A Complete New Zealand North Island Itinerary | 7 – 10 Days in NZ

The big debate when planning a New Zealand trip is whether to do the North Island, South Island or a combo of the two. Since I had a month to spare for my trip, I was able to do a little bit of everything from North to South but I know that will just not be the case with everyone.

While many people may skip the North Island when planning a trip to New Zealand, I can confidently say that both the North and South islands deserve a visit – whether that be on one long trip or a couple shorter ones.

This guide in particular will go over a 10 day New Zealand North Island itinerary (as well as how to cut it done to 7 days) and walk you through all you need to know when planning that trip of a lifetime.

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A Complete New Zealand North Island Itinerary (7-10 Days)

Before jumping into the details, I wanted to lay out a few important things to know and take under consideration for this itinerary in particular.

Renting a Car: I highly recommend renting a car for your time throughout New Zealand’s North Island. Yes, you could technically rely on busses, taxis, etc. but if you want to have the liberty to do what you want, when you want, a car is the way to go.

There is little chance I would have been able to complete this itinerary without my own car. If you do rent a car, plan on picking up from Auckland airport and dropping off at Wellington airport.

Be sure to check out Rentalcars.com when it comes to renting a car in New Zealand.

The site will show you car options & prices from a variety of companies. This ensures that you will be able to choose the perfect car (and deal) for your trip to the country.

Opposite Driving: Going off of the driving subject – unlike many countries in the world, New Zealand drives on the left hand side of the road. That means everything is opposite to how one would drive in the US for example.

If renting a car please read through the Driving in New Zealand guide to get you prepared for the roads.

10 Full Days: Assume that day 1 is a full day – either arriving early AM or the night before. Similarly, day 10 would be nearly a full day as well depending on when your flight is back home.

New Zealand North Island Itinerary: 10 Days Map View

The map shown below shows the 10 day New Zealand North Island itinerary starting in Auckland and ending down in Wellington.

I pin pointed down the places where you will be staying the night as well as starring some of the day trips you will take from those cities.

As you go through the itinerary you will be able to see in more detail what every activity or attraction is within the cities throughout the trip.

Detailed New Zealand North Island Itinerary

Below you will find a detailed guide for what exactly you will be doing on a day to day basis. Each day gives you a good overview of what to do and what to expect along the way, with some high level logistics of the itinerary.

If you want more details for any given day, you can click on the relevant New Zealand Guides found throughout the page.

These guides will go into greater detail and give you everything you need to know about a city or attraction.

Day 1 – Auckland

Arriving either the previous night or earlier on day 1, your first day will be focused in on the city of Auckland.

Spending a day exploring one of New Zealand’s major cities will be a great way to get over the jet lag and see what the NZ city life is all about.

Auckland is a very walkable city and you can spend several hours doing a self-guided walking tour to many of the major sites (getting to/from Mount Eden at the end of the day, you can opt for a taxi or quick Uber ride).

If you do not have a rental car just yet (you could choose to start your rental car on day 2 instead), you can opt to take a taxi, Uber, or bus (easy and much cheaper!) to get from the airport to the city center.

Day 2 – Waitakere Ranges

On your second day in Auckland, you will be able to take a bit of a day trip out of the city and get in touch with New Zealand’s nature for the first time as you spend a day exploring the Waitakere Ranges.

This guide to the Best Walks in the Waitakere Ranges goes into more detail about each place mentioned

A definite highlight of my time on the North Island, the Waitakere Ranges are full of views, hikes, beaches, waterfalls and much more.

Starting in the morning, grab your car and make the drive to the Arataki Visitor Centre, where you can learn all about the area and get some helpful tips from the staff.

From there it is time to hop back into the car and explore further down below. I was able to see and take part of the following places in the Waitakere Ranges including:

Piha Beach & Lion’s Rock

The main landmark of the Waitakere Ranges is Piha Beach & Lion’s Rock. Here you will find a black sand beach with plenty of surfers and its massive rock formation jutting out in the middle.

Take some time to walk along the black sand and even hike up the trail to the top of the rock itself.

Day 3 – Waitomo & Blue Springs

It is now time to head out of the city and off to Rotorua. However, before getting there, you will have a couple awesome stops along the way. First head down to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.

Known to be one of the best glowworm spots in the country, Waitomo offers several different experiences to take part of to see the glowworms (insect larvae that glow up in the darkness).

I opted for the 3 hour Black Labyrinth tubing experience of the cave but that would require a bit earlier of a wakeup if you don’t want to get to Rotorua too late in the day. They also offer simple 45 minute walks/boats through the caves that still offer the great glowworm views.

After checking out the glowworms, hop back into the car for a 60-90 minute drive and make the stop at the Te Waihou Blue Springs.

This free attraction is well worth the visit as you get to see the crystal clear blue springs that produce 60%+ of New Zealand’s bottled water.

Head to the Blue Spring Leslie Road Carpark, where you can make the 15 minute walk and get to stroll right alongside the springs before turning back around and to the parking lot. After seeing the glowworms and Blue Springs, it is off to Rotorua for the next couple days!

Note: many people also head to Hobbiton after their glowworm experience. As I was not so interested in the site, I decided to skip it and added in the Blue Springs instead.

However if you are a big fan of Hobbiton, you can opt for that post Waitomo and before heading to Rotorua.

