North Island Travel Answers

Great itinerary !! Some tips/recommendations: - if possible add one day in/around Auckland for visiting the Waitakere Ranges, with Piha Beach and Muriwai with its gannet colony. - as far as I know the ferry from Rangitoto will also make a stop at Devonport; I would recommend to walk around and 'climb'one of the dead volcanoes with great views of the harbour and the sky line of Auckland. - During your Rotorua stay try to visit Ohinemutu, situated more or less at the end of the main shopping street on the borders of Lake Rotorua. A quite normal (small) Maori village with (of course) a Marae and the wooden St. Faith's Anglican Church, built in 1910, with many woodcarvings and weaved panels inside. - also close to Rotorua: Mt Tarawera, a geo thermal sight, but quite different from the others - Taupo: also Craters of the Moon Several little streams of hot steaming water are streaming through the village. If you are lucky you can see Maori women cooking meals in one of the pools. happy travels Jaap

Yes looks a great itinerary. First observation, unless you are particularly interested in volcanic stuff, you could be overdosing on Themal Parks. You have Whakarewarewa, Hells Gate, Te Puia, Kuirau Park, Wai-o-tapu and Orakei Korako. That's a lot of thermal stuff. The drive from Taupo to Wellington via State Highway #1 is a great drive in my opinion. You traverse the volcanic plateau across the "Desert Road". As well you drive through heartland NZ and some of our greenest regions. If you are interested there is a military museum at Waiouru. I love to have a coffee stop in Taihape and Bulls, nice small towns. And there are plenty of places to stop briefly on the side of the road to take photos. Not sure of you age/interests, but in Rotorua you may like to consider visiting the Agrodome instead of one Thermal park. There are plenty of activities there, including a fun sheepdog show, Zorbing, a freefall "fan", bungy jump, etc. Also it's fun to go up the gondola for lunch maybe and have a bit of fun riding the luge. Can you squeeze an extra day at Taupo, I do recommend getting into the air, either an aircraft ride from airport or lake. Another fun option is to go to Centennial Park and take a glider ride. The views from above are great. Have fun! kiwi.

Don't know what happened, but here is my answer again: Great itinerary !! Some tips/recommendations: - if possible add one day in/around Auckland for visiting the Waitakere Ranges, with Piha Beach and Muriwai with its gannet colony. - as far as I know the ferry from Rangitoto will also make a stop at Devonport; I would recommend to walk around and 'climb'one of the dead volcanoes with great views of the harbour and the sky line of Auckland. - During your Rotorua stay try to visit Ohinemutu, situated more or less at the end of the main shopping street on the borders of Lake Rotorua. A quite normal (small) Maori village with (of course) a Marae and the wooden St. Faith's Anglican Church, built in 1910, with many woodcarvings and weaved panels inside. Several little streams of hot steaming water are streaming through the village. If you are lucky you can see Maori women cooking meals in one of the pools. - also close to Rotorua: Mt Tarawera, a geo thermal sight, but quite different from the others - Taupo: also Craters of the Moon happy travels Jaap

Just my 2 cents. For me, my highlights for North Island is 1) Rotorua-Lake Taupo 2) Bay of Islands Not sure why you would skip Bay of Islands, may be you have been there before? NZ is fairly small to zip around.

Thank you so much for the recommendations. We are going to add an extra day in Auckland and explore the Waitakere Ranges, we also want to have a look at Devonport which looks to be a beautiful little place. We are also adding Ohinemutu whilst at Rotorua and craters of the moon at Taupo - thanks Jaap. I am still undecided about Mt Tarawera, as Kiwi says I am a little worried about overdosing on the Thermal Parks. Although my theory was that while we are there we might as well see as many as possible because this will be our only visit to the North Island (a future trip would be the south Island.) We used to live on a farm and I'm not very keen on thrill rides so the Agrodome doesn't appeal too much. The military museum at Waiouru will be an interesting stop and it reassuring to hear that State Highway #1 is a nice route to go. We will keep an eye out for Taihape and Bulls as well - thanks kiwi. We're not really keen on diving/sailing/fishing etc which is why we decided to give the Bay of Islands a miss. We are going to see the Huka Falls and can go hiking pretty much anywhere from what I understand. The giant Kauri Tree in Waipou Forest would have been nice to see, but It's a long way to drive there and back just to see a tree. Once again, thank you to everyone for your thoughts - they are most helpful. This is our first trip overseas and we are really looking forward to it. Cheers.

