Guide to North Island

Auckland and Whangarei

The blend of islands, ancient rainforest, Polynesian culture, glistening harbours and modern city environment creates an enviable lifestyle ranked among the highest in the world. Adjacent to the spectacular Hauraki Gulf, which encompasses more than 50 islands, the city of Auckland provides visitors with many wonderful experiences unique to New Zealand. Within easy reach of downtown Auckland is Waiheke Island with fabulous beaches, Pacific Rim dining and wineries and an easy o­ne-hour walk to the summit of volcanic Rangitoto Island is rewarded with breathtaking views of the Hauraki Gulf and Auckland City skyline.

Coromandel

  The Coromandel Peninsula has long been o­ne of New Zealand's favourite holiday destinations and is o­nly 90 minutes drive east from Auckland Airport. Its location o­n the Pacific Coast Highway, spectacular coastline, beautiful beaches and thermal activity make the Coromandel a great stopover alternative to more direct routes heading south towards Rotorua.

Eastland

The Eastland region is renowned for its miles of untouched coastline but it is equally blessed with a stunning hinterland where wilderness lakes, mountain ranges, dense rainforests, tumbling rivers and rolling farmland. To the south of the region are Napier, Hastings and Hawke's Bay. Famed for being o­ne of the three major winemaking regions in New Zealand and the leading producer of finest quality red wines, Hawke’s Bay Wine Country is home to New Zealand’s oldest operational winery, first winery museum and over forty wineries - many of which offer tours and tastings.

Hawke's Bay

  On the east coast of North Island, Hawke's Bay boasts an idylic "Mediterranean" climate with long sunny summer days and mild winters - ideal for the many wineries and orchards in the region as well as the fabulous beaches. Hawke's Bay is in fact New Zealand's leading producer of reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon.
Napier and Hastings are the region's two principle cities and strangely little more than 12 miles apart. Napier however with its famous Art Deco architecture is very different to Hastings which is known for its wineries. Hawke's Bay is regarded as the start of the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail which finishes in the Marlborough region of South Island.

Northland

As its name implies, this region is the most northerly of North Island - a place where two oceans meet. The Twin Coast Discovery Highway is a world-class touring route which leaves from, and returns to, Auckland. A circular touring route, the experience is o­ne of contrast between the sophistication of Northland’s East Coast – including the Bay of Islands and Whangarei – and its West Coast forests, beaches and two of New Zealand’s most historic and interesting harbours – the Hokianga and Kaipara.

Rotorua and Lake Taupo

Located in the approximate centre of North Island, the region boasts amazing geothermal earth forces, forests, lakes and rivers. From the moment you arrive, the scent of sulphur tells you that Rotorua is different. Steam escapes from crevices in the ground, gardens bloom alongside bubbling craters and geysers shoot for the sky and in the region's villages, the tradition of guiding and sharing cultural heritage has been passed down through the generations. Also in this region is Lake Taupo, created by a volcanic eruption in 181 AD. At 616 square kilometres, it is as big as Singapore Island and the lake's attractive pumice sand beaches give it the appearance of an inland ocean.

Taranaki

  Mount Egmont, or Taranaki to give it its Maori name, is the iconic feature of this region in the south west corner of North Island. The snow capped 2500m peak above Taranaki's wild west coast dominates the area where, it is said, you can snow ski in the morning, water ski or surf in the afternoon and dine in the evening beside the Tasman Sea. New Plymouth is the major city.

Waikato

The Waikato region has two spectacular landscapes - o­ne above ground, the other below. In both cases, nature has been generous. o­n the lush surface, the scenery is green to the extreme. Fertile soils, reliable rainfall and kind temperatures have created a pastoral heaven. Below the surface, water has eroded the limestone to create huge sink holes and vast cave systems epitomised by the Waitomo Caves, where the natural beauty of stalactites and stalagmites lit by the blue light of glow worms is spell-binding.

Wellington and Wairarapa

The southern areas of the North Island are bisected by the Tararua and Rimutaka mountain ranges. To their east is rolling farmland and vineyards and to their west is the narrow strip of land that lies between the mountains and the sea. At the very foot of North Island lies New Zealand's second largest city and seat of Parliament, Wellington, and it is from here that the ferries ply across the scenic Cook Strait and Marlborough Sound to reach the South Island and Picton.

