Help with New Zealand (North Island) Itinerary

batrarobin on 19/07/2018 - 18:04

Can anyone please help reviewing our draft Itinerary for NZ North Island and make suggestions, if any. We are travelling there in November with 2 kids; the flights and rental car are all sorted and now need to start booking accommodations.

Any feedback will be much appreciated e.g.

  • Suggestions on any of the attractions that you might have particularly liked; or
  • Spending more number of days at a particular place than the other. etc. etc.

14th November - Auckland
Arrive in Auckland in the afternoon. Stay overnight in Auckland (1 night)

15th November – Auckland to Whitianga
Leave in the morning for Whitianga/Coromandel Forest Park. Visit attractions:

  • Cathedral Cove
  • Hot Water Beach

Leave for Tauranga in the afternoon. On way visit Karangahake Gorge if time permits. Stay overnight at Tauranga (1 night)

16th November – Tauranga to Rotorua (via Matamata)
In the morning, drive past Lake McLaren and McLaren Falls or Tauranga cruise or Mount Maunganui?
Then leave Tauranga and visit Hobbiton tour at MataMata and leave for Rotorua. Stay overnight at Rotorua. (1 night)

17th November – Rotorua

  • Taupo Lake/Huka falls
  • Hot springs
  • Agroventures (Velocity) adventure park: Rafting/Jet boat and Luge and Gandola
  • Horse riding

Stay overnight at Rotorua (1 night)

18th November - Rotorua
Cover the rest of the attractions in Rotorua

  • Okere falls scenic reserve

Stay overnight at Rotorua (2nd night)

19th November – Rotorua to Napier/Hawke’s bay
Leave Rotorua and drive to Hawke’s Bay in the morning. Visit attractions:

  • Centennial garden
  • Cape kidnappers
  • Maraetotara falls
  • Mohaka river (kayaking)
  • Waimarma beach and Ocean beach
  • Hawke’s Bay farmyard zoo (horses and pony ride)
  • Winery/cheese/choc/honey trails

Stay overnight in Hawke’s bay (1 night)

20th November - Wellington
Finish the rest of the attractions from Hawke’s bay and drive to Wellington.

  • Spend some time in Wellington city in the evening, Walk along oriental bay.
    Stay overnight in Wellington (1 night)

21st November - Wellington

  • Wellington cable car (one way) and walk back thru botanical gardens
  • Mt victoria look out

Stay overnight in Wellington (2nd night)

22nd November - New Plymouth
Drive from Wellington to New Plymouth

  • Back Beach
  • Walk along the coastal walkway (on the way Lake Rotomanu)

23rd November - Waitomo/Hamilton
Drive from New Plymouth to Hamilton

  • Glow worm caves
  • Hamilton gardens
  • Hamilton Zoo or waitomo farm stay
  • Hamilton hot air balloon?

Stay overnight at Hamilton (1 night)

24th November – Drive Hamilton to Auckland
Arrive at Auckland and spend some time in the city before going to the airport

Travel Itinerary New Zealand North Island

Comments

  • smuggler on 19/07/2018 - 18:24
    +3

    Have dinner in Auckland city by the harbour. Some neat restaurants there and some accept bitcoin!

    • Zedsdeadbabyzedsdead on 19/07/2018 - 18:41
      +1

      Agreed, i also recommend an evening out in Hamilton. There are some great little independent restaurants and bars all within a 10 minute walk.

  • onevstheworld on 19/07/2018 - 18:53
    +3

    Waiheke island near Auckland is a pretty ferry ride and good restaurants and vineyards.

    Not sure if your route allows it, but I found the Desert Road south of Taupo a very pretty drive.

