North Island road trip: complete guide & best spots

From the northernmost tip of New Zealand to the trendy city of Wellington in the south - this North Island road trip itinerary has it all.

Use our Ultimate North Island Road Trip Itinerary to plan either a one-way or return journey. To make sure that you don’t miss a thing, our travel experts have included all the best sightseeing and camping spots. Plus, we’ve thrown in a heap of extra information like drive times, distances, the best season to travel and much more!

This particular route takes you through places like Auckland, Cape Reinga, Waitomo, Napier and Wellington. Along the way, you’ll visit some of the North Island’s best sights such as the Bay of Islands, the Coromandel Peninsula, Hobbiton, Rotorua, Lake Taupo and Tongariro National Park.

Total Distance: 2,250km one-way / 2,960km return | Recommended Days: 9 - 10 days one-way / 11 - 14 days return | Total Drive Time: 33 hours one-way / 42 hours return | Best Time to Visit: Between September and May

Best road trip around North Island: 10 places you can’t miss

1. Auckland & Bay Of Islands

Drive Time: 4 hr | Distance: 237km

Auckland is New Zealand's largest city and home to some of the country's top-rated tourist attractions. Known as the City of Sails, it’s the perfect place to kick off a North Island road trip thanks to its central location and major international airport. Take a day or two to explore the city’s natural drawcards such as the surrounding mountains or nearby islands. Alternatively, explore the lively city centre and discover the range of cultural experiences on offer.

We highly recommend starting with Auckland Museum. Recognised as one of the best museums in New Zealand, this is the place to go if you want to learn about the history of the land and its people. Wander through their special collection of Maori treasures and artefacts as you learn about the origins of the Pacific Region. Entry is free for Kiwis and $28 for international visitors.

If you want a daytrip, head to Waiheke Island. Whilst many of the islands around Auckland are accessible by ferry, Waiheke tends to be the most popular and the easiest to get to. Take one of the multiple ferries that run every day and visit the island's vineyards, art galleries and sandy beaches. A relaxing day out for those wanting to take things easy.

Once you’ve finished exploring Auckland, make your way north and after a few hours you’ll pass Whangārei Falls just outside of Whangarei. This iconic set of waterfalls is one of the most popular destinations on any North Island road trip and a good place to stretch your legs. The falls are some of the largest in the area, standing at 26.3m tall. A quick and easy walk from the car park.

Where to Stay in the Bay of Islands

Only a 7-minute drive from the town centre of Paihia is the Paihia Top 10 Holiday Park. It offers a range of camping options with all the amenities that you could ever need, including hot showers, communal kitchens, a swimming pool, free unlimited wifi and much more. Powered sites start at $40 a night.

Alternatively, you can try Falls Motel and Waterfront Campground. This is a beautiful and highly-rated holiday park on the riverside by Haruru Falls. Enjoy unmetered hot showers, free wifi, a pool and much more for about $20 a night.

2. Cape Reinga

Drive Time: 3 hr 30 min | Distance: 215km

Spend your morning exploring the stunning subtropical haven that is the Bay of Islands. Take a cruise to one of the 144 islands before making your way back to the mainland and exploring historical sights like the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Regarded as “the birthplace of New Zealand”, Waiting is the meeting ground wherein 1840 the native Maori people and the Crown agreed upon the country’s founding document. It is a must-visit for any tourist and includes two new modern museums, a carving studio, traditional meeting houses and war canoes on display. Entry costs $25 for adult Kiwis and $50 for adult international tourists.

In the afternoon, take a scenic 15-minute ferry ride from Paihia to the historic township of Russell (alternatively, you can just drive around the coast). This town was New Zealand's first seaport and European settlement. It has retained its original layout and street names dating from 1843, so you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. Wander down to NZ’s oldest church (Christ Church est 1835) before sitting down for lunch at the country’s first licensed hotel, bar and restaurant The Duke of Marlborough.

After a short drive north, you’ll reach the northernmost tip of New Zealand: Cape Reinga. Look out from the seaside cliff face and watch as both the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean merge into one. Also, keep an eye out for a gnarled old tree overlooking the water. Maori culture believes that this tree is the point where the spirits of the deceased leap into the ocean and return to their ancestral homeland.

Where to Stay in Cape Reinga

Tapotupotu Campsite is a scenic Department of Conservation (DOC) campsite with basic amenities (cold showers, non-flush toilets and tap water) for $15 per night. It’s set on a grassy area next to the roaring ocean.

Alternatively, you can try the Spirits Bay Kapowairua Campsite. This is another scenic DOC campsite a little further away from Cape Reinga (about 30 minutes). It offers basic amenities (cold showers, non-flush toilets and tap water) for $15 per night. This site offers more shelter from strong winds.

3. Dargaville (via Waipoua Forest)

Drive Time: 4 hr 30 min | Distance: 270km

Today you’re going to explore the largely untouched west coast of the North Island. The scenic route down the west coast from Cape Reinga to Auckland is a lot quieter than the main highway because it takes a little longer. However, the added time is well worth it because you get some of New Zealand’s best roads and attractions all to yourself.

Your first stop should be 90 Mile Beach - a place of pristine white sands, spectacular sunsets and a world-class left-hand surf break. Ninety Mile Beach is officially recognised as a highway, but it is only suitable for 4WD vehicles at certain times of the day (depending on tides). Alternatively, you can take a bus tour or simply park the camper and wander down for a look.