Your first trip overseas, how exciting!! Yes some of the things will take a lot of time. OK forget agrodome, it's hard to recommend not knowing details of what interests you :-) Mt Tarawera takes a bit of time, but it's not really a thermal park, it doesn't have hot mud etc, just an extinct volcano with lovely views from up there. I loved running in to the crater, but not sure you can still do that. But it's a day trip really. You can fly there tho. Well you seem to have things put together. Do I assume you live in Australia, I know you said you are flying from Sydney, but not sure if that is where you live though.

You are not really keen on sailing, so try to catch the nicest day while staying in Rotorua for your White Island visit, because the boat ride from Whakatane CAN be pretty rough. But I'm sure you will enjoy White Island, which is our number one spot of New Zealand. Jaap

Agree that the White Island trip is pretty special. Here's a few other observations from me: The itinerary is realistic, and well thought through - you have enough time to get everywhere you want to see without rushing it. My personal opinion would be to cut a day from Rotorua and perhaps Wellington and add them somewhere else (say - Taupo, or stay in Waitomo the night and do Black Water Rafting - just an example). Rotorua is a little too touristy for my liking. Wellington is a great city.. you probably don't need 4/18 days of a trip there, though. Te Papa is not that big in my opinion (half day would be fine). Cable Car trip takes about 30 mins. Again, I would stop off somewhere else for a bit longer so that you can slow up a bit more prior to arriving at your last destination. And I'm intrigued by the zoo day in Wellington as well... have never been there (even though I lived in Wellington for while), but wonder if it could ever match up to your fabulous zoo in Sydney? Finally, have a great trip!!

I wonder why you have not allocated any time for the Tongariro National Park, and perhaps even the Tongariro Crossing Track. At least a chairlift ride up Mt. Ruapehu. This would surely be an absolute highlight of a North Island tour. The other area I miss very much in your itinerary is Coromandel Peninsula. Two days there would be fabulous. Think of Hot Water Beach, Cathedral Cove, Tairua/Paku Hill, Coromandel Town with the Driving Creek Railway, etc. About the overdose of geothermal sites: Te Puia and Whakarewarewa are more or less the same site, they have divided in two, so they can rip you off twice. As you have time to visit Wai-o-tapu and Orakei Korako you can give them both a miss. Mt. Tarawera is very special. You can get into the centre of a deep crater. The only bad thing is that only one company holds the permit to go there, so there is no competition, and it is expensive. I can understand that you think as former farmers you should give the Agrodome a miss. But this is not a farm tour, but a sheep show, and despite being super-touristy and the showmaster can cut your nerves, it is still hilarious how the sheep and dogs perform. Regarding the Bay of Islands, I think you misjudge it. Sailing and watersports is only one little aspect up there. I have been there several times without going on any tour on the water, except using the ferry between Paihia and Opua to Russell. The Bay of Islands is THE cultural centrepoint of New Zealand, the birthplace of the nation (Waitangi), and driving up or down the west coast of Northland you have the giant kauri forests. The bays and harbours in the north are spectacular. In Auckland I cannot really recommend the dolphin/whale tour. I have not seen any dolphin on two occasions. I am sure other people have been successful. Never mind. Your choice. Perhaps you are lucky. The Bay of Islands, Bay of Plenty/Coromandel would surely be better places for such tours, with a higher success rate. About your island tour from AKL. On Rangitoto you can just walk up to the summit, and the view of AKL is not spectacular. Walking on other tracks are quite tiring as you walk on lava flows in direct sun. I always recommend a trip to Tiritiri Matangi which is a pest-free wildlife sanctuary, just more to see and do. From AKL Rangitoto is always in your sight, so you would not miss it at all. When in Devonport do not miss Takapuna Beach - and another great view of Rangitoto. You ask about Te Papa. I think half a day is good enough, and you will have seen most of it. It is not that huge. Motels have laundries, so you do not have to specifically search for an apartment in Rotorua. Just make sure the motel you are interested in has a laundry. The success rate should be about 90 per cent.

