I had two weeks ‘off’ in my uni timetable between my January deadlines and the start of the spring semester; and I found no better way of procrastinating writing my dissertation than travelling to the other side of the world. Knowing I’d only have time to cover one island, we entered the great New Zealand debate: do we go north or south? Eventually, the cheaper flight option and promise of warmer weather led us north.
Thirty-three hours, three flights, and a little stress after leaving London Heathrow on Saturday 14 January I landed in Auckland on Monday 16 January, where I met my boyfriend.
North of North Island and based around two harbours, Auckland is NZ’s largest city, renowned as a cultural hub where glistening waters meet city sophistication. Boasting a mouth-watering food scene with their Harbour Eats food court at its heart. Bringing together a vendors offering an extensive range of global cuisines and flavours, you are spoilt for choice at Harbour Eats – the perfect place for a casual lunch in the city. For finer dining with marina views head down to Auckland Waterfront's restaurants.
View Auckland's impressive waterfront city scape from Harbour Bridge – an eight-lane motorway bridge connecting the central business district with Northland. For bird's-eye city views take a trip up the iconic Sky Tower, or – the more strenuous option about 4km out of the city centre– hike up Mount Eden / Maungawhau. I can guarantee the view over Auckland's metropolitan and residential areas is worth the climb! At the volcano top, a boardwalk takes you around the crater that was left by the last eruption 15,000 years ago.
Our Nissan NV200 camper, hired from Big Little Campers, with help from Rankers camping app, took us over 900 miles around the rest of NZ’s North Island. I’ve rounded up some of our favourite spots on route…
New Plymouth
On the west coast, New Plymouth is a contemporary city boasting some of the most elegant street art I have ever seen. From portraits to aesthetic and floral landscapes, these murals add a vibrancy to the area. A visit to New Plymouth would not be complete without a stroll along the renowned coastal path, stretching from Bell Block to Port Taranki, and a climb up Paritutu Rock to soak in the panoramic views of the outstretched South Pacific Ocean, the Sugar Loaf Islands, and black sand of Back Beach. Although it is a short 15-minute climb, do not mistake Paritutu Rock for a walk-in-the-park. The 100-metre climb is almost vertical, beginning with a wooden staircase, which soon becomes a demanding rock climb. You'll need two hands free to pull yourself up a chain attached to the rock.
Half a dozen miles out from New Plymouth centre you'll find Lake Mangamahoe – a scenic lake and park popular amongst walkers, runners, and mountain bikers.
Egmont National Park
The hottest day of our trip happened to be the day we planned to climb Mount Taranki. At 2,518 metres, this stratovolcano is North Island's second highest mountain. We followed the Holly Hut Track for the first part of our climb, then turned off to descend down the Summit Track, which took three hours and totalled a five mile hike. On the way up, from above the clouds, we enjoyed panoramic views of Egmont National Park's lush greenery and Taranki's volcanic summit. On the way down, we trekked through the beautiful rainforests that coat Mount Taranki's slopes.
Mount Taranki is a must-climb in New Zealand North Island. If you are planning a visit, be weary of seasonal safety conditions.
Wellington
Next stop was the windy capital. Wellington is small and compact as cities go, making it easy to explore on foot. That said, a short trip on the city's iconic cable cs of the South Pacific Ocean.
Wellington is renowned for its food scene. Searching for a morning snack, we discovered Medialunas Aurora – an Argentinian bakery serving delicious freshly made goods, bringing a little bit of Argentinian culture to NZ. We devoured a stunning medialuna with dulce de leche and a chicken empanada.
Waiouru
Waiouru is the gateway town to Desert Road – a stretch of State Highway 1 in Tongario National Park lined by naturally dramatic, alpine desert landscape – boasting incredible views of the eastern slopes of North Island's highest mountain, Mount Ruapehu. Not only does the town hold some of North Island's most picturesque landscape, Waiouru is also home to the National Army Museum and the base of one of New Zealand's National Army training facilities. A gloomier morning drive – which accentuated the alpine desert landscape – took us through the ski fields of Tongariro National Park, accentuating the alpine desert views until we reached a sunnier Lake Taupo.