  • PR0r on 19/07/2018 - 21:17
    +1

    I've just completed a similar trip of the north island. I actually did a 1 week trip there late last year, and came back for a 2 week stay to hit a few more spots.
    Great locations so far.
    I'd probably not drive to Taupo the 17th but leave that for the 18th (possibly stay in taupo?) as your Rotorua day looks quite busy. Remember Taupo to Rotorua is an hour each way (and you're heading south anyway, seems like wasted time to go there for a day when you plan to drive past it heading south), plus time spent there. Unless you're up and on the road at the crack of dawn.
    I highly recommend tbe redwood forrest in Rotorua, checking out the lake and Luge.
    A great spot in Hawkes Bay if your into great wine is craggy range winery, also church road winery is great which is in Taradale.
    In Auckland i'd recommend checking out mount eden and cornwall park too.

  • ozkiwi75 on 19/07/2018 - 21:21
    +1

    Nice itinerary, given the no. of days you have. Off the top of my head, I just have a couple of suggestions:
    Just north of Huka Falls they have the Huka Prawn Park if you're into prawns.
    In Wellington, Te Papa museum is a great option for the kids if you have a rain day.

    Enjoy your holiday!

  • mightyhawks23 on 20/07/2018 - 08:36
    +1

    Check the low tides times for the hot water beach
    Going by this https://www.thecoromandel.com/weather-and-tides/
    It'll be high tide in the afternoon on 15/11 which doesn't let you dig your hole on the beach to enjoy the hot water coming from underneath

    Not sure if it's your thing but you can also try the Black Water Rafting at Waitomo Caves

    • onevstheworld on 20/07/2018 - 10:50
      +1

      I've done the black water rafting and it's really cool. I do recommend.

      However, it may not be suitable for the kids though. There's an age restriction and they need to be comfortable floating in darkness.

    • batrarobin on 22/07/2018 - 15:31

      Thanks mightyhawks23, I just checked that link and it's showing low tide at 7:34pm which will be a bit late for us, considering that we have another 2.5 hours drive after this.

      Wondering how accurate are usually these forecast timings?

      • sal78 on 24/07/2018 - 14:14
        +1

        it is very accurate

  • Ugly on 20/07/2018 - 09:06
    +1

    If you or your kids like Lord of the Rings, you can also do a LOTR location tour in Wellington that takes to to a number of the film locations and to the film studio where they make all of the movie props (WETA).

  • Love a bargain on 20/07/2018 - 12:49
    +1

    Need some flexibility on day 2 for Hot Water Beach - you have to be there at low tide (and there are only 2 windows per day).

    Would also recommend going to White Island if your itinerary permits (do take preventative motion sickness pills for the boat rides though)

  • MissLouise on 21/07/2018 - 00:01
    +2

    Lucky you! The North island of NZ is a great holiday spot and you are going to have a great time! Since you are asking for suggestions, here's my two cents worth…

    I really feel like you have crammed a lot into your itinerary and with so many destinations, you are going to be spending a lot of time driving rather than actually seeing the sights. On a number of days you will have 5 - 6 hour drives (not counting any traffic delays or pit stops..). I know it depends on how your family likes to holiday but it just stood out to me when I looked at your itinerary. If you (or the kids) get sick of the driving it could be frustrating as you will have no choice but to push on or change your itinerary/cancel bookings on the go…

    I know your aim might be to cover the North Island in one trip, which I understand. But if you haven't done a driving holiday before, you might find it a bit full on. While there are some good freeways in NZ, a lot of the roads you will be travelling on are single lane and winding. Traffic can be a nightmare in Auckland and Wellington (give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport just to be sure!).

    My suggestion would be to do a one way trip staying 1 - 2 nights in each of the following: Auckland > Coromandel/Whitianga > Hamilton (day trip to Waitomo caves) > Rotorua (day trip to Tauranga) > Taupo > Napier (Hawkes Bay) > Wellington

    I know you have a return flight home booked from Auckland. I would fly back to Auckland on the morning that your flight back to Aus departs (time permitting), preferably with the same airline or codeshare that you have your flights home booked with (I would contact the airlines and request they link the booking incase there is a delay with the first flight). This will save the stress of driving yourself to the airport on the day of departure. I know these flights are an additional expense but you have to weigh up the cost against the extra time it is going to buy you for your itinerary. I know you have booked a car already but these are often changeable… there is often a one-way surcharge but again, you have to weigh that cost up against the itinerary. We have hired cars for one way trips in NZ before and haven't found it expensive, I think a lot of people do it. We book through the Entertainment Book. Furthermore, I would actually drop Wellington from the itinerary and save that for another visit as you can easily fly into Wellington next time. I would return the car to Napier airport and fly back to Auckland from there (1 hour flight, you will find flights leaving roughly every hour during the day).

