North Island Favorites

  Mt Ruapehu Winter
by kiwi
 
  • Mt Ruapehu Winter
      Mt Ruapehu Winter
    by kiwi
  • Mt Ruapehu Summer
      Mt Ruapehu Summer
    by kiwi
  • Winter snow coverage, Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe
      Winter snow coverage, Mt Ruapehu and Mt...
    by kiwi
  • Mt Tongariro
      Mt Tongariro
    by kiwi
  • Hiking in Tongariro
      Hiking in Tongariro
    by kiwigal_1
 

Most Viewed Favorites in North Island

1.

Queen Street & Downtown   Auckland

Queen Street & Downtown, Auckland

 2 Reviews  Auckland now has a fine little pocket of restaurants around its waterfront and Viaduct Basin areas. Though not comparable to the great culinary capitals of the world, Auckland's restaurants may not... 

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2.

Internet Connections   Wellington

Internet Connections, Wellington

 2 Reviews  This was the most amazing machine I found! Here you can free up some memory space on your digital camera by a number of ways: Print digital photos from $1-45 NZD per print. Edit digital... 

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3.

Visitor Information Centre   Rotorua

Visitor Information Centre, Rotorua

 4 Reviews  Most visitors to Rotorua will encounter this striking looking building on Fenchurch Street. The towns official tourist information office, you can find everything here from the standard array of... 

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4.

Cable Car   Wellington Region

Cable Car, Wellington Region

 4 Reviews  The Cable Car is one of Wellingtons oldest and most popular tourist attractions. The cable car journeys up under the motorway, through the three tunnels, past Kelburn Park and Victoria University and... 

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5.

Kelly Tarltons Underwater World   Auckland

Kelly Tarltons Underwater World, Auckland

 3 Reviews  For different view of Southern Hemisphere life, make a point of visiting Antarctica while you're in Auckland. At Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World you can meet King and Gentoo... 

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6.

Parliament Buildings   Wellington

Parliament Buildings, Wellington

 1 Review  Parliament has been located in Wellington since 1865 when it was moved from Auckland - not the building obviously! The Beehive is one of New Zealand's icons though it's only the building that has the... 

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7.

Te Whakarewarewa   Rotorua

Te Whakarewarewa, Rotorua

 4 Reviews  You pay around £ 6 for adults ad £3 for kids to get into visit Maori Arts and Crafts Institute and after that you can explore Maori village, kiwi house, Frog pool, Maori concert etc for free. You... 

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8.

Te Papa Museum   Wellington Region

Te Papa Museum, Wellington Region

 3 Reviews  Go to Te Papa Museum. Opened in 1998, built on a site the size of 3 rugby fields (that's kiwi for you!), it has a total floor area of 36,000 square metres. Te Papa is the national museum of NZ, with... 

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9.

Auckland Museum and Domain   Auckland

Auckland Museum and Domain, Auckland

 2 Reviews  The Wintergardens are located in the Auckland Domain, not far from Auckland Museum. The glass houses date back into the early twentieth century and although the plant collection is very modest, the... 

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10.

Rotorua Museum   Rotorua

Rotorua Museum, Rotorua

 1 Review  Rotorua Museum of Art and History, Te Whare Taonga O Te Arawa. Built at the beginning of the 20th Century, this building was originally the Bath House. New Zealand's history is very young, but this is... 

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11.

Kapiti Coast   Wellington Region

Kapiti Coast, Wellington Region

 1 Review  4- WHEEL DRIVING is on of the craziest and scariest thing I've ever done in my life. I was at a friend's house on the Kapiti Coast, about 40 min. from Wellington and we went out for a day of 4-wheel... 

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12.

Hauraki Gulf   Auckland

Hauraki Gulf, Auckland

 1 Review  PHOTO: BEV AT THE HELM OF NZL 40, AN AMERICA'S CUP YACHT BUILT FOR THE 1995 AMERICA'S CUP AND BOUGHT BY A GROUP IN AUCKLAND. THEY HAVE TWO BOATS NZL 40 & NZL 41, WHICH THEY RACE AND TAKE PEOPLE OUT... 

