Three Days in New Zealand’s North Island
I started my trip by arriving at Auckland international Airport (as most international flights do). The plane departed Los Angeles on the night of 18th April 2018 and arrived in Auckland the morning of 20th April 2018. I’ll never forget April 19th 2018, as it is the day I technically never had but I digress! New Zealand is divided into the North Island and South Island.
North Island Deserves Some Love
While I was planning my trip, I read a number of blogs that recommended flying into Auckland and immediately getting a connecting flight to the South Island because the South Island is where it’s at. I decided to show the North Island a little love by spending three days there.
Day One – Auckland:
I spent the first day settling into my Airbnb, and exploring Auckland on foot without an agenda. I stayed awake until about 6pm. While having a lovely Vietnamese dinner, a wave of jet lag hit me so badly, I had to ask for my check and walk back to my Airbnb where I crashed. I had the worst case of jet lag but it was likely because within 5 days, I’d gone from the UK, to the USA, and then to New Zealand.
Day Two – Waiheke Island:
After a hearty breakfast and amazing spicy Chai Latte at Federal & Wolfe cafe, I got on the ferry to Waiheke Island (45 minutes away). Since I travelled in the autumn, crowds weren’t crazy and I was fine buying Ferry tickets just before I boarded. During busier times, consider purchasing ferry tickets in advance online here, Round-trip tickets cost 38 NZD.
Waiheke Island is stunning with beautiful views all around, and multimillion-dollar homes. On top of that, it has some very impressive vineyards/wineries. On our tour, we stopped at three vineyards and had at least three wine tastings at each: Peacock Sky, Cable Bay, and Kennedy Point Vineyard. At the end, we had lunch at world famous Mudbrick vineyard.
Mudbrick has two dining areas; I went with the less fancy (cheaper) of the two, The Archive bar. The grounds are just stunning. Overall, it was a relaxing day well spent, others have taken the time to go zip lining on the island but instead we drove around a bit more, and walked around.
Tip: My friends spent a day on Waiheke Island and did a self-tour, visiting vineyards on their own time.
Day Three: Movie Sets, Thermal Springs, and a Maori Cultural Show
A 6:00am pick up had me on my way to the movie set. To be honest, I’m actually not the biggest Lord of the Rings fan but I watched Part 1 on the flight from Los Angeles and I was ready. Along the three-hour bus ride, the driver gave us commentary about the area and about New Zealand. A tour to the movie set is often combined with a visited to the Waitamo caves but I decided to pass on the caves. Intercity, Greatsights, and Bush and Beach are some of the companies I encountered while looking to book the tour from Auckland.
On arrival at Hobbiton, everyone is put onto a Hobbiton bus and taken to the set. You can only tour the set with a guide and you must remain with your guide at all times. They have the touring schedule down to a T, as they welcome guests from all over the world daily. This converted family farm is stunning and impeccably maintained. I shared the summary of how the farm was picked for the movie here on instagram:
At the end of the tour, we celebrated with a drink at the Green Dragon pub. What a perfect way to end a fairy tale morning!
An Evening in Rotorua
After the tour, I said goodbye to my group and hopped on a different bus to Rotorua. Rotorua is renowned for geothermal activity and Maori culture. I walked to see geothermal activity in the area and booked a Maori cultural dinner. To be honest, I expected the dinner to be somewhat commercialized .
Was it commercialized? Yes! Did I learn about the culture? Absolutely! It was a night of food, culture, singing, laughter and education with about 60 people from all over the world! On top of that, seeing the Haka done in New Zealand was pretty cool. The Haka is a traditional war cry, war dance, or challenge in Māori culture. A group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment, performs it. The New Zealand Rugby team does a Haka before every game (that how I knew about it). Really, Google it!
Practical Information on NZ’s North Island
Getting From Auckland Airport to the City: The Sky bus (18 NZD one way)was the most economical option for me as a solo traveller. Tickets can be purchased at the counter right outside the terminal.
Money Matters: The currency is the New Zealand Dollar.
Where I Stayed in Auckland: I stayed in a centrally located Airbnb booked at the last minute. To be honest, it was a basic Airbnb but the location was amazing.
Where I Stayed in Rotorua: I spent one night here so I went cheap, booking a private room at Rocksolid Backpackers hostel.
Other Ways to Mix Up The Itinerary
- Save Auckland for the end of the trip and fly to the South Island right away
- Plan more activities in Auckland such as a walking tour, or a visit to the Sky tower for panoramic views of Auckland. If that’s too basic, bungee jump from the Sky tower (NZ’s highest building).
- Visit the Bay of Islands or Coromandel
- Visit Wellington (New Zealand’s Capital). It has more bars and restaurants per capita than NYC
- Spend a night in an Airbnb on Waiheke island
- Tongariro National Park & Alpine Crossing: This is one of the world’s best day hikes and the views are stunning
Have you been to New Zealand’s North Island? What did you do and what would you recommend? If you’re looking forward to a future visit, what strikes you as a ‘must do’? This is my third post on New Zealand, in the first post, I shared my skydiving experience, and in the second I shared my itinerary, highlights, and surprises.
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Lol, I love the homework of watching the Lord of the Rings 1 on the flight to NZ. That’s an A+ student right there! haha. Also, why would people skip the North Island if the moviet set is there? Call me tourist but that’s going to be a major motivation factor for me to visit Nz.
Hahhaa, I do my best. I just don’t like to waste money so I had to do the work to make the most of the experience.Well, not everyone is into movie sets you’d be surprised.