Here we go, kiddos!

If you’re just tuning in, my name’s Megan. My friend Becky and I went on a road trip throughout New Zealand in January 2018. Here’s a list of the route we took, the campsites we stayed in, and what we did in the ~3 weeks of the North Island.

This post is part of a larger New Zealand guide, which includes budgeting tips and upcoming posts about a winery tour that cost under $10. If you’re interested in the full guide, sign up on my email list and I’ll send it out when it’s complete!

Let’s begin!

This is a list of the places that Becky and I went in the North Island, accompanied by some photos and silly commentary.

If you’re taking a road trip through the North Island, grab these tips and enjoy the top half of New Zealand!

Day 1: Omanawa Falls and The Bay of Plenty Region

What We Did: We started our journey driving from Auckland to Omanawa Falls. Becky saw a photo of the falls on Instagram so we had to check it out. The falls were closed to the public, but there were heaps of young people climbing over the fences. We followed. A decent 30-minute hike with a wee bit of climbing brought us to the prettiest falls (and the coldest water) I’ve experienced in a while. Bring water, a floatie, and leave your flip flops in the car.

Where To Stay in the Bay of Plenty: The Matata DOC Campsite was 45 minutes down the Pacific Coast highway. $9 per person, $1 hot showers, free toilets. We were also able to grab some free wi-fi at Tauranga Crossing, which has a Pita Pit and a Pak’nSave and all the good stuff.

Day 2: Rotorua

What To Do in Rotorua: Hold your noses. Rotorua is a filled with hot springs that smell like sulphur, but it’s really cool to see and experience how crazy the Earth can be. We parked in town and put our feet in some free local hot baths. We put our whole selves in the Kerosene Lake, Hot ‘N’ Cold Lake, and saw mud pools in the area. All of these spots can be found on the same road. The Hot ‘N’ Cold Lake was a highlight of the day; I hung up my hammock and we spent an hour and a half with one part of our body in the hot part and the other in the cold part.

Where We Stayed in Rotorua: The Lake Oraka Campground has toilets, a gorgeous lake, and an honesty system for paying ($8 for adults.) Just…park away from the lake. Sandflies.

Day 3: Taupo

What To Do in Taupo: Lake Taupo has a lot of nice spots for relaxing, especially if you have a hammock. The town has also has a small museum and rose garden. Very quaint. If you’re driving to Taupo, you must check out Huka Falls. This little pit stop is absolutely gorgeous.

Where We Stayed: We actually were in Taupo twice. The first time around we Couchsurfed, and the second time around we stayed at the Berkenhoff Lodge, which was a cute little hostel with free pool and Netflix. I recommend either option, because I love Couchsurfing, but Berkenhoff has free parking, good wifi, and a nice atmosphere.

Top Tip for Roadtrippers: Taupo has a Superloo, which is a great place to get a decent shower on the road. Take advantage of it!

Day 4: Road to Wellington

What We Did on Day 4: The weather was absolutely terrible, so we skipped out on the 8-hour trek through the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. I would recommend this hike; a lot of friends who did it showed us gorgeous pictures and had great things to say. We just went straight down to Wellington and stopped at some pretty awful diners along the way.

Where We Stayed: Buck’s Road Campsite is just an hour outside of Wellington and a good free place to stay before heading into the city. It’s really simple, has a drop loo (toilet without running water) and a few nice spots to walk around the area.

Day 5-8: Wellington

What To Do in Wellington: We loved Wellington! There are tons of things to do and enjoy around the city, including the Te Papa Museum (free!) and a few decent art museums. The Cable Car ($4 for a one-way ticket) and Botanic Gardens (free!) are also lovely. We had the best lunch of our entire trip at the Leaflee Cafe and enjoyed photographing all of the street art around the city. The beaches were decent, but when people reference Windy Wellington they are not joking around.

The coffee shops and thrift stores are pretty decent in Wellington. The whole town is pretty hip and was definitely our favorite city in New Zealand.

Where We Stayed: We did a bit of Couchsurfing and stayed with people that we met on Tinder who were gracious enough to let us crash in the van and park at their friend’s house. Wellington has free parking on weekends but can get pretty pricy during the week, so plan your trip around a nice weekend.

All About the Bluebridge Ferry

So our first week was a quick taste of the North Island. We were very eager to get down to the South Island, and took the Bluebridge Ferry from Wellington to Picton. Here’s a few fun tips for the ferry for you:

Book in Advance. The ferry sells out a few days in advance, so book before you get to Wellington. We booked within moments of  that we got to the city and had to wait three days to get to the South Island.

Budget, Baby. Prices vary based on demand and the time of the ferry, but if you have a car, expect to shell out a bit of cash. We payed around NZD 230 to get the two of us and our lovely Ilanamobile on the ferry. Ridiculous, right? Such is life.

