Places You Must Visit New Zealand North Island

New Zealand’s North Island is celebrated for its national parks, volcanic activity, and diverse cities. To make sure you do not miss out on everything the North Island has to offer, so make sure you add the below to your itinerary!

Visit Waitomo Caves

Under the rolling green hills of Waitomo lies a maze of sinkholes, caves, and underground rivers for you to explore. Translated from Maori words wai (meaning water) and tomo (hole), it is no surprise that what lies beneath the surface is otherworldly.

Visitors can take tours of the caves by foot or boat. However, for those who want to fully submerge themselves in the Waitomo Caves experience, you can abseil, crawl, swim, float and zip-line through the labyrinth of caves.

Hike the Pouakai Crossing

The 19-kilometer trail – Pouakai Crossing – meanders its way through the Egmont National Park. It is the perfect way to take in the highlights of the park, just make sure to have suitable footwear and plenty of water! The hike takes all day and will have you scaling the slopes of Mount Taranaki before descending towards the lakes.

Head to Cathedral Cove

Like something out of a romantic film, the limestone archway of Cathedral Cove leads out onto beautiful untouched beaches. All of Coromandel’s beaches are blessed with golden sands and unspoilt blue waters, perfect for a dip. The area is rich with coastal walks and many take to the ocean for a boat cruise.

Explore Middle-earth

Whether you’re a Lord of the Rings fan or not, you cannot visit New Zealand’s North Island without paying a visit to Hobbiton. Head to The Shire where the trilogy and subsequent Hobbit films were captured. You can tour the movie set, enjoy a pint at the Green Dragon Inn and enter the hobbit dwellings for the all-important photos.

Learn about Maori heritage

In Te Puia’s Whakarewarewa Valley is the town of Rotorua. It is famed for keeping Maori culture alive, with a living Maori village and Maori Arts and Crafts Institute helping people understand the people’s unique way of life. Visitors can get to grips with traditional skills such as wood carving and weaving.

The area is also rich with geothermal activity, with the giant Pohutu Geyers and countless bubbling mud pools.

Getting around North Island

One of the easiest ways to take in New Zealand’s North Island is by hiring a car. This means you won’t have to rely on public transport and can easily drive onto the ferry to continue exploring the South Island.

Car hire excess insurance New Zealand

Don’t forget, if you’re hiring a car, invest in car hire excess insurance. This means if something happens to your rental car you won’t be out of pocket, you will be able to claim the excess you payback too.