Planning and tips NEW ZEALAND NORTH ISLAND Itinerary

By Helen Wright

We recently ticked off a major bucket-list item and got all the way to EPIC New Zealand and it did not disappoint. This post has everything you need to plan the perfect New Zealand North Island Itinerary. I have posted our road trip tips New Zealand North Island, as well as a separate South Island itinerary to help you plan your own adventure. You can also see our whole New Zealand 2 week itinerary in this three-part video series. By far, the most common thing we get asked about this trip is for our New Zealand North Island itinerary – the route we took, what we did and how long it took to do it all. Luckily, I took notes – so here goes!

(For a less detailed list of everywhere we stayed during one month in New Zealand, see our TOP 19 places to stay in New Zealand with a campervan post)

Advice and tips New Zealand North Island itinerary

one-month itinerary new zealand — Our home for a month – the Jucy Cabana Camper Van

For our full one-month New Zealand itinerary, we rented a Jucy Cabana Camper van and drove from the very north of the North Island (almost) to the very south of the South Island (almost). So, yep, we virtually went everywhere! We took five weeks to do this trip but since it formed part of our seven-country around the world trip, we indulged with plenty of rest days and ‘work’ days to edit our videos and so the itinerary below is perfect if you are looking for a one month itinerary for New Zealand.

New Zealand travel blog: Our one-month New Zealand road trip

Tips New Zealand North Island Itinerary

To jump straight to the SOUTH ISLAND, click here.

NORTH ISLAND DAY ONE

After landing in Auckland, we collected our new home – aka, the Jucy Cabana camper from the depot at the airport. The cost of this camper was NZD $92 / £49 per day, but your choice of insurance is added to the overall fee so keep this in mind.

See a tour of our Jucy camper .

You can wild camp across New Zealand but to do this you need a self-contained camper van, which means it has its own toilet and drainage. If you don’t have a self-contained camper, don’t even try to wild camp / free camp. The police and national park authorities are hot on this and will slap you with a hefty fine. With our our budget, we decided to opt for a non self-contained camper van and this meant we had to stick to authorised campsites with facilities, which was fine.

We wanted to start our New Zealand North Island itinerary outside the city, so as soon as we collected our new digs, we headed 45-minutes north of Auckland to unpack, work out what we needed from the supermarket and organise our new ‘Jucy Lucy’ van.

OREWA BEACH

Where we stayed:
OREWA TOP 10 HOLIDAY PARK
orewaholidaypark.co.nz

Admittedly we kind-of stumbled across this site, but the Top 10 Holiday Park franchise came highly recommended and we were impressed by the cleanliness of the site, the facilities available and the welcome reception we received. They have a special offer, sign up for a two-year membership (NZD ¢49) and you get 10% off each stay, and even though we were only going to be there for a month, we only needed to stay 2/3 nights to get our membership back so it was still worth it. This site was right on the beach and exactly what we saw when we imagined our dream trip to New Zealand.

DAY TWO:
Drive to Russell (Bay of Islands): 3hr 20min

BAY OF ISLANDS

Where we stayed:
TOP 10 HOLIDAY PARK, RUSSELL
russelltop10.co.nz

This site was on a hill, in a residential area and so was really quiet with lovely views of the town. There was a big, shared kitchen and TV room, a BBQ area and a trampoline (not just for kids you know). There isn’t much to do in Russell after dark, so the free DVD rental was a bonus! The site is walking distance to the town of Russell, which has a cute waterfront, restaurants, cafes and a decent fish and chip shop.

DAY THREE:

The Bay of Islands is the ultimate bucket list place for most people planning a New Zealand North Island itinerary. From Russell, everyone is looking for a boat charter or an opportunity to enjoy the Bay of Islands from the water. We opted for a day sailing with She’s a Lady Tours (NZD $97 / £52). We loved the owner, Dave, who had plenty of anecdotes about his time on the high seas. There was an opportunity to get involved in the actual duty of sailing, something we had never done before. Of course, we had no idea what we are doing, but pulling ropes and moving sails makes you feel very important. The Bay of Islands is beautiful. Clear blue waters and stunning scenery. We even saw two penguins swimming past our boat. We then docked in a secluded beach and had the chance to kayak and spend time doing cannonballs into the sea – my favourite thing to do!

New Zealand North Island Itinerary | passportstamps.uk

DAY FOUR:
Drive to Auckland: 3hr 45min

THE CITY: CAMPING IN AUCKLAND

Where we stayed:
AVONDALE MOTOR PARK
avondalemotorpark.co.nz

There are a few options for RV parking and camping in Auckland. This independently-owned park wasn’t much to shout home about. It was clean and friendly, but very small and not particularly picturesque. The main appeal is the easy access to the city via tram (35 mins from the Avondale stop) or bus (45 mins from the New North Road stop), which was very simple and easy to navigate.