Day 4 – Rotorua

For the next three days, you will get to spend your time in and around the city of Rotorua and get up close and personal to some more New Zealand nature.

There is A LOT to do around the area but I narrowed it down to 12 different Rotorua activities to take part of during your time there.

Of course, if you know of some activity that you really want to do or see, you can move things around accordingly. What I have written down below for days 4, 5, and 6 is just an example of what can be done depending on your interests.

Day 5 – Rotorua

On your second day in Rotorua, you can head south of the city as you get to see firsthand an incredible geothermal park, hike to the top of Rainbow Mountain and take a dip into Kerosene Creek.

Day 6 – Rotorua / to Taupo

Your last day in Rotorua will start in the city itself before heading south towards Taupo, where you will be staying the next few nights.

Rotorua Waterfront

Begin the day at the Rotorua Waterfront, where you can take in the lake from up close and get some great views of the water. There are a few walking trails along the lake if interested in doing so as well.

Rotorua Museum

Once down at the lake, head to the nearby Rotorua Museum and Government Gardens. While the museum is closed for renovation until 2025, it is still a great area to walk around and enjoy.

Waimangu Volcanic Valley

Similar to Wai-O-Tapu, the Waimangu Volcanic Valley is another geothermal park south of Rotorua. Although there are similarities, there are some big differences as well and I would highly recommend taking part of both.

You can choose from a few trails of varying lengths and take in some unique geothermal activity from the world’s youngest volcanic valley.

After an afternoon at Waimangu, continue the drive down to Taupo, your new base on New Zealand’s North Island.

Day 7 – Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Hands down the best hike on the North Island of New Zealand is that of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

A 19.4KM / 12.1 mile one way hike, Tongariro has everything you would want in a hike – the views, the scenery, the mountains, the valleys – you name it and the crossing has it.

Since this is a one way trail (starting and ending points are in different places), you have a couple different options to choose from to take part: 1) Round trip transportation from Taupo to starting point, and then ending point back to Taupo or 2) Drive yourself to the ending point in the morning and opt for a one way shuttle to the starting point.

At the end of the hike, you can just hop back in your car and back to Taupo.

Learn More: You can read much more about the trail, logistics, and how to prepare to the hike as part of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing overview

Important Note: the weather is the most important thing when it comes to taking part of the trail. If the weather does not cooperate – high winds, very low clouds, or lots of rain – it may not be worth the effort. For this reason stay flexible and have the option to do it the next day instead.

Day 8 – Taupo

After taking part of the epic Tongariro Alpine Crossing, it is time to unwind and relax for a day in Taupo. You can spend the morning strolling through town, enjoying the lakeside and maybe checking out the coolest McDonald’s in the world (its in an airplane!).

Huka Falls

In the afternoon you can stop by Huka Falls, a bright blue 11 meter waterfall coming from the roaring Waikato River. You can head to a few different viewpoints around the area to take it all in.

Aratiatia Rapids

You can then head to the Aratiatia Rapids, a dam that releases water 4 times a day (10AM, 12PM, 2PM, 4PM). Note the 4PM release is only in summer months.

Before they release the water, there is basically just a small stream of water a few feet high. Only a couple minutes after they open the dam, the water levels rise significantly through the canyon.

Tip: there are three viewing points – the one on the bridge, the lower viewing point (5 minute walk), or the high viewing point (10 minute walk). Head to the lower view for the best views all around.

Day 9 – Drive to Wellington

The Drive to Wellington. Today is going to be a driving day, a 5 hour one at that as you make the drive from Taupo to Wellington.

There is not a ton to see along the way besides for some small towns as you fill up gas and grab some food. But the drive itself is pretty easy and you should be in Wellington in no time.

Note that Wellington is not the most car friendly city. Unless your hotel has parking available, be prepared to park in a paid parking lot during your time there.

Day 10 – Wellington

So you have made it to the capital city of New Zealand. Wellington, probably my favorite of New Zealand’s major cities, is full of plenty of things to do for a day.

After a full day of walking the city, it is time to spend your final night on New Zealand’s North Island. On day 11 you can grab your car and head to the airport to end a successful 10 day trip to NZ’s North Island.

If you are not ending your vacation but heading to the South Island next, then head over the ferry terminal, where you will be continuing your journey.

New Zealand North Island Itinerary: 7 Days

Now I know everyone planning a trip to the North Island of New Zealand will not have 10 days to spare so I wanted to outline what you can change/remove from the above to turn this 10 day itinerary into a 7 day one.

Instead of hanging out around Taupo and checking out Huka Falls and the Aratiatia Rapids, you can just head straight to Wellington the day after the hike. If you choose to do this, you can think about staying closer to the Crossing instead of in Taupo (National Park, Whakapapa Village, or Turangi).

Your 7 day itinerary would then look something like this:

• 1 Day Auckland or Waitakere
• 1 Day Waitomo
• 2 Days Rotorua
• 1 Day Tongariro Alpine Crossing
• 1 Day Drive to Wellington
• 1 Day Wellington

Well then, that wraps up a New Zealand North Island itinerary for 10 days exploring the ins and outs of the north part of the country.

Of course there is more to see and so but this itinerary is a great way to experience a lot of what the North Island has to offer.

Take a look at some more New Zealand itineraries and guides and feel free to ask any questions down below! Safe travels!

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