    I know that is a very different suggestion to the itinerary you have planned, and I totally understand if you want to stick with the original plan!

    My partner is from Hawkes Bay and we have spent a lot of time in the area. Napier is the main tourist town, I really like it there. Depending on how old your children are, there is a fantastic museum in town about the earthquake and fire that destroyed the city. (Could be a bit boring or scary for little kids but older primary school and high school students might find it interesting). The aquarium there is meant to be very good but we haven't been. There is a cool pier which goes out into the water where the bigger waves break. The coastline in Napier is not a swimming beach as the water is rough, but there is a long stretch of path for a nice walk and lots of play areas and nice places for a picnic. We have hired bikes and cycled these paths before, you can ride quite a long way along the coast and the rental was quite reasonable.

    You have a lot on your list for Hawkes Bay, and given your timeframe, if you are trying to make a decision between what to do, I would suggest chopping Waimarama and Ocean Beach from the itinerary.. they are lovely but I wouldn't say they are a 'must see' for tourists. I have holidayed at Waimarama and there is a general store, a surf club and a bunch of holiday houses… the beach is nice but you will see the coast if you go to Napier. I have dined at Elephant Hill, The Mission, Te Awa and Black Barn wineries. I felt they were on par, if not better than the wineries in the Yarra Valley (not sure if you are in Victoria?). There are a couple of honey places around, Arataki seems to be the most popular but we also visited a nice one when we were in Taupo. We also did the prawn fishing, but maybe it was the time of year or maybe I am a bad fisherwoman, but I only caught 4 prawns in around 3 hours! We enjoyed eating them though! Other things I have enjoyed in NZ are the Waitomo glow worm caves and the Luge in Rotorua.

    A final note about something that really surprised me about New Zealand… it is expensive! Even with a favourable exchange rate it can be pricey. Fuel is about $2.20 per litre. Food and grocery items are expensive. The good thing is that there are lots of great things to see and do that you don't have to pay for (Huka falls, Redwoods forest, beach walks and lakes). Don't know how tight your budget is but just letting you know!

    I hope I have given you some things to think about and that you end up with an itinerary you are happy with! Happy to answer any other questions if I can help! :)

    • batrarobin on 22/07/2018 - 15:20

      Thanks MissLouise, that was quite informative, appreciate a detailed response. As suggested we have just looked into taking a flight from Wellington to Auckland and surprisingly the flights are quite cheap (almost comparable to what we would spend in fuel) however unfortunately the car rental deal that we got (through OzBargain) adds another $600 if we return it in Wellington or Napier. We have however fine-tuned our itinerary based on your other suggestions. Thanks once again.

    • sal78 on 25/07/2018 - 01:23
      +1

      Yes NZ is expensive. There are a lot of activities, fuel, food etc The must dos are luge, hobbiton and crater of the moon is only $20 for 2 adults and 3 kids. We went on a wet day and the thermal activity was crazy! we thought it was better than Te Puia except the pohutu geyser. Then the rest are free activities. Try to book apartments so u can cook your own meals.

  • vovka on 21/07/2018 - 01:03
    +1

    We're planning of doing the same trip in December. Also renting a car for 10 days.

    Haven't decided though if we wanted to go all the way down to Wellington or explore area north of Auckland and drive around lake Taupo, coming back via Waitomo. Can anyone suggest if NZ capital worth taking extra 6-8h driving?