We didn’t do much in Auckland other than wander around and soak up the atmosphere. To be honest, coming from London, we were keen to explore the natural beauty of New Zealand and the city wasn’t really a priority, but we did have a good time. We had the most fun in the area of Ponsonby, which has a trendy-yet-casual vibe.

During the day –cool shops, independent boutiques and delicious coffee shops make it very easy to spend your cash. By night, indulge in the food truck trend and arrange your own tapas from the pop up food vans dotted around. The view of Auckland city from Ponsonby is possibly the best there is.

PS: You can also bungee jump 192 metres from the Sky Tower seen in the picture above (we didn’t though!).

DAY FIVE:
Drive to The Coromandel / Hot Water Beach: 2hr 20min

HOT WATER BEACH

Where we stayed:
HOT WATER BEACH TOP 10
hotwaterbeachtop10.co.nz

This is the closest camp to the beach, which means the natural hot springs were just a short walk from our van. This was a large holiday park that was popular with families and had a whole range of facilities including a park, a pool, bike rental, cabins, a games room and a café.

As far as beaches go, this one is definitely unique! Natural hot springs beneath the earth bubble through the sand in low tide, creating hot pools of water. Come armed with a spade (you can buy or rent them locally) and dig your own natural hot tub. We had fun but be warned, the area is probably the most touristy place we went on the entire New Zealand Itinerary, so unless you are there shortly after sunrise, don’t arrive expecting a secluded spot for a steamy soak.

DAY SIX:
Drive to Waihi Beach: 1hr 30min

WAIHI BEACH HOLIDAY PARK

Where we stayed:
BEACHAVEN HOLIDAY PARK
beachaven.co.nz

We loved this cute campsite. It was a block from the beach and had a great kitchen, garden area and free body board rental. A quiet contender, but this Waihi Beach Holiday Park was possibly one of our favourite places to stay during our whole road trip.

This area has more of a residential feel. There’s a small town with a supermarket and a scatter of restaurants. The beach is beautiful and the complete opposite of Hot Water Beach – very secluded and peaceful. At this point on our New Zealand North Island itinerary we were looking for a couple of days to relax and enjoy life in our camper van, so it was just what we were looking for.

View the video of our NEW ZEALAND North Island itinerary: tips New Zealand and South Island road trip highlights in ourVLOG

The Ultimate New Zealand North Island Itinerary

DAY EIGHT:
Drive to Rotorua: 1hr 35min

ROTORUA

Where we stayed:
ROTORUA TOP TEN HOLIDAY PARK
rotoruatop10.co.nz

Another stop at a Top 10 camping park. This one was centrally located and even had its own natural hot tubs!

One of the most celebrated places in any North Island itinerary for New Zealand is Rotorua – renowned for its geothermal activity and Maori culture. The whole area is dotted with curious bubbling mud pools and geysers, all surrounding a beautiful lake. Be warned, there’s a slightly stinky scent of sulphur in the air, but you get used to it.

Aside from the fact the natural wonders of Rotorua are enough to stop you in your tracks, there are also lots of fun things to do. The beautiful 79.8 km2 Lake Rotorua can be explored by boat, kayak or just viewed from the shore with a picnic. For a first-hand experience of the mighty geothermal activity, we headed to Hell’s Gate, an attraction housing New Zealand’s largest mud volcano and hot waterfall, boiling hot pools and erupting waters. There was also an opportunity to take a ‘healing’ mud bath, which was a pretty fun way to spend an afternoon.

DAY 10:
Drive to Waitomo Caves: 2hrs

WAITOMO CAVES

Where we stayed:
WAITOMO TOP 10 HOLIDAY PARK
waitomopark.co.nz
This park was friendly but felt more like a school playing field than a cosy campsite. It did have a pool and a small kitchen, but during our stay it was a little overrun with kids – was probably the school holidays and we didn’t realise!

On a map, this stop might seem a bit out of the way, but visiting the Waitomo Caves is one of our top New Zealand tips. The incredible Waitomo Caves are a network of underground cave systems that are home to millions of arachnocampa luminosa, or ‘glow worms’, that illuminate the inside of the caves like stars in the night sky. They are incredible!

We did a tour with Waitomo Adventures and it was absolutely brilliant! The tour involved climbing into the caves, wading through freezing water, crawling through narrow tunnels and – the grand finale – floating through the caves on a rubber ring (tube). I had never seen anything like this before and I was blown away. It was more than worth the extra drive, and one of the best stops on our New Zealand 2 week itinerary on the North Island.

DAY 11:
Drive to Lake Taupo: 2 hrs

LAKE TAUPO

Where we stayed:
GREAT LAKE TAUPO HOLIDAY PARK
greatlake.co.nz

The weather in Lake Taupo was horrendous when we were there! It literally poured down for two days and so I’m not sure we got to enjoy it as much as we could have. Luck was definitely not on our side as this also happened to be our least favourite campsite too. Facilities were basic and the park was a bit dated and drab. Like all the sites we stopped at in New Zealand, it was clean, safe and friendly but the weather definitely didn’t help brighten the place up. The location was ideal, right on the lake and a short drive to the town.

