One of the hardest parts about traveling to a place with a limited amount of time is figuring out how to spend your time. Everyone has a different view on vacation “modes”. Some like to just sit on the beach and some like adventure. If you are traveling to a place like New Zealand, you probably want to see as much as you can and most likely are restricted with time.
I was in New Zealand in January for 16 days and traveled both the North and South Island. Below are my tips for traveling the North Island in less than a week. I will also write up my experience in the South Island in a separate post.
NORTH VS. SOUTH ISLAND
The biggest question people ask is which island should I spend most of my time. It really depends on what you want to see and what you want to do. Here are my thoughts:
- North Island: More populated of the two islands. Spend your time here if you like urban environments, populated beaches, and a wider range of lodging options.
- South Island: Off the beaten path. Spend your time here if you like nature, beautiful landscapes, more mountains, scenic drives, less people and if you don’t mind more rustic lodging options.
Personally, I chose to spend more time in the South Island because I love stunning vistas and breathtaking drives.
NORTH ISLAND 6-DAY ITINERARY
- DAY 1-2: Auckland. Most likely you will fly into Auckland. Spend a day in the city and possibly a day at some of the nearby beaches on either coast. Orewa Beach on the east coast and Muriwai Beach (Maori Bay) on the west coast. You could actually do them both in a day since its only about an hour drive between each.
- Option: Skip the Auckland area and drive up to Bay of Islands (3-4 hours from Auckland) for undeveloped beaches and untouched beauty.
- DAY 3-4: Coromandel. Tairua and Hahei are both great towns to spend a couple days. Both towns are close to the Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove. I would recommend a Cathedral Cove boat tour with Hahei Explorer. Pick the earliest cruise time as the water is the most calm and is the most ideal for wildlife viewing.
- DAY 4-5: Rotorua. Visit the Polynesian Spa (geothermal pools) for a relaxing afternoon or take a walk/hike through the giant Redwoods in the Whakarewarewa Forest.
- Option: Skip Rotorua and continue down to Napier along Hawke Bay. Beautiful wine country, however this will be quite a long drive. But you can continue on to Wellington and either fly from there or take the ferry to the South Island.
- DAY 5-6: Waitomo. Take a glowworm tour with Spellbound Glowworm and Cave Tours and be sure to make the 1-hour spectacular loop hike at the Raukuri Bushwalk before heading back to Auckland.
RENT A CAR
New Zealand does not have great public transportation to travel between the tourist spots. I would recommend renting a car during your visit to give you the most flexibility. However you will quickly find that car rentals in New Zealand can be extremely expensive. To get a great car at much cheaper prices, take a look at renting from YourDrive, which is like the AirBNB for autos. You rent directly from the owner and most foreign driver’s licenses are acceptable to drive in New Zealand. It is much cheaper than renting from the major car rental companies. One of the downsides is that you have to return the car to the same place you picked it up. They do not do one way rentals since it is owned by an individual.
ONE-WAY CAR (REPOSITIONING) RENTALS
Since many people travel to New Zealand and want to travel to both islands (crossing via ferry), one-way auto rentals are popular but can be very expensive. However, this creates an opportunity for travelers since the car rental companies end up with too many cars in one place. Sites like TransferCar offer opportunities for travelers to reposition cars for rental companies for a very discounted price. If you have some flexibility and are ok with going the opposite direction as most travelers to reposition the car, then this could be a great, inexpensive option for you.
DRIVING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD
Yes, the idea of driving on the other side of the road that you are used to driving on can seem daunting. And it sort of is daunting when you sit down behind the wheel and everything in the car is opposite that you are used to. The seatbelt, the turn signal, windshield wipers, gear stick, and of course the steering wheel are all reverse to what you are accustomed. Turning across traffic and roundabouts can mess with your mind. Turning can be extremely dangerous if you are used to looking one way when turning across traffic. Just be sure to take it slow and look both ways a couple times before going. After several hours, I got used to driving and it became natural.
HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE NORTH ISLAND?
I would love to hear your advice on traveling the North Island. Add a comment below!