    • PixieNCharlie on 22/07/2018 - 14:23
      +2

      North of Auckland might be absolutely packed in the December school holidays, same with Coromandel and most likely even Taupo. I guess it depends on what you are wanting to see on your trip? Wellington has lots of cool things (Te Papa, the Beehive, could even pop over to Marlborough Sounds) but it is a bit of a boring drive unless you go via the Hawkes Bay to get there.

      • vovka on 22/07/2018 - 16:35

        We normally go for nature things, not much in man-made objects (unless it's Machu Picchu or similar). Major concern is if NZ can offer lots more than Tasmania, where we drove for almost 2000k in one week (without a child though).

        Visiting Wellington is a bit of concern. It's not a problem to drive there but to come back to Waitomo may take almost a day along the west coast where I can't find many attractions.

        • sal78 on 24/07/2018 - 14:07

          check out my itinerary. We love hiking/tramping and inc as much nature as possible. We loved Auckland…lots of beautiful areas. Only let down from probably CBD lol loved Ponsonby, Newmarket and all the suburbs. Piha Beach (black sand) and Kite Kite falls must do. There are 2 waterfalls there and both only 5 mins walk from road to our surprise! so kids friendly and close to Auckland.

  • batrarobin on 22/07/2018 - 15:41

    Thank you everyone for your suggestions, appreciate your help.

  • vovka on 23/07/2018 - 12:04
    +1

    batrarobin

    I tried www.tripit.com (free account) on the weekend. It's very good. It allows to import itineraries (flights, car bookings) from confirmation emails, add driving directions and display them on Google maps, include hotel reservations.

  • vovka on 24/07/2018 - 00:30
    +1

    I've used your itinerary as a starting point to build our trip. I should say you're really pushing in trying to get everywhere. 10 days from Auckland to Wellington and back would hardly be enough to properly enjoy the holiday. More of the Japanese style tourism: off the bus, take photos, on the bus, and so on.
    We've dropped Wellington completely and probably would do the same for Napier. Just going to Taupo and back already shows aroung 1000km excluding smaller local trips and excursions. However, after looking at White Island photos decided to stay longer at Bay of Plenty. The island with an active volcano is not something we can find in Australia (but have plenty of nice beaches).

    • batrarobin on 24/07/2018 - 09:22

      Thanks pupkin, yes we also realised from the comments above that our itinerary was really packed so therefore we have now toned it down a bit. However I must clarify that the attractions at each place mentioned in the OP were just for ready reference, we were not intending to go to each one of those anyway.

      Also thanks for your tip on tripit.com, that looks really cool and I will be importing all my itinerary into that. Cheers.

      • SirNed on 24/07/2018 - 09:36
        +1

        And just one to consider for your travelling times. In Oz you can base it on 100k takes 1 hour. In NZ this doesn't work most of the time. For example New Plymouth is about 300 K but in general takes around 4 hours to get there. Roads tend to be quite windy in most places and limited overtaking options. Other places have nice long straights so no problems there aside from the slow tourists

        • sal78 on 24/07/2018 - 14:01

          yes so true and especially coromandel

        • vovka on 24/07/2018 - 23:32

          Road in Tasmania may get quite windy too. It doesn't stop the locals to drive at more than 100km/h. :)

  • sal78 on 24/07/2018 - 14:00

    Hi

    We just came back from North Island and yeah 10 days probably a bit tight and especially with children. We travelled with 3 kids. It's probably best to also allocate some time to relax and spend more time to enjoy the accommodation. My kids loved chilling at hotel and swimming in the hot pools.

    For Cathedral Cove, the walk is quite far. The car park was closed for works and we had to walk from the shops which is all uphill. We were dead even before commencing the real walk. There is also no shade. We walked around 8kms return and a lot of uphill. It was worth it and beautiful but we only spent about 30 mins at Cathedral Cove. For Hot water Beach, you have to go at low tide. Our low tide times were 4:30pm or 7:30am. Luckily I organized 2 nights at Coromandel! I am glad we went in winter. Perfect weather and I can't imagine how hot in summer.

