcote Point to get a charming view of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the city. King Edward Parade and Calliope Road, overlooking Stanley Bay, are also very much worth the drive.
Waitomo
The first leg of our trip was a two-hour drive to Waitomo, via Hamilton.
The main attraction at Waitomo are its Caves, full of swarming glow worms, and stalactites & stalagmites.
The cave tour took us in a boat (pulled by hand with a rope), in total darkness and complete silence, through a massive cavern swarming with millions of glow worms – this black water rafting as it is called was truly amazing experience.
Waitomo is one of the many places to see glow worms in New Zealand.
Rotorua
Our next destination was the geothermal wonderland – Rotorua, another 2 hours from Waitomo.
We had always wondered what lies inside a volcano. The closest to this can be found at Rotorua, where the very earth boils and hisses, and weird smelling gases waft through the air. In Kuirau park, very close to the city center, we saw mud pools, craters ejecting steam, pools of boiling hot water, and many other types of geothermal wonders. In lovely contrast to all these volcanic wonders were the lovely blue and green lakes!
For someone really into geothermal stuff, Waimangu Volcanic Valley is the place. Apart from its many wonders, the Valley also houses lovely walks, graded for duration and difficulty, and boat cruises in Lake Rotomahana.
We were surprised to see hundreds of white gulls and many black swans swimming at Kaikaitahuna Bay on a rainy day! (see images above).
Lake Taupo
Our journey continued southwards to Lake Taupo and Huka falls.
Lake Taupo is a huge blue lake, the flooded caldera of the now extinct Taupo super volcano. Several walking tracks wind around it and many scenic lookout spots appear along the way. As we walked, we could hear a steady roar at a distance. That was Huka falls announcing itself!
From Lake Taupo the water flows along a broad canyon which narrows sharply at one point, and the water thunders down a series of waterfalls into the Waikoto river. The enormous flow of water creates a massive roar which we had heard from afar. The massive gush of water through the narrow gorge makes an awesome sight which held our gaze for a long time. Afterwards we went on a river cruise which took us right up to the crystal-blue pool at the base of the falls until we could feel the spray on our faces.
Wanganui
Wanganui (also spelt as Whanganui) came next on our trip. We avoided State Highway 4, which runs through gentle hill country dotted with rivers, preferring the long and winding drive to Wanganui along the more scenic mountainous route.
Wanganui is a beautiful riverside city with a long history, restored heritage areas, and several various options for boat rides and riverine expeditions on kayaks, canoes or rafts.
Curiosity took us the next morning to a trail leading to the mysterious ‘Bridge to Nowhere‘, which had been built across the Mangapurua Gorge to reach a remote settlement. The settlement has been abandoned a long time ago, and only the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ remains.
En Route to Wellington
We headed towards Wellington on the last leg of our North island drive.
We love zoos and automobile museums! Surely, we found one of each and had to stop.
Southward Car Museum
An 1895 Benz that looks like a cross between a horse carriage and a go cart, a 1930s gangster limo riddled with bullet holes, and some Bugatti and Bentleys too – the museum display includes a car for every occasion. There are more than 400 such classic cars in the collection, all spic and span, including some 50s cars that brought back childhood memories.
Staglands Wildlife Reserve
Staglands Wildlife reserve is an open-air animal farm & petting zoo with tractor rides, feedings & a rustic log café, just an hour’s drive from Wellington.
It is home to a wide range of native and exotic birds and animals in an environment that has been created with nature’s materials. We found people of all ages feeding and freely interacting with the animals and having a lot of fun.
Wellington
We reached New Zealand’s capital city – Wellington, aptly nicknamed Windy Welly. The city is perched on the edge of the Cook strait, in the path of the strong westerly winds known as the Roaring Forties, making the city very windy.
Wellington is a hilly city with slopes and climbs everywhere. A sturdy pair of walking shoes are a must to take advantage of the various hikes and scenes around this city. This city is big on café culture and spectacular views.
Mount Victoria Lookout (aka Matairangi)
This is Wellington’s most impressive viewpoint, located on top of Mount Victoria. You can take a bus most of the way, drive up in your car or sweat it up giving your legs a hard workout. From the peak we could see the city, its green Town Belt, the hills and harbour, and the airport.
Two interesting finds on the peak:
1) An old bronze cannon that used to be powder charged and fired every day at noon so that citizens could set their clocks and watches – a time signal used between 1877 and 1900.
2) An interesting signboard listing all the fault lines in New Zealand including Wellington. (click to zoom the image below).
Shelley Bay Circular Coastal Drive
The drive further took us to several sandy beaches around Evans Bay, with great views of sailboats and ferries. We stopped at Massey Memorial, a tomb of former PM William Massey at the tip of the headland, for panoramic views of Wellington harbour.
The scenic drive continued around the peninsula past the Scorching Bay Beach, Worser Bay Boating club and the popular Breaker Bay where we could see a colony of Little Blue Penguins. We could also see the remains of some WW2 bunkers here!
Our North island trip ended at Wellington, and we boarded the Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferry for an enjoyable 2-hour cruise to South Island, where more wonderful experiences awaited us.
Thank you New Zealand – we will come again!
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The first time I visited New Zealand I spent 2 months there, of which 6 weeks was on the South Island. I’m not sure I fully appreciated everything the North Island has to offer so I’d love to return & explore many of your suggestions then.
