New Zealand had always been a country we wanted to visit and we recently spent a little over a month on the North Island of New Zealand. We have had many people ask us why we are not going to the South Island of New Zealand. For as much as we would’ve liked to, we just didn’t have the time!

Several months ago, we purchased our tickets out of Auckland to Singapore and, at the time, thought a month was enough to explore the whole country. Then, we secured 2 amazing home exchanges and started reading more about New Zealand and decided that rushing through both islands in one month was just not an option. We decided stick to the North island this time and, some other day, come back to properly explore the South Island!

I can now say that we made the right decision! The North island was amazing and we actually wished we had even more time to explore it.

Our 2 home exchanges were for 9 nights on Waiheke Island (you can read more of that experience here) and 10 nights in Whiritoa, a beach town on Coromandel Peninsula. The remaining 12 days we did a road trip and stayed an average 3 nights in places. We rented a car for the whole duration of our trip (after our weekend in Auckland).

Here are the stops of our road trip at the North Island of New Zealand:

• Auckland: 3 nights. With a day trip to Piha Beach, the black sand beach that is world renowned for its surfing.

• Waiheke Island: 9 nights. More information on this portion of our trip written by Josefine

• Whiritoa: 10 nights

• Rotorua: 1 night

• Napier: 3 nights

• Lake Taupo: 3 nights

• Hamilton: 1 night

• Whangarei: 4 nights

• Auckland: 1 night. For an early flight!

Here are some of the highlights, by category, of our road trip:

Food:

-The most delicious oysters we have ever had at Coromandel Oyster Company.

-Amazing beer at Alibi Brewing Company (Waiheke Island), Mount Brewing Company (Tauranga), Hot water brewery (Coromandel, near Haihei) and Good George (Hamilton). To be fair, just like in Australia, pretty much all breweries we visited had great craft beer!

-Fresh fruit in Napier: there are many fruit stands along the road leading to Napier and they had amazing fresh fruit that were juicy, sweet and cheap!

-Savory Pies: these are available in grocery stores, bakeries and cafes. It’s a quick and easy meal, they are everywhere and have many flavors for all tastes. Our favorites were the butter chicken, steak & mushroom and egg & bacon. Madeline loved the pie with the mashed potato top! Sausage rolls were also a favorite for the kids!

-Delicious wines. New Zealand is well known for their amazing wines. We were able to go to some of the famous regions and try out their amazing wines. As for the wineries we visited, these were our favorites: Man O’War vineyards (Waiheke Island), Church Road vineyard (Napier) and Alpha Domus Vineyard (Hastings)

Kids activities:

-Horse back riding (Korohe Horse treks, Turangi): after we went hiking at Tongariro National Park (more information below), we stopped in the town of Turangi. I had found a stable that offered different types of rides (based on the experience/comfort level of the rider). Josefine did a 1 hour ride in the enchanted forest and Madeline did a 30 min ride. This was the first time for Madeline and she could’ve easily done the longer ride. The guides were amazing and the girls LOVED it! We highly recommend Korohe Horse treks.

-Redwoods tree walk (Rotorua): We had a quick overnight stop in Rotorua. It is a cute town and known for their hot springs. (Yes, it does smell like rotten eggs!) Which were amazing and interesting, however we were also intrigued by the Redwood forest. In the US, we have been to Sequoia National Park and have seen the Californian Redwoods and wanted to check out their New Zealand cousins. The forest is well organized and provide detailed maps and indicators for the different trails available (hiking, biking and horse back riding). This is all free. We saw the tree walk and the kids wanted to go up! This part is paid but we had a blast and highly recommend it. It compromises 23 suspension bridges that take you in a loop throughout the tops of the 100+ year old trees. They have informative signs throughout the walk and we spent over an hour exploring! They also have a night walk available.