Island	City / Resort	Holiday Title	Type(s)
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Blenheim Auckland	New Zealand Highlighter Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N39	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland	Great New Zealand Experience Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N18	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Paihia Mount Cook Milford Sound Lake Tekapo Haast Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland Arthurs Pass	New Zealand Panorama Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N37	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Rotorua Queenstown Napier Mount Cook Milford Sound Lake Taupo Christchurch Auckland	Grand Encounter Multi-Centre Ref: N09	Multi-Centres
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Napier Mount Cook Milford Sound Kaikoura Invercargill Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland	Grand New Zealand Fly-Drive - N101	Fly-Drive
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Tongariro National Park Queenstown Dunedin Christchurch Auckland	New Zealand's Beautiful Gardens Self-Drive Tour Ref: N16	Gardens Fly-Drive
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Lake Taupo Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Auckland	Scenic Explorer Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N12	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Lake Tekapo Haast Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland Arthurs Pass	New Zealand Mosaic Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N38	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Kaikoura Invercargill Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Doubtful Sound Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland	Feathers and Flora Self-Drive Tour. Ref: N17	Wildlife Fly-Drive
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Auckland	Great Rail Experience Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N13	Rail Tours Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Rotorua Queenstown Paihia Napier Lake Tekapo Kaikoura Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland	Family Special New Zealand Self-Drive Tour Ref: N44	Family Holidays
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Milford Sound Invercargill Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Auckland	New Zealand Odyssey Multi-Centre Ref: N10	Multi-Centres
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland Arthurs Pass	Wonderland Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N20	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Franz Josef Glacier Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland	Spirit of New Zealand Small Group Adventures Tour Ref: N26	Escorted Tours Adventure
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Punakaiki Milford Sound Invercargill Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Auckland	Simply the Best Independent Coach Tour Ref: N52	Independent Coach Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Rotorua Queenstown Napier Mount Cook Milford Sound Lake Taupo Haast Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Auckland Arthurs Pass	Uniquely New Zealand Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N27	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Milford Sound Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland	Complete New Zealand Self-Drive Tour Ref N01	Wildlife Whale watching holidays Fly-Drive Airline Upgrades
North Island South Island	Te Anau Queenstown Punakaiki Mount Cook Milford Sound Invercargill Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Auckland	Simply South Independent Coach Tour Ref: N50	Independent Coach Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Rotorua Queenstown Paihia Napier Mount Cook Milford Sound Lake Tekapo Lake Taupo Haast Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland Arthurs Pass	New Zealand Wanderer Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N21	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Milford Sound Franz Josef Glacier Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland	Complete New Zealand Rail & Drive Tour Ref: N02	Rail and Drive
North Island South Island	Wellington Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Napier Milford Sound Lake Taupo Kaikoura Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland	Great New Zealand Independent Coach Tour Ref: N53	Independent Coach Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Rotorua Queenstown Napier Mount Cook Milford Sound Lake Tekapo Lake Taupo Haast Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Auckland Arthurs Pass	New Zealand Insight Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N24	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Rotorua Queenstown Napier Mount Cook Milford Sound Kaikoura Dunedin Christchurch Auckland	New Zealand North & South Independent Coach Tour Ref: N54	Independent Coach Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Napier Milford Sound Haast Greymouth Dunedin Christchurch Auckland Arthurs Pass	New Zealand Adventure Escorted Tour Ref: N25	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Paihia Milford Sound Kaikoura Invercargill Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland Arthurs Pass	World Rambler Multi-Centre Tour Ref: N100	Fly-Drive
North Island South Island	Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Invercargill Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands	Grand New Zealand Rail Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N40	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Tongariro National Park Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Paihia Napier Mount Cook Milford Sound Kaikoura Invercargill Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland	New Zealand Showcase Rail and Drive Tour. Ref: N15	Whale watching holidays Rail and Drive
North Island South Island	Wellington Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland Arthurs Pass	Grand New Zealand Rail Discovery Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N34	Rail Tours Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Greymouth Fox Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland Arthurs Pass	New Zealand Railways Rail-and-Drive Tour Ref: NZ100	Rail Tours Rail and Drive
North Island South Island	Wellington Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Napier Milford Sound Lake Taupo Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Auckland	Explore New Zealand Motor Roam Tour Ref: N22	Motorhome Holidays
North Island South Island	Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland	Grand New Zealand Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N36	Escorted Tours
North Island	Rotorua Lake Taupo Bay of Islands Auckland	North Island Wanderer Motor Roam Tour Ref: N23	Motorhome Holidays
North Island South Island	Wellington Rotorua Queenstown Napier Mount Cook Franz Josef Glacier Christchurch Auckland	New Zealand Panorama Multi-Centre Ref: N11	Multi-Centres
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Punakaiki Milford Sound Lake Taupo Kaikoura Invercargill Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland Arthurs Pass	Adventures Unlimited Fly-Drive Ref: NZ201	Fly-Drive Adventure
North Island South Island	Wellington Rotorua Queenstown Napier Kaikoura Greymouth Franz Josef Glacier Christchurch Auckland	Explore Hidden New Zealand by 4X4. Ref: N14	Fly-Drive Adventure
North Island South Island	Wellington Rotorua Paihia Napier Lake Taupo Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland	Northern Explorer Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N33	Escorted Tours
North Island	Auckland	Discover the World Multi-Centre Ref: D01	Multi-Centres
North Island	Tongariro National Park	Tongariro Trek Guided Walks Ref: N102	Adventure
North Island South Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Rotorua Queenstown Milford Sound Franz Josef Glacier Christchurch Auckland	New Zealand Discovery Rail and Drive Tour Ref: N05	Rail and Drive
North Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Rotorua Paihia Napier Bay of Islands Auckland	Northern Highlights Self Drive Tour Ref: N07	Fly-Drive
North Island	Wellington Waitomo Caves Rotorua Paihia Napier Bay of Islands Auckland	Northern Circle Self Drive Tour Ref: N06	Fly-Drive
North Island South Island	Wellington Rotorua Nelson Napier Christchurch Blenheim Auckland	Epicurean Delights Self Drive Tour Ref: N08	Fly-Drive
North Island South Island	Wellington Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Paihia Napier Mount Cook Milford Sound Lake Tekapo Lake Taupo Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Bay of Islands Auckland Arthurs Pass	Royal New Zealand Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N30	Escorted Tours
North Island South Island	Wellington Te Anau Rotorua Queenstown Mount Cook Milford Sound Lake Taupo Franz Josef Glacier Dunedin Christchurch Auckland	Scenic Highlighter Escorted Coach Tour Ref: N31	Escorted Tours