North Island New Zealand

North Island: The New Zealand the South Gets Credit For

Travel writing about New Zealand defaults to the South Island. The fiords, the glaciers, the alpine scenery – Queenstown, Milford Sound, Aoraki. The North Island is where 78 percent of the country’s population lives, where most of the Maori cultural history is concentrated, where the geothermal activity runs along the entire spine of the island, and where the wine is better. It gets less attention than it deserves, and a sensible New Zealand trip gives it equal time rather than treating it as an Auckland airport transit.

A logical route runs north to south from Auckland to Wellington, with Rotorua and Tongariro as the two non-negotiable inland stops.

Auckland

Auckland sits on an isthmus between two harbours and contains 53 dormant volcanoes within city limits, which is a detail about the local geology that most visitors understand only intellectually until they realise the hills they have been walking are the cones. The city has a functional public transport system, a restaurant scene that reflects the Pacific region, and a waterfront that is better than most.

Waiheke Island, 35 minutes by ferry from the downtown Quay Street terminal, is the most accessible day trip from Auckland and one of the better wine experiences in the country. Around 30 wineries produce Bordeaux-style reds on the island; Stonyridge and Mudbrick are the most celebrated. Ferry tickets run around NZD 40 return.

The Waitakere Ranges west of the city are volcanic hills covered in native kauri forest with day walking tracks. Piha Beach below the ranges is the classic Auckland surf beach: black iron sand, powerful surf, the Lion Rock headland. The surf is real. Swim between the flags.

Rotorua

Rotorua sits on the Taupo Volcanic Zone and the geothermal activity is not a managed spectacle – it is the geology of the place running continuously. The smell of hydrogen sulphide is present throughout the city. Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, 27 kilometres south, is the best commercial geothermal park: the Champagne Pool (a 65-metre hot spring at 74 degrees Celsius, formed by a hydrothermal eruption about 700 years ago), the Lady Knox Geyser (induced to erupt daily at 10:15am by adding surfactant to the vent – informative about the geology, anticlimactic as a spectacle), and a range of coloured mineral pools and terraces. Entry NZD 44.

For Maori cultural context that goes beyond a performance dinner, the Te Ara Ahi Heritage Trail connects significant Maori sites with the geothermal landscape, working from the understanding that the two are not separate in Maori knowledge of this place. Guided tours with Maori guides are available from several operators and are substantially more informative than self-guided visits.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

A 19.4-kilometre day walk across an active volcanic plateau, taking 6 to 8 hours in reasonable weather. The route crosses the Mount Tongariro crater complex, passes the South and Central Craters, and has views of Mount Ngauruhoe – which stood in for Mount Doom in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films. You are asked not to climb Ngauruhoe; it is tapu for the local iwi and this request should be respected without requiring persuasion.

The crossing is only viable in good conditions; the alpine environment is exposed and weather changes quickly. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing Visitor Centre in Turangi issues daily conditions reports. Do the crossing on a good day rather than a marginal one. The National Park village has several lodges and backpackers near the shuttle pickup. The Chateau Tongariro at Whakapapa village is the grand 1929 option, renovated and currently functioning as the upscale area accommodation.

Waitomo Caves

Bioluminescent glowworms (Arachnocampa luminosa, a species endemic to New Zealand and Australia) cover the ceilings of the Waitomo cave system. The standard boat tour floats in silence through the Glowworm Grotto looking up at blue-green bioluminescence. Blackwater rafting – floating through cave passages on an inner tube – is the more active version. Both depart from Waitomo village; standard cave tour around NZD 55.

Wellington

The capital is compact (population around 215,000), consistently rated among the world’s most liveable cities, and has a food and coffee culture that punches above its size. Cuba Street is the main eating and drinking street. Te Papa Tongarewa national museum is free and covers New Zealand natural history, Pacific cultures, and art in a building that extends over the harbour edge. Wellington’s notorious crosswind airport landings have their own reputation; they are not always the entertaining drama advertised, but sometimes they are.