    It is also a very long hilly drive from Tauranga to Coromandel. Even though we stopped at Karangahake Gorge for a few hrs and had lunch too…My daughter got motion sickness and had to stop the car so she could vomit. Karangahake Gorge is one if not the best walk we have done as a family and I highly recommend it. But it wouldn't fit into your schedule…too tight. The walk is at least 1 hr but with so many photo ops more like 2 hrs.

    For Hobbiton, if possible get the first appt of the day 9am. There are no tours ahead of you and your guide will likely give you more time and not rush because of the tours behind you. When we had finished our tour, there were so many tour groups there and I was so glad that we got the first tour and got plenty of amazing pics without heaps of ppl in it. It's not cheap and the place is amazing, the whole tour is fantastic. I have heard from plenty of friends how they were rushed and didn't have the best experience. They wished they had more time.

    I have shared my itinerary. I have to say, couldn't have planned it better and usually there are plenty mishaps but this trip was perfect. Kids said one of the best holidays. I highly recommend every accommodation I stayed at. Especially the Air BnBs ..so much wow factor and so affordable.

    Day 1 Sat 23/6 Arrive in Auckland 5pm
    InterNational- make your way outside door number 8, across the first pedestrian crossing, continue to the right hand side park n ride bus
    stop. Take the park n ride bus to the Enterprise rental office at park n ride. Buses run every 5 minutes

                        Accommodation-   Star Victoria Serviced Apartments 2 nights USD$130.00 Seriously bargain. Brand new and opposite sky tower, weekend free st  
                    parking
        Care Rental $224 for 11 days.

    Day 2 Sun 24/6 Explore Auckland
    Early sunrise Mount Eden climb and Circus Circus café, Kite Kite Falls, Piha Beach. Chill at hotel after lunch. Late afternoon stroll to
    harbor, Giapo Ice Cream and dinner.

    Day 3 Mon 25/6 Auckland to Taupo via Waitomo
    Waitomo Glow Worm Caves 11am NZ$221.34

            Accommodation- Oasis Beach Resort Taupo 2 nights Lake front hotel. Great hot pools from Millennium hotel next door and awesome cave spa.

    Day 4 Tues 26/6 Taupo
    Huka Falls, Aratiatia Rapids Dam, Craters of the Moon. Hot pools at Hotel.

    Day 5 Wed 27/6 Mt Ruapehu Skiing
    Accommodation - Chateau Tongariro 2 nights NZ$703.80 inc bfst, 3 course dinner and 1 high tea for 2 adults and 3 kids.
    Ski package NZ$657.31

    Day 6 Thurs 28/6 Mt Ruapehu Skiing

    Day 7 Fri 29/6 Drive to Rotorua
    Turangi Trout Village, Kerosene Creek, Luge and sunset view over Rotorua. dinner at Eat Street.

            Accommodation -Sudima Rotorua 2night USD $110.00 beautiful lake view and central. Price incs buffet bfst

    Day 8 Sat 30/6 Rotorua
    Te Puia, Pohutu Geyser, Blue and Green Lake, Okareka Walkway, Redwoods

    Day 9 Sun 1/7 Rotorua to Tauranga via Hobbiton
    Hobbiton
    Blue Springs
    Accommodation – Whakamara Air BnB Farmstay 1night AUD$146.65

    Day 10 Mon 2/7 Tauranga to Coromandel
    Karangahake Gorge
    Accommodation – Kuoatunu Air BnB 2nights AUD $302.72

    Day 11 Tues 3/7 Coromandel - Hot water Beach and Cathedral Cove

    Day 12 Wed 4/7 Coromandel to Auckland. Driving Railway and scenic drive along the costal route back to Auckland. Flight departs 5:30pm

