New Zealand North Island: Bay of Islands, Rotorua and Wellington

1. Day 1: Arrive in Auckland

   Auckland Airport to your hotel in central Auckland

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Auckland
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Auckland Airport (AKL) by early afternoon. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the half-hour drive into the city, where we stay one night close to the waterfront. Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau in Māori, sits on a narrow neck of land between two harbours, the Waitematā to the east and the Manukau to the west, with around fifty volcanic cones scattered across the city. In the late afternoon your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week: what the boat day needs, how the flight and the train fit in, and what to pack for the geothermal valleys. Then we walk along the harbour from the ferry terminal to the Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter as the light goes, and sit down together to a welcome dinner. If you land early, the afternoon is yours: the Auckland War Memorial Museum in the Domain, or the short climb up Maungawhau (Mount Eden) for the view.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Auckland Airport (AKL)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Evening walk along the harbour to the Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the late-afternoon briefing

   Activity: Arrive by early afternoon to reach the briefing; we confirm the time with your final itinerary.

   

2. Day 2: North to the Bay of Islands and Waitangi

   Auckland to Whangārei Falls, then Paihia and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Paihia
   Day 2 details

   We leave Auckland after breakfast, around 8 am, ahead of the worst of the traffic, and drive north on State Highway 1 over the Harbour Bridge and through farmland and forested hills. About two hours on, we stop at Whangārei Falls, where the Hātea River drops about 26 metres over a basalt lip into a pool, and walk the short loop to the base. Lunch is in Whangārei at a café of your choice, at your own cost. Another hour brings us to Paihia, a small town on the shore of the Bay of Islands, our base for two nights. In the mid-afternoon, when the morning coach groups have gone, we cross the bridge to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. A local guide walks us through the grounds: the Treaty House, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840, Te Whare Rūnanga, the carved meeting house, and Ngātokimatawhaorua, a ceremonial war canoe hauled to the water each Waitangi Day. A cultural performance follows, and there is time for the museum. The evening is free in Paihia.

   Included

   • Short walk at Whangārei Falls
   • Waitangi Treaty Grounds with a local guide: the Treaty House, Te Whare Rūnanga and the waka Ngātokimatawhaorua
   • Cultural performance and the Waitangi museums

   Free time: Evening free in Paihia

   Activity: About 3 hours on the road with a mid-morning stop and lunch; about 2 hours on foot at Waitangi.

3. Day 3: A boat day on the Bay of Islands

   Paihia to the Hole in the Rock and Urupukapuka Island, then Russell

   • By boat
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Paihia
   Day 3 details

   The bay holds about 144 islands, and today we see them from the water. We board in Paihia in the morning and head out past the islands to Cape Brett and Motukōkako, the Hole in the Rock, an island pierced by a tunnel that boats pass through when the sea is calm. Bottlenose and common dolphins are often seen on the way, though never promised, and swimming with them is no longer allowed in the bay. On the way back we stop on Urupukapuka Island for a walk up to a ridge with views over the outer islands, or a swim at Otehei Bay in summer. The boat drops us in Russell, Kororāreka, once a whaling port and the first European settlement in New Zealand, for a sit-down lunch on the waterfront. Afterwards walk to Christ Church, built in 1836 and still marked by musket balls, or up Flagstaff Hill. Regular passenger ferries run back to Paihia, so come back when you like.

   Included

   • Bay of Islands cruise to the Hole in the Rock at Cape Brett
   • Stop on Urupukapuka Island
   • Sit-down lunch in Russell
   • Passenger ferry from Russell to Paihia

   Easier option: Stay on the beach at Otehei Bay during the Urupukapuka stop, and take an early ferry back to Paihia after lunch.

   More active option: Walk the Flagstaff Hill (Maiki) track above Russell, about 1 hour return with a steady climb, for the view over the whole bay.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: The passage through the Hole in the Rock depends on the sea; in a big swell the boat goes around instead, and in winter the cruise can be cancelled for weather, in which case we take a shorter harbour trip.

4. Day 4: Fly south, then Hobbiton and Rotorua

   Paihia to Kerikeri Airport, flight to Auckland, then Hobbiton and Rotorua

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Rotorua
   Day 4 details

   Paihia to Rotorua is more than six hours by road, so we fly the long part. This is the longest day of the trip. We leave the hotel around 7:30 am, depending on the flight, for the half hour to Kerikeri's small airport for a morning flight of about 45 minutes to Auckland, with the Bay of Islands below on take-off. Our van and driver meet us at Auckland Airport, and we drive about two hours south into the green dairy country of the Waikato, past Hamilton to the farm near Matamata that holds the Hobbiton Movie Set. Lunch is first, at the set's café. Then a local guide walks the group through the Shire for about two hours: the hobbit holes cut into the hillside, Bag End above them, the mill and double-arched bridge, and a drink at the Green Dragon Inn at the end. It is about an hour on to Rotorua, where we arrive around 5 pm and stay two nights. The evening is free; Kuirau Park, a free public park of steaming pools and mud, is a short walk from the centre.

   Included

   • Flight from Kerikeri (KKE) to Auckland (AKL)
   • Lunch at the Hobbiton Movie Set
   • Guided Hobbiton Movie Set tour with a drink at the Green Dragon Inn

   Free time: Evening free in Rotorua

   Activity: A full day: an early start, a flight of about 45 minutes, about 3 hours in the van in total and about 2 hours on foot at Hobbiton on gravel paths with a few gentle slopes.