-Airplane McDonalds (Taupo): We stumbled upon this McDonalds on our way out of Taupo. We had not been into a McDonalds during this world trip but this one was a necessary stop. As it was before 10am, we ended up having a coffee and some muffins at the McCafe. The plane is a Douglas DC3 from 1943. You can actually have your meal inside of it. It also has a big play area before entering the plane. A big hit with the kids (I am glad we discovered it on our way out, otherwise we might have had a couple more meals there….)

-Ski diving (Tandem Skydiving, Taupo): When we were in Auckland, we saw many people jump from the Sky Tower (Skyjump Skywalk) and Kaio was mesmerized and asked to jump. We were a bit surprised and said he should think it through and if he really wanted to, we would make it happen! We left Auckland and didn’t get the chance to do it there, but he then asked if he could go skydiving. So, I started doing some research and found that Taupo is known for it’s skydiving (the scenery is beautiful and they have 2 reputable companies). So, Jason and Kaio went skydiving!! I am so proud of Kaio’s courage! I skydived before but I can honestly say I was more nervous then he was. The views, the professionalism, the pick up with the convertible limo and the adrenaline rush….. It was an amazing experience and they LOVED it.

-Hot water beach (Coromandel Peninsula): After hiking to the gorgeous Cathedral Cove (more info below), we went to the Hot water beach, which is just a 15 min drive away from Haihei. It is important to look up the low tide at the Hot water beach as the hot water ‘pools’ are only accessible 2 - 3 hours before and after the low tide. We arrived 4 hours before, had some lunch overlooking the beach and we slowly saw heaps of people arriving. From the car park, as you walk to the beach, look to your left and about 200 yards you will see a cluster of rocks in the ocean, the stretch from those rocks towards the vegetation is where the digging is the best! We started at one area where the water coming from the sand was cold, however just a couple of feet away, we ‘hit’ a warm stream of water. The key is to find the right balance as some of the water is near boiling point and too hot. Soon, the place was packed and many people digging and enjoying their man made hot tubs. If you arrive later, you can enjoy many of the ‘abandoned’ pools. The kids loved the digging and enjoyed the warm water while also going to cool off in the nearby ocean.

-Monster Scooters (HeadsUp Adventure, Whangarei): We stayed a couple of miles from this place and we were intrigued by the leaflets we saw around tow. And, if you check it out on Google maps, the tracks seemed fun!! On our last day, we checked out of our Airbnb and were heading to Auckland for a night at a hotel near the airport. We thought a bit of an adventure on our last full day was necessary!!! We were not disappointed. You can do as many tracks you would like and pay per person, per track. Kaio and Josefine were able to go down on their own scooter, while Madeline had to ride with one of us. (She still had a blast) We did 2 tracks and wished we had time to do more. The service is friendly, the course is gorgeous as it winds down a hill through forests and they bus you back up to the top of the hill. They also have many mountain bike tracks, a cafe and amazing views from the region. You can easily plan to spend the entire day here.

Hikes (with kids):

-Mount Manguanui (Tauranga): Tauranga itself is a fun city to explore, we walked around the streets near the mount Mangunui and stopped for ice cream and happy hour at Mount Brewing Company. However the major attraction was hiking up Mount Manguanui. There are many paths that lead to the top (which is around 3 miles, round trip) or you can just walk around the base of the mount, which also allows for a gorgeous hike. We hiked up and the views throughout the hike and the top are spectacular. We also got 2 extra ‘treats’ on the hike: watching wild dolphins playing in the nearby ocean and seeing paragliders jump from the top of the mount. Stop for an ice cream at the end of your hike at Copenhagen Cones!

-Karangahake gorge (Waihi): This was near Whiritoa beach and a must if you are in the area. There are many paths in the park, from 1km to many miles. We wanted to see the 1km long train tunnel. This was a tunnel constructed during the gold rush in the early 1900’s and now is a well-paved path for hikers and bikers. This is an easy hike and around 2.5 miles round trip from the parking lot. We added an additional loop to our hike to check out the gold mine caves. These were very interesting and it’s recommended you bring a flashlight if you would like to go further into them. They have good signs, information and pictures from the gold mining history of the region. At the end (and start) of the hike, by the river, you can cool off and enjoy the cool waters of the Ohinemuri river.