  • sal78 on 24/07/2018 - 14:23

    If you have kids I highly recommend going in winter or spring and head to Mt Ruapehu/ Happy Valley is the best beginners area in NZ and I though Mt Ruapehu was better than skiing in Sth Island. Our best family ski experience. I also got a 50% deal for package inc lessons, lunch and rentals so only $75 per day for kids. For early season we had bluebird days and fresh powder snow from overnight snow fall. The ground at the Chateau was covered in snow. Wished we had stayed longer. Return shuttle to mountain only $6pp. Such a bargain. If you have been skiing you would know everything is so exxy. It was so convenient to take the shuttle up, only 15mins! drop off at the front, no lugging rental gear, pick up rentals and walk straight out onto ski area. It was sunny and warms. My kids took off their jacket! and I even wore a cap instead of beanie, great quality fresh snow and groomed runs, 2 x magic carpets, 1 covered, chair lift…Happy Valley is seriously amazing for families and kids. My kids were skiing independently after 1 day of lessons. flying lol

  • vovka on 24/07/2018 - 23:27

    As seasons are more distinct in NZ itineraries for winter or summer may vary significantly.
    I just found a couple of more places worth visiting: KiwiFruit Tour (Bays of Plenty) and Black Sand Beach (Raglan)

    sal78
    thanks for the tip on Hobbiton… now changing our plans to go counter-clockwise to see Hobbits before the school holidays.

    • sal78 on 25/07/2018 - 01:27

      The National Park/Ohakune has a lot of stunning short walks to do in the summer. The most famous being the Tongariro crossing but with kids, plenty of other walks. The sightseeing chairlift with views to Mt Doom and prob still snow capped in late nov/early dec. The area reminds me of Mt Cook in Sth Island.

      • batrarobin on 25/07/2018 - 13:06

        Thanks pupkin and sal78 for your suggestions.
        We have now taken off Wellington from our itinerary to make it more relaxed. Still have doubts about Hawke's bay. Your thoughts? We need to return the car in Auckland so is it worth the drive?

  • sal78 on 25/07/2018 - 14:25

    You have 2 extra nights now that you dropped Wellington.

    I think Taupo is worth 1 night. Beautiful and plenty to do and relax. Huka Falls, Aratitia Dam and Crater of the Moon are all on the same rd and close to each other. Oasis Beach resort has complete Lake Taupo frontage and so cheap for 2br apt. The sunset and sunrise is crazy.

    Another night can be added to Coromandel or Auckland. Piha Beach and waterfalls only 45mins from CBD. Check out Davenport, Ponsonby etc We loved Auckland. Only the CBD is a bit underwhelming.

    New Plymouth to Hamilton via Waitomo is a big day. A lot of driving and you would only have time for Waitomo. You might need 2 nights if you want to do all the activities in Hamilton or depending what time your flight is next day.

    Btw, we had no check in luggage. Only 4 hard case cabin bags and a few back packs. The ski gear packed in cells. Surprise myself that we could travel so light in winter with ski stuff. We hired a fuel efficient car Hyundai i30 so lucky we didn't have much luggage. Can get 680kms per tank.

  • batrarobin on 25/07/2018 - 15:31

    Thanks sal78.
    Yes we have added one night at Auckland. And one at Taupo. I will check the Oasis beach resort for accomodation.
    Now that we have skipped Wellington so we wont't go to New Plymouth as well. That was just a stoppage to break the journey from Wellington to Hamilton.
    My earlier question about Hawkes bay was - Is it worth the drive to and from Rotorua? or should we skip Hawkes bay as well and add more days around Taupo, Waitomo etc?
    Thanks

    • sal78 on 26/07/2018 - 07:30
      +1

      Sorry I didn’t answer your question because I have never been to Hawke’s Bay. They have wineries in summer? it is up to you. Would it be similar to Bay of Islands? more closer to auckland and airport if u want to add to end of trip.

      We based on our itinerary on what our kids want to do. They don’t like wineries. We tried to stay mostly 2nights at each accommodation.