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13.

Oriental Parade   Wellington Region

Oriental Parade, Wellington Region

 1 Review  Stroll along Oriental Parade and people watch. Eat at Logan Brown, and Castros. Take a trip on the historic and gravity defying cable car to the beautiful Botanical Gardens. Walk through the grounds... 

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14.

Mt Eden   Auckland

Mt Eden, Auckland

 2 Reviews  This is the extinct volcanic crater at Mt Eden. Besides being always pretty, grassy and green, since childhood I've always enjoyed the great view of Rangitoto (another volcano) and Auckland city and... 

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15.

Wellington Zoo   Wellington Region

Wellington Zoo, Wellington Region

 1 Review  Visit the Wellington Zoo. It is the oldest zoological park in New Zealand. Like most zoos worldwide the park has moved to create more humane environments for its animals. The giraffe is baby 'Rukiya'... 

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16.

Harbour Bridge & Marina   Auckland

Harbour Bridge & Marina, Auckland

 2 Reviews  The bridge is one of Aucklands key features around the harbour area and is visible from many places given its size. It's 15 stories high and at just over 1km long the 2nd longest road bridge in NZ... 

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17.

Botanical Gardens   Wellington Region

Botanical Gardens, Wellington Region

 1 Review  The Botanical Gardens - a beautiful place, it has a superb collection of plants and in the spring the daffodils are amazing. A great place to spend an afternoon either picnicing or partaking of tea... 

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18.

City Beaches   Auckland

City Beaches, Auckland

 1 Review  Auckland has lots of nice beaches, and this is one of the more picturesque. Takapuna used to be the main commercial area of the North Shore, but now it has become a trendy and very nice looking place... 

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19.

Tamaki Drive   Auckland

Tamaki Drive, Auckland

 2 Reviews  Auckland is built on a narrow isthmus so is surrounded by water. As a consequence water sports are very popular here given the easy access to lots of great places. A view back to Auckland city from... 

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20.

Skytower   Auckland

Skytower, Auckland

 1 Review  Auckland's Skytower is one of the best places to catch a glimpse of the city. Auckland is a city that is based on its interaction with the water, and from the skytower, you can see just how busy of a... 

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21.

Parnell.   Auckland

Parnell., Auckland

 1 Review  New Zealand is a very young country therefore is not really reknown for it's old architecture. Some places in the South Island have some history, however Auckland has very few examples of old... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Skiing in the North Island

by Kakapo2

-On the North Island you have only Mt. Ruapehu and Mt. Taranaki for skiing, with Mt. Taranaki being somehow far off the main routes.Mt. Ruapehu is THE ski resort in the North Island. Here you see how much you have to pay for a lift pass: http://www.mtruapehu.com/winter/lift-passes/ For transportation from Auckland to the area you can check out buses like InterCity (www.intercity.co.nz), NakedBus (www.nakedbus.co.nz), the destination depending on where you stay, most probably in a village named National Park or Whakapapa Village, but also others. There is also an interesting weekend ski tour operator named Kiwianatours (www.kiwianatours.com), they offer the whole skiing package, and the trip starts at SkyCity in Auckland. This would surely be the most convenient option, if you do not want to drive yourself. On this website you also find accommodation and transportation options. BTW You...

Honeymoon on the North Island in Winter

by toddecus

My wife and I did our honeymoon to the North island in early September 3 years ago and we were torn the same way you are, had 10 days. Eventually. We chose to stay on the north island, rent a car and do the following loop: Auckland, Rotorua, Lake Taoupo, MarTINborough, and finally Wellington. We skipped the glow worms (but I hear they are kind of neat) Better to avoid the floating innertube thing and do one of the hikes to the lesser known caves/trees. Recommendation: Skip Rotorua, it smells and there is not much to do in winter. Go straight to the Thermal Wonderland between Rotorua and Toupo hike for the day. Stay in Toupo and enjoy the beautiful lake. We loved: Terraces Hotel in Toupo $245 /nightThen we went to Napier and the wineries. (Skip it!) Their Art Decco architecture stuff was a waste of time, and the local wineries are ok, if you want to spend a day wine tasting. We found it a...