This looks incredible and I’d love to do the black water rafting! Such a beautiful country and wonderful photos. I’m hoping to visit for an extended trip once the teen boy is off to uni 🙂
I have travelled to NZ twice and so am familiar with the places you visited on your road trip. It is a superb country to do a road trip through – the North and South Island are so different from one another in my opinion. I can’t wait to return.
We are so sad we missed Australia and New Zealand this year. I had not yet started my detailed planning for New Zealand so this post helps. I too would want to visit both the South and North Islands. But now know we will need far more time in New Zealand than we thought to do it all. I would not want to miss any of the spots you visited on the North Island! It seems like there was a little bit of something for everyone.
One day we hope to visit NZ and take a long road trip like you did. Looks like you picked all the right places to go!
I’ve only heard GREAT things about New Zealand. And this blog post really showed that. Can’t wait to be able to explore New Zealand one day! I’ll definitely be using this list to explore!
I cannot get over how many incredible things you saw on your drive! I hope to make it one day – it sounds great and like there is a little bit of everything to see!
I’ve met so many friendly and interesting Kiwis on my travels, and would love to visit this part of the world. I think if you’ve going to travel here, you have to do both north and south, and try and extend the trip for as long as possible, so that you feel you’ve really done the country justice.
I would love to return to New Zealand. I spent 3 months there, most of the time on the South Island as the weather was awful on the North Island when we were Although we had some sunny days around Lake Taupo. Reading this post has made me long to return.
I haven’t been to New Zealand yet – from Europe, it’s sooo far. Nevertheless, it, obviously, is on my list. Once I go, I’d like to visit as much as possible since it won’t be a weekend trip 😉 Your post is a great inspiration and blueprint for a visit to the north.
Your photos look amazing! I have been eager to visit New Zealand for some time now. Hopefully next year!
Wow! This is a great way to really see everything when you go on vacation rather than just the specific areas and nothing in between. The geothermal place and lake look absolutely amazing!
Lake Taupo looks so pretty to visit! I don’t know many locations in New Zealand so I’ve added some to my list for my trip there in the future!
I have never been to New Zealand, so it’s definitely a destination I would love to visit in the future. Hopefully, I can visit it next year 🙂
Never been to New Zealand, but it’s really high on y bucket list. I loved your itinerary, it has a great variety of stops which I enjoy on a road-trip so will definitely refer back to your post when I can finally visit this country.
I spent a week in Auckland for a school competition, but didn’t get the chance to do much exploring outside of Piha! Dreaming of going back to visit friends in North Island but also to visit the beauty of the South Island. A road trip definitely looks like the way to do it, thanks for sharing!
I have been to North Island on and off and have seen most of these places except Wanganui. But I would love to travel there long term. I did a similar kind of South Island travel for 10 days and it was absolutely amazing. I wanted to North Island as well but unfortunately COVID hit and I couldn’t. Hopefully I can do it someday.
I’ve never been to New Zealand, and I didn’t even realize there was a north and south. The volcanoes seem SO interesting – they’re gorgeous! I was at one in Santorini, but it was fairly anticlimactic compared to what you saw. Looks like such a great trip!
I had a chance to take an excursion to a glow worm cave once and opted for something else and have thought about it ever since so Waitomo would be a great opportunity to fix that. I would also love to experience the mud pools in Kuirau park. Ending the trip hanging out with a colony of Little Blue Penguins sounds perfect!
I think if I was ever so fortunate to travel here, I would love to see both the North and south. What a great road trip and way to see the diversity of this country. Haku falls looks absolutely stunning. I can only imagine what it looks and sounds like, seeing it in person.
New Zealand is still on my dream list. I would like to see both islands so that I can compare them. I dream of traveling around the islands in a RV. I really like your itinerary on the North Island. I’d love to use your tips. I’d love to see the geothermal hot springs, pristine beaches, glow worm caves, massive volcanoes you described.
New Zealand is so on my list. I would like to explore this Island country in near future. Your post is perfect to plan my trip to New Zealand. Very detailed and well written. Bookmarking it for future reference.
Wow! This is definitely one epic road trip. I would love to visit Waitomo and explore the caves. The swarming glow worms are a must-see. Thank you for sharing this beautiful photo. You have captured it so well. Kudos!
What a great trip! I spent a couple of weeks exploring the stunning south island of New Zealand and would love to see more of the north island! I’ll save your itinerary for inspiration. Thank you!
New Zealand has long been on my bucket list! I can’t wait for the day I get to visit. Thanks for sharing all of this great info – I’ll be sure to refer back whenever I start planning my trip! Xx Sara
I love road trips! It tends to be my go-to experience so I can see things at my pace. I would totally love to take this trip one day and stop in wellington. Great article!
This looks like a fantastic 10 days on the North Island! We looooved NZ, but I don’t feel like we had enough time on the North Island. It is so perfect for road trips with gorgeous hikes and volcanoes!
There is quite a bit to see on New Zealand North Island. No matter which route you take from north to south, there are interesting things to see. The east coast south of Hamilton has places like Napier and the culturally rich areas of East Cape while the central route has the high desert and iconic towns and farmland. I do like your west coast route with Taranaki and Raglan.
New Zealand looks beautiful! What a fantastic mix of nature, landscapes and culture! Fantastic guide and tips to get the best from your experience!
The Waitom Caves of glow worm has been on my bucket list for forever. I can’t wait to visit NZ and see them/all the other beautiful nature there.
Thank you for this wonderful guide – North Island sounds like such an incredible place! Hoping to visit soon 🙂