      Btw there’s a beautiful farm stay on Air BnB near Tauranga. It’s on the same hwy going from Tauranga to Coromandel/auckland. Search under Matatata or Tauranga. It’s titled Annex. Modern farmstay with 2 brs and triple bunks. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

      not sure if I’m allowed to post link here. we checked in early and checked out late to make the most of our stay.

      https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/25267629?euid=140f9521-09f0-…

      and this is airbnb in coromandel. perfect 2 nights to relax n wind down our trip.

      https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/16147529?euid=12b97fbf-18c7-…

      so cheap!

      • batrarobin on 26/07/2018 - 12:52

        That's good. Will look into these accomodations. Thanks

    • vovka on 26/07/2018 - 10:44
      +1

      We have allocated two nights at Taupo. One for local activities and day two to drive to Napier and back to Taupo. From Taupo we plan on leaving earlier morning for Rotorua. It's also possible to leave Taupo in the morning for Napier and drive back all the way to Rotorua.

      Also, your trip is going clockwise. Sal78's is the other way. We've changed out itinerary to go that way too, as we want to get to Hobbiton before the school holidays. If you miss New Plymouth you still can see Black Sand Beach in Raglan. Apparently the whole western coast is covered with black sand. You can also check out Murawai Beach which is an hour drive from Auckland and if you drop Napier there are wineries around Matakana north of Auckland.

      • sal78 on 26/07/2018 - 12:33

        Piha beach is also black sand. It's so sparkly like crystals glistening in the sun. There are some beautiful waterfalls as you drive in to Piha beach too.

      • batrarobin on 26/07/2018 - 13:06

        Hi pupkin,
        Yes our trip is clockwise, We have to start from Coromandel because our friend will be with us till Rotorua and then she is off to Queenstown. We'll drive back to Auckland via Waitomo.
        Looks like now we have one spare day towards the end of the trip (after dropping Napier and Wellington). Probably we'll include the western coast or as you said Matakana (north of Auckland). or a day trip to waiheke island?

        • sal78 on 26/07/2018 - 19:11
          +1

          Waiheke island was in the top 10 islands in the world this year. results just came out.

        • vovka on 26/07/2018 - 23:13
          +1

          I'd also say Waiheke.

          from our New Zealand friends: Waiheke Island is a great day trip to include – wineries, cafes and beaches and you can take bus trips to get to where you need to be there.

  • vovka on 27/07/2018 - 10:00
    +1

    TRIPIT can save notes with URLs. Making a note with Google maps directions gives an idea of the whole driving trip - driving directions

    • batrarobin on 29/07/2018 - 00:35

      Thanks pupkin, that looks supercool! I can't wait to create a Tripit itinerary once all accommodations are booked. BTW, have you sorted out a NZ sim card? I have had a look at the deals on choicecheapies, mobile data seems to be at a premium in NZ!

      • vovka on 29/07/2018 - 17:17
        +1

        I've got a Vodafone plan for $35/month w 29Gb data. Just planning of activating roaming for $5/day. Will cost me around $70 for the whole trip, but all inclusions stay the same.

      • sal78 on 29/07/2018 - 23:40

        I got a 2deg? nz sim card for $10 1.25G and calls. We only used it for google maps. All our hotels had free wifi. I only topped up once for $20? cant remember but it was fine and cheap.

        • Love a bargain on 30/07/2018 - 15:44

          apparently 2deg isn't the best when it comes to certain rural area

          I had 2deg… it's fine in all towns etc but did lose connection when I was in certain national parks etc

          I think I was told Spark is the Telstra equivalent in NZ

        • vovka on 01/08/2018 - 17:07
          +2

          I'd use TomTom GO app on a tablet. Offline maps, full coverage, accurate route calculation.

        • Love a bargain on 02/08/2018 - 20:39
          +1

          @pupkin:

          This^

          Offline map is a must.

          And always set your destinations beforehand (when you have internet) as sometimes it might be hard to locate a particular location when it's offline.

  • vovka on 02/08/2018 - 00:15
    +1

    I just found out that Waiheke island has a Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour. It can be booked together with ferry from Auckland via Expedia in AUD. 5% members discount as well - Waiheke Explorer

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