Nord Island New Zealand

When we planned our trip to the North Island, we thought about how we wanted to travel on the North Island. There are many different options: campervans, flights, Intercity, Kiwibus, car, etc.
Since we had limited time, we chose to fly and use Intercity buses.
On December 24th, we flew from Dunedin to Tauranga. This flight had a layover in Wellington.

On the first day in Tauranga, we hiked up Mount Mauganui, which offers a beautiful view of the entire city. The hike took us about 2 hours, so it was manageable. When we got back down, we treated ourselves to some delicious ice cream.
For Christmas Eve, we grilled delicious meat, prepared oven-baked potatoes and various salads. The food was really tasty and completely different from what we usually have on Christmas.

On December 25th, we drove to Raglan and spent the whole day relaxing on the beach. Even though the water was quite cold, we took a short swim to experience being in the ocean on Christmas.

The next day, we went to Rotorua. There, we visited Te Puia Park and saw the geysers and hot pools. The park also has a Kiwi House where we learned about Maori culture. The smell from the sulfur was a bit unpleasant at times. Next, we visited Wai-O-Tapu Park, which has more hot pools and the famous Champagne Pool. Both parks were very impressive, and it was interesting to learn about how geysers are formed.

On Fridays, we drove to Coromandel by car. First, we went to Hot Water Beach, where you can dig a small pit in the sand and hot water comes out. The water at times was very hot. There was also a regular beach where we could go swimming in the ocean. We found it fascinating how the water in the sea can be cold, but the water under the sand is hot.

In the afternoon, we visited Cathedral Cove. We checked beforehand when the water level was low so that we could walk through the cave on the beach. There's a public parking lot, and from there, a bus shuttle takes you to the start of the Cathedral Cove trail. It's about a 1-hour walk to the beach, and along the way, you already have an amazing view. The beach at Cathedral Cove is beautiful, and it's a great spot for swimming. This was one of our highlights on the North Island of New Zealand.

Then we continued to Auckland. We couldn't confirm the many opinions about the city being ugly; we felt very comfortable in Auckland and experienced a lot. We went to the Sky Tower, which is 328m high and offers a great view. Of course, it's even more beautiful when the weather is good! We also explored the city, went to Mount Eden, where you have a perfect view of Auckland's skyline, and took a ferry ride to Devonport. Devonport is a charming little town with a nice beach.

In the evenings, there are many good options in Auckland to go out and party, whether it's a club or a bar.

From Auckland, we also took a day trip to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. In the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, you can see millions of glowworms. Simply breathtaking! During a guided tour, you first go through a limestone cave and then see the glowworms. At the end, there's a boat ride through the dark caves where you can see all the glowworms.

On another day, we took the Intercity bus to Paihia, in the Bay of Islands. It feels like a vacation there with its beautiful beach, palm trees, and turquoise water. Paihia is a cute little town, and from there, we took a boat tour and had the opportunity to snorkel or go stand-up paddling. We highly recommend taking a boat tour there.

We spent New Year's Eve back in Auckland and watched the fireworks at the Sky Tower. After that, we went out to celebrate.

We spent the next 2 days in Wellington. We flew from Auckland to Wellington. In Wellington, we visited the Te Papa Museum, walked through the Cuba Street, explored the city, visited the Parliament Building, went to Mount Victoria, and took a ride on the Cable Car. We highly recommend doing all of these things. From the top of the Cable Car, you have a beautiful view of the whole city.

From Wellington, we flew to Nelson to visit Abel Tasman National Park. This was definitely another highlight of our trip! The turquoise blue water, beautiful beaches, and green trees were simply stunning. We booked a tour there, which included a morning boat trip and hiking, and an afternoon of kayaking. It was a very enjoyable day exploring Abel Tasman National Park. It's definitely a must-do in New Zealand!

From Nelson, we traveled back to Dunedin.