Tour New Zealand's North Island from Wellington to Auckland
While you could spend months exploring the North Island of New Zealand on a tour, if you’re traveling with the right company, you can immerse yourself in the highlights in a week. Discover Wellington’s coolest wine bars, drop in on Rotorua’s hot springs, find a pretty perch on a Bay of Islands tour, get your glow on during a Waitomo Caves tour, and then ease into Auckland’s harbor-side lifestyle.
Highlights:
- The Te Po Experience at Te Puia contributes to the success of the Maori Arts & Crafts Institute, committed to preserving, encouraging, fostering, and promoting Māori arts and crafts.
- We’re here to point you in the right direction when it comes to wining, dining, and relaxing across Auckland, Wellington, and Rotorua. Ask your Travel Director for tips.
- The Waitomo Caves are the stuff fairytales are made of. Illuminate your day cruising this limestone network, cast in the magical light of glowworms.
- Rotorua is hot, in more ways than one. Steaming geysers, bubbling mud pools and mineral-rich springs are the beating heart of this geothermal valley.
Your holiday includes:
- Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide
- 1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Fiordland National Park
- Comfortable accommodation with easy access to city centres
- National Park entrance fees
- 7 Full Breakfasts, 1 Highlight Dinner, 2 Dinners
- 7 Nights Accommodation
Day 1 – flights to arrive prior to 2.00pm into Wellington Airport
Day 8 – flights to depart any time from Auckland Airport
Your fare excludes:
- Airfares & Insurance
- Pre/Post Accommodation
- Optional sightseeing
Day 1: Welcome to Wellington
New Zealand’s cool little capital, Wellington is the kind of place you could easily lose yourself in for a day. Good thing you arrived early. Meet your Travel Director and fellow travel companions this afternoon for an orientation tour of Wellington where you will visit the peak of Mount Victoria, and short stroll will reward you with 360-degree views of the surrounding harbour and city. After the tour you may like to visit Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand, home to an extraordinary collection of artefacts, including an eye-opening exhibit dedicated to Māori history. (Please note: There is an entry fee for Te Papa, this must be paid at the guests own expense.) Later, meet up with your fellow adventure-seekers for a Welcome Reception before your tour of the North Island of New Zealand.
Day 2: Wellington – Rotorua
The Kapiti Coast is the summer playground of Wellingtonians – for good reason. You’ll follow in local footsteps as you make your way along a road that unfolds in a broad panorama of Lake Taupo, the largest (and perhaps bluest) of its kind in the country. It’s a landscape almost as otherworldly as Rotorua, where mud pops and jettisons from bubbling geysers, and steam rushes skywards from cracks in the Earth. This evening, explore Te Puia’s geothermal valley, and learn about Māori history and culture on this guided experience, which includes a dinner of hangi-inspired cuisine and a cultural performance in a finely carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua. It ends on a high at the Pohutu Geyser, where, armed with a hot chocolate you’ll view one of New Zealand’s geothermal wonderlands.
Day 3: Rotorua - Free Time
If there’s a New Zealand city where you want free time, Rotorua is it. Go your own way today, perhaps blissing out at Wai Araki Hot Springs & Spa. Who knew nature was this relaxing? Hobbit fans will want to take advantage of the opportunity to tour the sights featured in The Lord of the Rings movies at Hobbiton. These beautiful landscapes are not only a bucket list tour for Hobbit fans, but a gorgeous countryside getaway.
Day 4: Rotorua – Auckland
The Waitomo Caves are radiant – quite literally. While cruising cavernous underground waterways, your route is cast in a magical light by thousands of glowworms. It’s a fairytale start to your day. One that only gets better as you descend on Auckland, the ‘City of Sails’. You’ll discover how it got its moniker while gazing over its two yacht-studded harbours from the lookout at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. What a city, as your tour of Auckland reveals.
Day 5: Auckland – Bay of Islands
Your journey north to New Zealand’s Bay of Islands is not short of drama – discover 140 droplets of land ringed by turquoise sea at the top of the country. It’s undeniably beautiful, but it also holds a special historical significance: this is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, between Captain William Hobson and Māori chiefs. Your guide, likely a descendant of one of the original signatories, will explain the significance of the site, while pointing out the world’s largest ceremonial war canoe and a carved meeting house.
Day 6: Bay of Islands - Free Time
Go as fast or as slow as you like today – there’s no rush, and no agenda. Talk to your Travel Director to organise leisurely jaunts up to Cape Reinga, the very top of New Zealand, via idyllic Ninety Mile Beach. Or glide around on an historic tall ship, or a trip to the iconic Hole in the Rock. If you’re a history buff, you may want to join a tour of Russell and learn more about the settling of the Bay of Islands. The choice is yours.
Day 7: Bay of Islands – Auckland
You’re about to reach the very tip of New Zealand, as your tour takes you to Whangarei – the county’s northern-most city. This is and a place where waterfalls meet beaches, galleries like the Hundertwasser Arts Centre pictured, meet museums. It’s like the country in a tantalising snapshot – a union of nature and forward-thinking culture. Explore at your leisure before sinking back into your coach seat for the mesmerising commute back to Auckland. Ask your Travel Director for tips on where to dine; Auckland is a bit of a culinary hotspot.
Day 8: Farewell from Auckland
The only bad day in your Auckland tour is the one where you have to bid farewell. On your journey home, just remember how much pleasure you have packed into this last week.
Please note: This itinerary may be subject to change.
Departing 5 Mar 2025 / 19 Mar 2025
- From $4,605 per person twin share*
- From $5,965 per person sole traveler*
Departing 16 Apr 2025 / 7 Jan 2026 / 21 Jan 2026 / 4 Feb 2026 / 18 Feb 2026 / 4 Mar 2026 / 18 Mar 2026 / 1 Apr 2026 / 8 Apr 2026
- From $4,491 per person twin share*
- From $5,801 per person sole traveler*
Departing 8 Oct 2025 / 5 Nov 2025 / 26 Nov 2025 / 17 Dec 2025
- From $4,356 per person twin share*
- From $5,634 per person sole traveler*
Departing 15 Apr 2026 / 6 Jan 2027 / 20 Jan 2027 / 3 Feb 2027 / 17 Feb 2027 / 3 Mar 2027 / 17 Mar 2027 / 31 Mar 2027 / 7 Apr 2027
- From $5,230 per person twin share*
- From $6,765 per person sole traveler*
Departing 7 Oct 2026 / 4 Nov 2026 / 25 Nov 2026
- From $5,085 per person twin share*
- From $6,580 per person sole traveler*
Call our team today to find out more on 1300 414 198. We can also assist with booking International flights and accommodation as part of your overall travel plans.
Please note: Exact itineraries may vary slightly depending on the departure date. Your full itinerary will be shown on your confirmation invoice.
Your Guided Holiday includes a range of quality accommodations for your comfort. The accommodation you will enjoy on this tour includes:
- Travelodge Wellington
- Ibis Rotorua Hotel
- Holiday Inn Express, Auckland City Centre
- Copthorne Hotel and Resort
Need airfares, additional accommodation or sightseeing options before or after your tour? Our friendly travel team can assist you with this. Call today on freecall 1300 414 198 for prices.
Flight Information:
- Day 1 - Flights to arrive prior to 2.00pm into Wellington Airport
- Day 8 - Flights to depart anytime from Auckland Airport
Fitness Requirements:
- Low level of fitness required
What to Bring:
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
- Water bottle
- Warm layers in cooler months
- Camera