Take the Night Ferry. If you want to save on accommodation, take the ferry that leaves at 2:30 in the morning. We arrived at the ferry station around 11 p.m. and took advantage of their free wi-fi and free parking before spending the night on the ferry. The sunrise views are absolutely gorgeous (my friends saw dolphins swimming around close to Picton) and you don’t have to waste a day on the water.

North Island Itinerary, Pt. 2

After staying in the South Island for a few weeks, we made it back to Wellington for a nice night out in the city. We cut the South Island short to hit up Auckland City Limits, so our second round of the North Island lasted for a whole two and a half weeks.

Here’s what we did!

Day 1: Ferry to Wellington

What We Did: Traveled! We booked a day trip this time so we could have a nice comfy sleep at our Airbnb in the South Island. Travel day. Not much to say about it!

Where We Stayed: We made a darling of a friend on Tinder the first time we went to Wellington and stayed in touch with him throughout our trip in the South Island. Shout out to Safe Bryson, thanks for letting us crash when we got back to Welly!

Day 2: Driving up the North Island

What We Did: We told ourselves we’d do Tongariro and a bunch of things when we got back, but we ended up just speeding to see Future and the rest of the gang at Auckland City Limits. I have to reiterate here how great it is to have a travel companion as flexible and chill as Becky is.

Where We Stayed: This is the night we ended up at Berkenhoff Lodge in Taupo! Lovely hostel, highly recommend.

Day 3: Mt. Maunganui and Tauranga

What To Do in Tauranga: This was a promise that we fulfilled on our second trip in the North Island. We hiked Mt. Maunganui and spent the day in around the sleepy but quaint beach town of Tauranga. This was surprisingly a great place for bakeries and thrift shops. If I had to spend a few weeks working in a hostel in the North Island, this is one of the top places that I would choose.

Where We Stayed:  After Tauranga, we headed over to Auckland and did a bit of Couchsurfing. Nothing crazy.

Day 4-5: Auckland City Limits!

What To Do If You Have A Few Days in Auckland: We were lucky to get to volunteer at Auckland City Limits! This was also a highlight of the trip for us. Our shift was about six hours and we just stacked and transported reusable cups throughout the festival. It gave us some time to check out some of the earlier acts (Car Seat Headrest, The Liberties, George Ezra,) and we were out in time to see the rest of the acts (Grace Jones !!, Beck, and Future.)

Where We Stayed: I can’t stress enough how important it is to plan your hostels in advance, especially in Auckland. We stayed at Base Backpackers in Auckland, and I’m not going to lie, we didn’t end up going back when we were in Auckland the second time. Who offers terrible wi-fi only from the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.? Rough stuff. The hostel has 500 beds, so you’ll be able to get a room last minute, but it’s cringe-worthy to think how much we paid for a terrible room.

Day 6-11: Paihia

What to Do in Paihia: Paihia is another cute little beach town with fun options for shopping, strolling, and hiking. If you’re not driving, you can definitely hitchhike to the different hikes and waterfalls in the area.

We also spent a day hiking around Cape Reinga, which is the northernmost tip of New Zealand. The drive is a bit long and we had some issues filling up with international cards, so we definitely suggest filling up before and having cash on you. The hikes around Kerikeri and Waitangi River also make for a good day hike or two.

Where We Stayed:  I’m debating writing an entire post about this Couchsurfing experience. Couchsurfing in Paihia was a lovely experience because we had a really generous host. We felt safe the entire time, but we observed a lot of questionable behavior between him and one of the girls that had essentially shacked up there. We spoke to the girl and talked her through the situation, but every day made us cringe a bit more and eventually we left very confused about how to handle the situation. We left and headed back to Auckland to spend the rest of the trip in one place, sorting out “life admin” and whatnot.

Day 12-17: Auckland, pt. 2

What to Do in Auckland: Okay, so I’m going to be honest again. Auckland is not my favorite city, and it’s a great place for planning your trip and then heading on out. Here’s what we did in Auckland:

• Got Becky into Drag Race and watched season 7 and 8
• Went to Cassette 9 for cocktails in a teapot
• Visited Becky’s friend Richard who apparently looks like me
• Sold Ilana
• Got my largest tattoo to date
• Played a lot of chess at an ice cream shop
• Played a lot of pool during Happy Hours

There are some museums to walk through and some parks to chill in, but Auckland has a pretty lame vibe to it. If you go, you won’t need to stay too long.

Where We Stayed In Auckland, pt. 2: This time we stayed at Metro Backpackers. We were able to watch Drag Race for five days, which meant the wi-fi was decent. I definitely recommend this hostel more than Base.

And that’s it!

Stay tuned for my South Island post, and other pieces of my New Zealand Guide! If you have any questions, feel free to leave them below!