-Cathedral Cove (Haihei): this is also a must hike! The hike is around 5.5miles round trip. However many people hike to the cove and take a water taxi/bus back. Which normally departs every 20mins. Another option is to do it the other way around: first taxi from Hahei beach to the cove or take the taxi both ways. You can also rent kayaks at Hahei beach. We hiked both ways. The path is well paved and you can stop at some other smaller beaches on the way (stingray beach or Gemstone bay). It was busy, but breathtaking and the kids enjoyed the many stops to dip in the ocean. Due to the limited parking, it is advised to park at the parking lot in the beginning of the town, which is free of charge and only 300 yards from the start of the hike.

-Huka Falls (Taupo): you can easily drive up to the parking lot right next to the Huka Falls (Off Huka Falls Road) to see the spectacular and powerful rush of turquoise blue water, or, what we did, enjoy a hike to get there! We parked our car at the start to the Huka Falls walkway (off Spa Road, near Taupo Bungy jumping) and hiked to the falls. This hike is easy to moderate difficulty but the path is well maintained and mostly shaded. It’s a 6 mile round trip to the falls. At the end (or start) you can take a dip in the Spa Park Hot Pools. There is also a cafe for snacks and drinks.

-Taranaki Falls (Tongariro National Park): We drove 1 hour from Taupo to get to Whakapapa Visitor Center. The center is very informative and includes an interesting display of the volcano eruptions throughout the years and local wildlife. There are many hiking paths with good maps and helpful staff to help you decide. We opted for the hike to the Taranaki falls. This is a loop and you can start in either direction. The path is well maintained, not very busy and passes through many gorgeous forests and fields with flowers. The falls are impressive and allows for beautiful scenic pictures. The loops takes you to the bottom and the top of the falls. It is higher in elevation, so be prepared for some colder temperatures. Unfortunately, the day we went, it was overcast and we couldn’t see the views from Mt Ngauhuroe and Mt Ruapehu. But the scenery was beautiful. After the hike we drove up to Iwikau Village at Whakapapa, which is a ski village in the winter (the largest in NZ). You can take a gondola up to the top, but as it was overcast, we decided to head back home (it was also very cold!)

-Matiatia bay hike (Waiheke Island): during our 10 days on Waiheke island we found several interesting hikes and running paths. Matiatia bay hike was one of our favorites due to the views. You start off near the Matiatia terminal (where the pedestrian ferry arrives and departs to Auckland). The 4 mile hike we did can be shortened or lengthened as the path has many starting and finish points. Maps are available throughout the path. It is a well paved trail which allows for gorgeous views of Auckland and passes by many of the gorgeous mansions on this part of the island. There are many beaches that are perfect for a refreshing dive! For running, we loved Whakanewha regional park on Waiheke island. The trails are beautiful and perfect for any distance running or hiking. You can go for an easy 3 mile run or choose to extend it to 10+miles with 800+ft elevation gain. There are maps to help plan your route.

-Whangarei Falls (Whangarei): Whangarei is near the bay of islands in the northern part of the north island. This hike was an easy. This is another hike that you can extend or shorten depending on your ability or time. We hiked from the parking lot at Whangarei Falls to AH Reed memorial park. This roundtrip was around 3.5 miles and fairly flat. You can take the path all the way to Town Basin Marina through Mair park (this would be a 9mile loop).

We loved our month in New Zealand: the nature, views, friendly people, delicious food & drinks, entertainment, activities and overall daily life. We can’t wait to come back and explore the southern island. Perhaps next time we will rent an RV, which seems to be a popular way of experiencing the country as well!