We did check out the lake (hard to miss it!) and Huka Falls, a fast-flowing waterfall where you can take a jet boat ride and experience it first-hand. But the best thing we did here also happened to be the weirdest – the Huka Falls Prawn park!

This is a whole ‘theme park’ about prawns – random as that is, there is a whole educational area, fun water games and the opportunity to fish for your own prawns and then boil them for supper! Even if you don’t fancy catching your own, the café is worth a visit. There is a full menu – but of course the specialty is prawns!

DAY 12:
Drive to Napier: 2 hrs

There really is something special about a New Zealand road trip, because the drive is a huge part of the experience. You can drive from A-B but there will be at least one (but more likely 10) places you want to stop and photograph or explore. Being in a Jucy camper was extra fun because there is an unspoken community with other Jucy renters that you see on the road – whenever you see one of your green and purple comrades passing in the other direction, everyone waves and sounds the horn. It’s like being in a (not-so) secret club. It’s fun to see others having the same experience as you, but each one is unique.

NAPIER

Where we stayed:
BALLINA MOTEL NAPIER
ballinamotel.co.nz

CHEAT DAY! – Okay, we were still loving life in the van but after getting drenched in Taupo we fancied a warm and cosy bed, a TV with channels and our own shower! Just off the route from Taupo to Napier (the Thermal Explorer Hwy), we found a cute motel which was a great base for visiting Napier and Hawke’s Bay without blowing the budget. The motel is owned by a nice couple and they really made us feel at home.

As beautiful as New Zealand is, none of its architecture had stood out as particularly memorable and so arriving in Napier was a big surprise. I love Art Deco, and a town of candy-coloured, ornate buildings was like a mirage. After a huge earthquake in 1931, much of the area was devastated and so was fabulously rebuilt in the cool style of the prettiest era. You can take a walking tour or just wander around enjoying the picturesque streets and top up your instagram feed.

From Napier, it’s a short 30-min drive to Te Mata Peak, a vista 400 metres above sea level and offering panoramic views of the Ruahine, Kaweka and Maungaharuru Ranges and Cape Kidnappers. Plan to go at dusk because the sunset is unreal.

DAY 13:

HAWKE’S BAY

There are some things you cannot miss from a New Zealand North Island itinerary, so we couldn’t leave without doing a tour of the famous Hawke’s Bay wine region. We opted for a self-tour by bike with On Yer Bike Winery Tours. It was the perfect way to enjoy some fresh air, explore the area and visit our own choice of vineyards. We were given a guide map with distances and area information on. We chose which wineries we wanted to see, decided on a route and off we went! Plus, we stocked up on some extra bottles for the van – you can never have too much!

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DAY 14:
Drive to Wellington: 5 hrs

This was the longest straight drive we did, but we broke up the journey with a few stops in small towns along the route, arriving in Wellington at night.

WELLINGTON

Where we stayed:
WELLINGTON TOP 10
wellingtontop10.co.nz

Wellington is compact, so as expected, most of the decent camping areas are outside the city. The Wellington Top10 holiday park was actually lovely with lots of space, plenty of kitchen areas and an inside hot tub, free for guests. The bus from across the road takes you directly into Wellington and takes around 30 mins. We used this both at day and at night, but check the time of the last bus so you don’t miss it. Taxis aren’t that cheap in NZ!

The thing I kept saying about Wellington is that I’m just gutted it’s too far from London to go for the weekend. It’s the perfect weekend city. Fantastic museums, the best restaurants we found in the whole of New Zealand and a cool, almost-hipster vibe. Plus, it’s beautiful. Top marks all round.

Take the cable car to the top and get the perfect view of Wellington and the harbour Te Whanganui-a-Tara from 119 metres above the city. (NZD $4 one way, NZD $7.50 return) . The ride itself is fun and there is also a small museum about the Funicular railway, which has been running since 1902! You can choose to ride back down or take a leisurely stroll back to Lambton Quay via historic Bolton Street Cemetery and the Beehive Parliament building.

Another must-see is the excellent Te Papa Museum. As well as a wealth of history about New Zealand it hosts international exhibitions, art installations and has the preserved corpse of the world’s largest squid – which is massive (as you can imagine), fascinating and gross. (Free entry).

For us, we enjoyed Wellington because it was so pleasant to wander around. We checked out some independent shops, sampled some of the great local cafes and restaurants and indulged in the cool nightlife.

We loved Wellington. It was a fun and fitting way to end our New Zealand North Island itinerary, but just like that, it was time to drive our Jucy Lucy van onto the ferry and continue our NZ road trip to the south island…

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