Taupo
We stopped off for the day at the lovely lakeside town of Taupo. With panoramic lake views, holiday resorts, a quaint town centre, waterfall walks and hot springs nearby, it is no wonder that Taupo is a top holiday destination. The landscape at Taupo is beautifully varied. We walked to the crystal-blue cascades of Huka Falls – and I can confirm I have never seen filterless blue waters like these falls; they are breathtaking – then went on to stroll around the geothermal walkway at the Craters of the Moon reserve, which lays on Taupo's volcanic zone – seeing and hearing steam hiss from the craters' vents was equally unnerving as mesmerising.
Rotorua
Next stop was Rotorua, which is also known for its geothermal activity. We stayed at Cosy Cottage Thermal Holiday Park where a sulphur mud pool bubbled literally at the back door of our van. The campsite also had naturally heated mineral pools to bath in. For the full historic NZ experience, we visited Hell's Gate Spa. Once used by Māori warriors to heal battle-scarred bodies, visitors now use the mud baths and sulphur pools to rejuvenate skin and ease muscle aches. Breathing energy into this relaxing day, we completed Rotorua's Redwood Tree Walk. Made up of 28 suspended bridges between 120 year old trees, this walk offers a unique view of the forest below and treetops above. The wooden bridges lines by nets certainly gave I'm A Celebrity vibes.
Coromandel Peninsula
Save the best until last, they say, and that definitely rung true on this trip. Our final stop was Coromandel Peninsula, which quickly became my favourite place in NZ. Afters several days jam packed with activity, we were ready to chill at the coast. Entering via the east coast, Hot Water Beach was the first on our beach-hopping schedule. Pretty but quiet, Hot Water Beach was the perfect place for a sunrise walk or evening relaxation. At low tide you can even dig your own naturally heated mineral pool! We stayed the night at Hot Water Beach Top 10, which we loved so much we returned a two nights later.
An hour drive north took us to Whangapoua Beach. A clamber over the rocks and trek through the woods later we reached the white-sand of New Chum Beach, which, backed by red rock cliffs, stretches one kilometre along the Wainuiototo Bay. We spent the day here, soaking up the sun, swimming in the sea, and strolling along the shore. Secluded and unspoiled, it is easy to see why New Chum is described as one of NZ's best beaches, and it's got a lot of competition...
The following day we spent at Hahei, a small village complete with a cafe, shop, brewery and bar, and beach. Hahei Beach Cafe was the perfect, laidback spot to catch up on some uni work over iced coffee and a delicious smoothie bowl.
From Hahei you can catch a water taxi or set off on foot to reach our most anticipated place of the trip: Cathedral Cove. We decided to take the well-signposted walkway and were so glad we did after drooling over the views on route and stopping off at secluded bays like Stingray Bay. Anyway, recognised by its limestone arch that separates two white-sand beaches and complete with a delicate waterfall at the south end, Cathedral Cove is picturesque to say the least – an insta-worthy location for sure! But be aware it is busier than the photos you see online suggest. Even though it is secluded, the water taxi and footpath make it one of Coromandel's most visited places.
Home Time
The only disaster of the trip arrived at the very end by which time we had returned our campervan and were back in Auckland. We had plans to visit Waikiki Island on my final full day, but the weather had other ideas. Instead, we spent the morning soaking wet, jumping between Ubers and flooded pavements, and watching rain slash cafe windows. Our alternative plan came to be spending the day at NextGen Health & Lifestyle Club, which was not as disappointing after all. It turned out a gym session, roof top pool swim (which was surprisingly enjoyable in the rain), and sauna session was just the refresh we needed.
I woke up at Lylo Hostel the next morning expecting to fly home that day, only to check my emails and find out my flight had been cancelled. Overnight Auckland has been declared in a state of emergency due to severe flooding that inundated the airport. Part happy about having extra time in NZ, part worried about how I would get home in time to start my new semester at uni, after several phone calls I had a solution. Crisis averted, I flew home via Houston a day later than planned.
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