Where to go on Your First Visit to New Zealand: North Island
Following our previous blog about places to visit on the South Island when you first head to New Zealand, we’ll now turn our attention to the North Island.
There’s a friendly rivalry between both islands, with each calling their island “the mainland”. As you’ll discover, both have amazing attractions which are quite different from each other. In the North, your focus will be upon the beautiful sub-tropical region of the Bay of Islands, the Maori Heartland of Rotorua and the volcanoes of Tongariro National Park. Throw in the beaches of the Coromandel, the wine area of Hawkes Bay and the gardens of New Plymouth and you’re completely spoilt for choice on where to visit.
With time often at a premium, it’s often a case of compromise when it comes to the places you should visit, especially if you’re doing a New Zealand-wide trip. As tour operators, we take an overview of the relative merits or otherwise of each location.
If you’re sticking to the North Island, here are our top choices for places to visit on your first trip:
5 places to visit on your first trip to the North Island
Bay of Islands
Turquoise and clear blue waters, white sandy beaches and a laid-back holiday vibe – what’s not to like about the Bay of Islands?
From Auckland, head out across the Harbour Bridge on Highway 1 for a pleasant drive through to Warkworth or onwards to Whangerei. Both places are ideal coffee or lunch stops (café and restaurant suggestions can be found in the Silver Fern booklet contained in your travel pack). Continue to Paihia, which is the main gateway to the islands. Alternatively, take the ferry over to Russell, once named the “hellhole of the South Pacific” but today a small township with a vibrant community that caters for day trippers and tourists who come to enjoy the history and natural surroundings of the waterfront.
We usually suggest a minimum of three nights’ stay either in Russell or Paihia. This gives you time to visit the Waitangi Treaty House, where representatives of the British Crown signed an agreement with over 500 Maori chiefs. It is the founding document of modern New Zealand, and we always advise Silver Fern travellers to make this visit because it is a great introduction to the country, and it is so relevant to controversies over land ownership that make the headlines in the local and national newspapers.
The other activity we would recommend is a full or half-day trip out into the Pacific Ocean to see dolphins and other marine animals. These cruises are operated from Paihia and Russell by Fullers (a local company) and they offer the opportunity to stop on one of the islands for a swim or enjoy a bite to eat and drink from the on-site café. Other excursions to ninety-mile beach in the Far North, or cycle rides on the Twin Coast cycle trail, are also a possibility.
The Coromandel
From the Bay of Islands, you can head south and avoid re-entering Auckland, since the main highway avoids the city and continues to the turn off for this area of beaches, bays, small towns and villages that have their own distinct identities. You could drive around the whole peninsula, but a better idea is to cross to the East coast where the main settlements of Tairau and Whitianga can be found. Both offer easy access to the area’s two main attractions. These are Hot Water beach (where, as the name suggests, you’ll find sands with hot water bubbling through) and Cathedral Cove (a wonderful natural archway that frames a favourite beach of surf and pounding waves). There is a passenger ferry from Whitianga to Cooks beach, ideal in the summer for swimming, picnics and boating. And Whitianga also boasts several eating places that offer fresh seasonal menus.
Rotorua
As we always say, you’ll smell Rotorua before you even enter the town because of the geothermal activity under the surface. Some visitors liken it to the smell of rotten eggs, but that’s an exaggeration. You’ll soon acclimatise to the smells as you visit the many thermal attractions that surround the town. The first of these is likely to be the Te Puia Springs, five minutes’ drive from town and the site of the famous Pōhutu Geyser, along with mud pools, hot springs, and fumaroles. It also houses the Maori Arts and Crafts centre, where you can see young Maori craftsmen producing ornaments and carvings for displays and sale throughout the country.
Most visitors also attend one of the Maori cultural evenings, which are presented in different locations around the town. These kinds of performances have proliferated in recent years and are of a varied standard. The one we would recommend is staged in the nearby forest village of Tamaki. Here you will be greeted at a welcome ceremony (The Pōwhiri), followed by a Haka performance of songs and dances and concluding with a traditional hangi meal (all tastes, including vegetarian, are catered for)
Whether you join one of our Small Group Pure Discoveries tours or are travelling on a tailor-made holiday, you’ll have the chance to visit the nearby Waimangu Thermal valley. This valley was created by the explosion of the volcanic Mount Tarewa in 1886 which destroyed what were the White and Pink terraces, at the time, one of the wonders of the world, visited by many Victorian travellers. In their place a scenic natural valley was created, punctuated by different thermal features which you can see during an easy two-hour walk to Lake Rotomahana. Here you can take a boat trip across the lake to the “Buried Village” where you’ll find a museum which features exhibits and displays showcasing the story of one of New Zealand’s worst natural disasters.
If you are travelling from the Coromandel to Rotorua, you can stop en route at Hobbiton or it’s a one-hour drive from the town. When the movie set was first opened to the public in 2002, the attraction had 16,000 visitors; last year there were over 500,000 Lord of the Rings fans who toured the site. Since it is so popular, we always recommend pre-booking a visit, part of the service we offer to our independent travellers and included as an option for our Pure Discoveries clients.
Napier or Tongariro National Park
Yes, you can visit both, but if you look at your map it does require some backtracking via Lake Taupo. It’s usually a choice of the two W’s – walking or wine!
Tongariro National Park is dominated by three volcanoes, Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe and the area offers a range of walks from short trails to Taranaki Falls and Tama Lakes to the full day Tongariro Alpine crossing, described as the best one-day walk in New Zealand. For the latter, you do require a reasonable level of fitness and to get a weather forecast from the excellent Visitor Centre, where you can also arrange transport from or to the trailheads.
Napier is the Art Deco City of New Zealand. Having been hit by an earthquake in 1930, the city was rebuilt in the architecture of the day and there are many buildings that feature the Art Deco style. It’s well worth joining a volunteer guide for a guided walk of the town. These are half-day walks from the Visitor Centre commencing at 10 in the morning or 2 in the afternoon.
Every year, Napier also holds an Art Deco festival with cars of the era part of a drive-through celebration, with townsfolk and visitors dressed in historical costume. If you are planning to visit during festival time, it is important for you to book well ahead, since accommodation is in high demand.
Wellington
What better way to complete your North Island tour than with a stay in the Nation’s capital? Our selected hotels overlook Wellington Harbour and are in easy reach of the main attractions. Take the funicular to the top of Kelburn Heights and enjoy a walk down through the botanical gardens.
Stop if you like at the Rose Garden for morning or afternoon tea and continue by way of the overpass to the Beehive, Wellington’s parliament building. The road leads down to Lambton Quay, where you’ll find the main shopping district and plenty of restaurants that line the quayside. Further along, you’ll come to Te Papa, New Zealand’s National Museum that’s well worth a visit.
Other places to see are the Weta Caves, where you can view many of the props and costumes used by Peter Jackson in his films, and Zealandia, a sanctuary for native birds and wildlife just 10 minutes from the centre of Wellington.
Planning your perfect first trip to New Zealand
If you’re looking to take the holiday of a lifetime to a country that never fails to inspire awe, our team of experts can help you see the sights that matter most to you. We’ve lived in, worked in and truly experienced New Zealand, which gives us unique insight into everything it has to offer, so we can build holidays that tick all your boxes, however specific they are. Talk to us today to find out more.