Just got back from NZ and Rotorua, I agree with the reply about the Sheep Shearing demo at the Agrodome being great. Just the Host's greeting to the crowd is a show in it's self. Take your video camera. Also spend some time in the Polynesian Spa, for20 NZ you can soak in 7 pools of varying tempetures from 37 to 42 degrees with a view of the Lake. You can rent swimsuits for4NZ a session.

Wow! You are all so helpful, what a great bunch of people. I bit the bullet and booked the airfares last night, otherwise I could see myself keep adding days - so we have 20 days there. Now I just need to fine tune the itinerary incorporating everyone's suggestions, which have been so helpful. Kakapo2 thanks for the heads up about Te Puia and Whakarewarewa. I'll be cutting one maybe both off the list possibly for Mt Tarawera, since both you and kiwi suggest it it must be worth a look. Similarly, I've decided to go to the Agrodome now - I love sheepdogs, so I think it would be worth it just for that. I completely overlooked Tongariro National Park, but it's sounding very appealing. I've just done a quick search on the Coromandel and at first glance this seems a must, will cut back a day in Wellington if needed as Alloverrover suggested. I'm also going to take another look at the Bay of Islands, I did dismiss it pretty quickly but it gets a mention a few times. I also realised I haven't included any jetboating. Theres one at Hukka Falls which looks ok. Does anyone know of one that hugs cliffs - hubbys idea of course :-) or is the Shotover jet in the South Island the only one that does that? To answer you kiwi - yes we do live in Australia, in the Northern Territory at the moment, so we fly into Sydney before connecting to Auckland. For a first trip overseas, it's still fairly close to home. I'm going to pre-book accommodation, then have the list of places in that area we want to visit, that way we can still be flexible especially if it rains. We can always cancel accommodation if we decide to stay longer in one place. I'll pre-book any tours/shows as well to ensure a seat. Thank you so much for being so friendly and helpful.

Great stuff. Yes it can get complicated trying to sort the itinerary and what to do and not to do. I agree with kakapo that perhaps you can drop the dolphin tour from Auckland. You have two opportunities to see dolphins, Bay of Islands (if you decide on that) and White Island. The Agrodome is very entertaining, and I live on a farm :-) OK so you are coming from NT, I hope you still plan to spend the first night in Auckland, so as to rest before driving. This is a big problem here with visitors getting off a long flight (or series of flights) and driving in a fatigued/jetlagged state. Quite dangerous. Adding Bay of Islands, Coromandel and Tongariro National Park, is a huge time draw, so you will need to do some juggling. If you are relatively fit, doing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing walk (complete day) is well worth it, but good weatherproof gear is needed as the weather can turn in a moment. The rocks are volcanic so good walking shoes needed, or even boots. I don't know of anywhere to do the cliffside jetboating in the North Island, yes that is the South Island you speak of. Huka jets, are a bit unique, as you actually wave ride from the wake of the falls. kinda cool.

