New Zealand – North Island

New Zealand is said to have so many breathtaking views and amazing landscapes (not to forget the Shire). In this February (late summer) I finally had the chance to experience it. I’ve been dreaming of visiting New Zealand for 2 years now.. This time it was a sudden decision, but totally worth it.

I spent 10 days in total in New Zealand in both North and South islands. In North island I used public transport for most of my travels, and in South island rented a car.

Hope you will find some inspiration here when planning your trip to NZ.

Day 1: I arrived in Auckland early in the morning.

Luckily one of my friends came to pick me up from the airport and drove me to Mt.Eden. It was such a beautiful sight!

After breakfast they took me to Shakespear Regional Park, which is situated North of Auckland.

Day 2: Rangitoto Island

In the morning I took a ferry to Rangitoto Island. (Tip: the early morning ferry ride is cheap, but the return ferries start after 12noon). If you want to take the 4WD road train in the island rather than walking to the summit please book in advance. They get sold out quickly. Make sure to take food and water with you as there are no shops in the island. Also in some days there might not be any toilets in the island too. So keep that in mind.

It’s like a 1 hour walk to the summit in the shortest path, but once you reach the top it will blow your mind away. The view was amazing.

Day 3: To Rotorua via Hobbiton and Waimoto caves (glow worm cave)

Anyone who has watched The lord of the rings movies dream about visiting Shire (Middle earth). And today was my day!

I took a tour from Intercity bus company to visit both Hobbiton and Waimoto caves starting from Auckland and returning to Rotorua, which is my next stop.

(The guided tours in Hobbiton are fairly rushed. So to take photos and listen to what those amazing guides say at the same time can be bit tough 😉 )

Unfortunately I don’t have any photos from Glove worm caves as we were asked not to take any photographs inside the caves.

Day 4 : Walking in and around Rotorua.. and leave to Taupo

Roturua is a small beautiful city with a lake. It is known for bubbling mud pools, shooting geysers, natural hot springs and fascinating Maori culture. The moment you step into Rotorua you can smell the sulphur 😀 But after a while you will get used to it.

Right at the corner of the city in Kuirau Park, you can witness natural geothermal activities for free. Bubbling mud pools and steam can be seen everywhere.

Government gardens, Polynesian spa and the beautiful building of the Rotorua museum is few more places that anyone should visit.

Later that day I travelled to Taupo.

Huka falls is a major attraction in Taupo. (Tip: Just keep in mind that a bus goes to Huka falls from Taupo city only twice a day. Unless you wanna walk 5km to reach the city please check the time table beforehand)

Day 5: More walking in Taupo and heading to Wellington.

After walking near the Taupo lake I took the bus heading to Wellington. The bus takes roughly 6 hours to reach Wellington from Taupo. These are double decker buses, but no toilets inside. They do stop over few times on the way.

Day 6: Wellington

Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, sits near the North Island’s southernmost point on the Cook Strait. A compact city, it encompasses a waterfront promenade, sandy beaches, a working harbour and colourful timber houses on surrounding hills. From Lambton Quay, the iconic red Wellington Cable Car heads to the Wellington Botanic Gardens. I had a whole day to explore Wellington on foot before I take a flight to Christchurch in the evening.

So I started off with heading to Lambton Quay to catch the cable car.