   

5. Day 5: Waimangu Volcanic Valley and a Māori evening

   Rotorua to Waimangu Volcanic Valley and back, then a Māori-hosted evening

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Rotorua
   Day 5 details

   Waimangu is a young geothermal valley, created when Mount Tarawera erupted on 10 June 1886 and buried the villages and the Pink and White Terraces around Lake Rotomahana. We drive the 25 km south in the morning and walk down the valley with your guide, about 4 km on a sealed and gravel path that runs mostly downhill: past Frying Pan Lake, which steams across its whole surface, the pale blue Inferno Crater lake, whose water rises and falls on a regular cycle, and the warm stream lined with orange and green algae. A shuttle bus waits at the stops and brings us back up from the lake. The afternoon is free in Rotorua. In the evening we are hosted at a Māori village near the city: a welcome, songs, haka and stories of the people of this place, then a hāngī dinner of meat and vegetables cooked for hours in an earth oven.

   Included

   • Waimangu Volcanic Valley walk with your guide
   • Māori-hosted evening with a welcome, cultural performance and haka
   • Hāngī dinner

   Optional experiences

   • Polynesian Spa hot pools
   • Redwoods Treewalk in Whakarewarewa Forest
   • Te Puia and the Pōhutu geyser

   Easier option: Ride the valley shuttle between the stops and walk only the short sections around Frying Pan Lake and Inferno Crater.

   More active option: In the free afternoon, walk or hire a bike in the Whakarewarewa Forest redwoods on its marked trails.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Rotorua

   Activity: About 4 km at Waimangu, mostly downhill, with the shuttle available.

6. Day 6: Taupō and Tongariro, then the train south

   Rotorua to Craters of the Moon, Huka Falls and Taupō, then National Park and the Northern Explorer to Wellington

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Wellington
   Day 6 details

   Rotorua to Wellington is close to six hours by road, so we drive the first part and take the train for the rest. We leave around 7:30 am to reach Craters of the Moon, just north of Taupō, at opening: a boardwalk loop of about 45 minutes through steaming vents and craters that appeared in the 1950s after the nearby power station lowered the water table. Five minutes away, the Waikato River squeezes through a narrow gorge at Huka Falls in a rush of blue-white water. After a stop on the Taupō lakefront, we drive along the shore and up through Tongariro National Park, the first national park in New Zealand and a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its volcanoes and for its meaning to Ngāti Tūwharetoa. On a clear day Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu stand above the road. After lunch in National Park village, we board the Northern Explorer for about five hours south over the plateau's tall viaducts, reaching Wellington in the early evening.

   Included

   • Craters of the Moon geothermal walk
   • Huka Falls
   • Taupō lakefront
   • The drive through Tongariro National Park
   • Lunch in National Park village
   • Northern Explorer train from National Park to Wellington

   Activity: The train runs south on set days, so departure dates are chosen to match it. The van drives to Wellington empty the same day and carries your main bags, so you only need a day bag on the train.

   

7. Day 7: Zealandia, Te Papa and the capital

   Wellington: Zealandia, Te Papa and the waterfront

   • Drive about 15 min
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Wellington
   Day 7 details

   We leave the hotel around 8:45 am to be at Zealandia, Te Māra a Tāne, when it opens. The sanctuary is a valley in the hills above the city, ringed by a predator-proof fence, where native forest is growing back and birds that had vanished from the mainland now live again: tūī and kākā overhead, takahē on the lawns, and with luck a tuatara sunning by the path. A Zealandia guide walks the group around the lower lake and dam for about two hours. We come back down to the waterfront for a guided tour of Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum, which covers the land, the Māori and Pacific collections and the story of the Treaty you saw at Waitangi. Your entry ticket is included with the tour, so stay on afterwards if you like. The rest of the afternoon is yours: ride the red cable car up to the Botanic Garden and walk down through it, or browse Cuba Street. In the evening the group meets for a farewell dinner.

   Included

   • Zealandia with a sanctuary guide
   • Te Papa Tongarewa entry and a guided tour
   • Farewell dinner

   Optional experiences

   • Wellington Cable Car to the Botanic Garden
   • Weta Workshop tour in Miramar

   More active option: Walk up Mount Victoria, Matairangi, about an hour return from the city, for the view over the harbour.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Wellington

   Activity: About 2 hours on foot at Zealandia on gravel paths with some short climbs.

8. Day 8: Depart from Wellington

   Your hotel to Wellington Airport

   • Drive about 15 min
   • Breakfast
   Day 8 details

   The trip ends after breakfast. The morning is free until your transfer: walk the waterfront to Oriental Bay, take a last coffee on Cuba Street, or visit the Beehive and the Parliament buildings, which run free guided tours on most days. Your guide sees the group off at the hotel, and the van takes you to Wellington Airport (WLG), about fifteen minutes from the centre at the edge of Lyall Bay. Wellington has direct flights to Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Australia, so most international connections run through Auckland or Sydney. If you want to keep travelling, the Interislander and Bluebridge ferries cross Cook Strait to Picton on the South Island from here, about three and a half hours across the strait and through the Marlborough Sounds, and our two-island trip continues south from the same city. Book a flight leaving after about 11 am so the morning is not rushed.

   Included

   • Drop-off at Wellington Airport (WLG)

   Free time: Morning free until your transfer

   Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 11 am.

Wildlife and weather: October to April is the best time: long days, warm water in the Bay of Islands and the clearest views of the volcanoes. In winter (June to August) the trip still runs, but Ruapehu and Tongariro are often in cloud and the boat day can be cancelled for swell; we swap in a shorter harbour trip if so. Dolphins are often seen in the Bay of Islands, but swimming with them is no longer allowed there.

• Auckland1 night
• Paihia2 nights
• Rotorua2 nights
• Wellington2 nights