As often with wildlife there is just an opportunity to see them. During our visits to Bay of Islands and White Island at least we didn't see any dolphins. If really interested in animals/seals you could make a detour to Palliser Bay (more or less nearby Wellington), where seals are resting along the (gravel) road. Tongariro National Park is a very scenic part of New Zealand. It is also possible to do some shorter walks, for instance from the Visitor Centre to the Tama Lakes and a water fall (would take a couple of hours). enjoy your trip Jaap

Coming from NT is is slightly possible that you may find Tongariro National Park a bit so-so. Check some pages on this site, which members have written, and view a few fotos, to see how you feel about it. I'm only saying this so you don't feel that you may well have spent the time better doing something else. I love Coromandel and sure do recommend it. Don't get me wrong, I love Tongariro as well, but realise not every one does.

1. Jaap, have you been on a proper dolphin watch tour where you did not see dolphins? 2. I do not know anybody who would not have been impressed by Tongariro National Park and those majestic volcanoes. 3. Yes, nothing like the Shotover Jet in the North Island.

OH don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Tongariro NP is not impressive. But you can see the volcanoes from State Highway 1 while driving south. To visit the NP is time consuming and you must spend time doing anything otherwise you are just going to stand in a desert like area, not too different to NT. Sounds like the member is already going to visit White Island and Mt Tarawera and Rangitoto, all volcanoes. Apart from walking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (which takes some preparation and gear carrying that not all travellers have) then I just think a visit to the park may be a big ask given the miles these people plan to cover. The Desert Road and views of the Volcanoes from the highway, are a great example of that area.

Ok, ok. However, I think at least they should drive around the T. National Park and get up closer to the volcanoes. They look a lot more impressive from the western approach. And even if they do not want to do the big hike they could still take the chairlift up Mt. Ruapehu for a splendid view. (Cannot recall any snow-covered volcanoes in the NT, and all those colours - but red rocks and red sand...) You are surely right with the lot of stuff those people want to do. But I think with good planning TNP should still be possible. Apart from that they first would need good weather - which is not guaranteed.

haha of course there are no volcanoes in NT. I was referring to the barren land, but really I don't think these volcanoes will be snow covered in Feb March :-) But I agree someone living in NT would really appreciate the bush and bays of Coromandel :-)

I enjoyed reading all the wonderful tips here shared here. It just made me realized that NZ is like Disneyland. Every corner is a wonderful surprise - you cannot go wrong with NZ. May be Tourism NZ can give me a free air ticket for promoting NZ.

Dolphins = luck on the day most of the time. We saw literally hundreds of them on our White Island trip and it is one of the fondest memories of my life. Spectacular!!

Absolutely right. The same happens on Whale Watch tours in Kaikoura where you sometimes see hundreds of dolphins and sometimes not a single one, and also on cruises in Fiordland. However, specific dolphin watch tours in Kaikoura, for example, are very successful.

I saw three whales in Kaikoura. When the tour started, the whale ship announcer mentioned that someone came three times and did not see any whales each time. You can refunded but ... I did suite up at 5am in the morning to go dolphin swimming but no luck. No dolphin sighted and we were refunded. I did later get to see dolphin at Bay of Islands but we could not swim because baby dolphin sighted. Apparently mother dolphin can be unpredictable ...

Yeah - wildlife does not stick to its appointments ;-) Regarding refunding, that also makes a difference. While you get real refunds in Kaikoura, for example, all you get in Auckland is a voucher in your name for another cruise. So you cannot even forward the voucher to other people. And which tourist has the chance to try twice? When I showed up the second time the weather was not good enough (sunshine but rough seas), so I ended up still having the voucher. I wonder if I will keep on trying...

You had mentioned the Seal Coast Safari in your itinerary. I have just been there and wanted to tell you that if you do it for seeing seals you might travel at the wrong time of the year. At the start of the track (off Island and Owhiro Bays) is a sign that says that seals are at Sinclair Head (that is the place where the tours are headed for) only from May to October. The scenery is fantastic though. But you can also drive to the carpark at the start of the track (which is suitable for 4WD vehicles only) and walk to Sinclair Head, it takes about 3 hours return. From downtown Wellington it is only a 20 to 25 min drive to the start of the track.