Weather in Winter

by amandajayne81

This is a forum answer to someone asking about Honeymooning in NZ during July.I was in New Zealand during July back in 1996 (sorry I know it is a while back) and the weather was stunning. That said I was in the North Island. Not sure about the South Island but Rotorua although being chilly will still be really great to visit in Winter all the usual attractions still run as far as I am aware and Auckland and the Northland (in particular the Bay of Islands) are just wonderful at that time of the year.

Not a bird, not a shoe polish, it is a fruit

by SLLiew

Kiwi immediately reminds us of the indigenous iconic bird of NZ. We also used to have a famous brand of shoe polish called "Kiwi".But there is a succulent and juicy green color fruit called "Kiwi". Interestingly, the Kiwi fruit is not native to NZ but originated from Southern China. It was first introduced in NZ around 1906.So visit a NZ kiwi fruit farm and eat a fresh Kiwi fruit. The taste is wonderful.

Floating stones

by SLLiew

While joining a river fishing trip at Lake Taupo area, I discover to my surprise small well rounded stones that are light and actually float on water.They are pumice rocks which are volcanic origin.Was so impressed that I carry them home and once in awhile let them float in water.

Black beach of New Plymouth

by SLLiew

Facing the Tasman Sea on the north, west and south of Mount Taranaki, New Plymouth has easy access of beaches for sailing, swimming, surfing or sand castles.Was surprised by the black sand beaches. Apparently from some volcanic rock that produced small black specks that blacken the sand of the beach.Anyway, you cannot miss the beaches while in or driving through New Plymouth.

Ostrich anyone?

by SLLiew

While it is expected to see cow and sheep farms, it was a nice surprise to see ostrich farms at the foothills of Mt. Taranaki.Have tasted tender ostrich meat before. Not sure if I can stomach an entire ostrich egg omelete nor care for ostrich feather pillow. Anyway, cows and sheep are not native to New Zealand. Ostriches are from Africa.

Amazing park in downtown New Plymouth

by SLLiew

Pukekura Park is a 52 hectares garden park right in downtown New Plymouth. If is fun to stroll to view the amazing collection of native trees and ferns as well as a Japanese and Chinese garden. Great place to have a quick lunch.Quite a number of row boats on the pond to enter a world of natural wonder right in the middle of town.

Driving up Mount Taranaki

by SLLiew

When arriving at New Plymouth in the western tip of North Island, this snow capped conical volcano Mt. Taranaki (formerly Mt. Egmont) dominates the landscape.Surprisingly it is an easy 10-15 minutes drive up to visitors center of this mountain for an amazing view of the sea and land below.Fortunately, this volcano is not active and looks benignly over the surrounding plain.

Story of "One Hill Tree"

by SLLiew

No, it is not about a tv drama series. One hill tree is popular historic landmark of Auckland on top of a small volcanic peak. There was a single tree next to a commemorative obelisk. The tree was attacked twice in the name of Maori struggle of their natural rights but fortunately survived the onslaught.Unfortunately after a damaging storm, the 125 years pine tree had to be removed. A new native tree has been planted.

Top 3 Hotels in North Island

SKYCITY Grand Hotel Auckland  Auckland

 7 Reviews and 710 Opinions  The rooms and hotel in general were nicer than expected, and service was good. While this hotel may... 

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Novotel Wellington Capital  Wellington

 4 Reviews and 598 Opinions  Novotel is conveniently located downtown with direct lift access to Lambton Quay, a shopping area.... 

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Silver Fern Resort Rotorua  Rotorua

 1 Review and 307 Opinions  We (3 of us) spent 5 weeks in Australia and New Zealand. The Silver Fern was by far the nicest... 

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North Island Favorites

Reviews and photos of North Island favorites posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for North Island sightseeing.
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