Continue south until you come across the Waipoua Forest. Park the car and enjoy a leisurely 5-minute walk to Tane Mahuta (aka The Lord of the Forest) - perhaps the largest tree you’ll ever lay eyes on (2,000 years old, 4.4m in diameter and 18m to the first branch). Jump back in the car and follow the scenic highway through this towering green forest of Kauai trees and massive ferns that approach upon the road’s edge.

Where to Stay in Dargaville

Baylys Beach Holiday Park is a few minutes drive out of Dargaville and only a short walking distance from a long and remote sandy beach. It offers a range of camping options (including grassy sites) set amongst coastal forests. Great amenities starting at only $20 per night for unpowered sites.

Alternatively, try the Dargaville Holiday Park. Set amongst 3 acres of park-like grounds in the centre of town, this park offers campsites starting at about $20 per night. Facilities are great for families with kids, including a giant swimming pool, skatepark, playground and more.

4. Coromandel

Drive Time: 4 hr 30 min | Distance: 342km

After driving back through Auckland and continuing your North Island road trip southward, you’ll arrive at one of New Zealand’s favourite beach holiday destinations: the Coromandel Peninsula. This area is beloved by locals for its 400km expanse of pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, misty mountain forests and laid back vibes. It’s time to kick off your shoes and spend the afternoon with your feet in the sand.

Cathedral Cove is the most famous landmark on the Coromandel Peninsula and one of the most photographed locations in all of New Zealand. You can access the site by parking at Hahei visitor car park and walking down to the sandy beaches of Mercury Bay. Don’t forget your camera so you can snap some shots of this awesome white-rock archy that leads into a magnificent coastal cavern.

From Cathedral Cove, it’s only a 5-minute walk to the equally famous Hot Water Beach. As you step onto the beach you’ll feel warm spring water bubbling up below your feet into the golden sands. Buy or hire a cheap shovel from one of the local tourist traders and dig yourself a natural spa bath on the beach so that you can watch the sunset in absolute bliss.

Where to Stay in Coromandel

Shelly Beach Top 10 Holiday Park is a beachfront holiday park where you can sleep near the water. They offer clean and modern amenities with prices starting at about $18 per night for an unpowered campsite.

If you’re after a freedom camping site, try Little Bay. This spot only has basic amenities (drop toilets, picnic tables and trash cans) but it’s in a quieter location 1 hour north of Coromandel.

5. Waitomo (via Hobbiton Village)

Drive Time: 5 hr | Distance: 330km

Make your way down the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula towards the seaside city of Tauranga. This port city is another popular coastal destination for holiday-makers. It’s the perfect place to stop for lunch at one of the many waterfront restaurants or cafes. If you’re travelling with kids, let them run around the large bronze Hairy Maclary sculptures by the water.

After cruising the coastal roads, cut back inland toward Hamilton and stop off for a tour of the Hobbiton Village Movie Set. Follow the signs to this sheep farm just outside of Matamata. Take one of the guided 2-hour tours and visit Hobbit Holes, the Shire Mill and the Green Dragon Inn. Tours run all day every day and cost $89 per adult (book in advance).

End the day by setting up camp in the small town of Waitomo, famous for its underground wonders.

Where to Stay in Waitomo

The Waitomo Top 10 Holiday Park offers a number of camping options starting at about $25 per night. Set amongst green grounds, the fantastic facilities include a swimming pool, free hot tub, trampoline and more.

Alternatively, the Waitomo Freedom Camping site is free for self-contained vehicles. It has very basic amenities but it is located next to Roseland Restaurant where you can enjoy a delicious $10 dinner and $5 drinks.

6. Rotorua

Drive Time: 2 hr | Distance: 139km

Waitomo is renowned as the home of New Zealand’s biggest and best underground glowworm cave system. Book a walking or boat tour in advance and witness how thousands of luminous glow worms light the dark caverns below the town. If you’re up for some action, consider taking on some black-water rafting inside the caves themselves.

After your adventure into the underground, it’s time to head east to a place of even more geological wonders: Rotorua. This town is world-famous for its bubbling hot mud pools, therapeutic hot springs and spurting geysers. You’ll know you’re getting close when you can smell the sulphur in the air!

Once you arrive in Rotorua, head straight to Tamaki Maori Village - recently named one of the Top 10 Experiences in the World and the most awarded cultural experience in New Zealand. Tamaki is a fully recreated traditional Maori village that allows you to take a step back in time. Throughout the evening, you’ll enjoy an array of live performances and interactive experiences that bring ancient traditions and stories to life.

Where to Stay in Rotorua

The Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park offers some of the best value camping in all of NZ. Campsites start at about $25 per night and include access to free hot thermal pools, swimming pool, modern amenity blocks and more.

Another unique accommodation option is the All Seasons Holiday Park Rotorua. Located on the edge of Lake Rotorua just outside of town (no sulphur smells), this park is covered with 19 life-sized dinosaurs and you get free access to the indoor/outdoor heated pools and spa complex.

7. Taupo

Drive Time: 1 hr | Distance: 80km

Enjoy a slow start this morning and explore all the geological wonders that Rotorua has to offer - these sights are truly unique and you’ll struggle to find a similar experience anywhere else in the world.

Make the 20-minute drive out of Rotorua to Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland and take on one of the many walking tracks. Each track can take anywhere from 45-90 minutes as they wind their way through world-famous attractions like the Champagne Pool, bubbling mud pools, shooting geysers and volcanic craters.

At around midday, you can make the short one-hour drive to Taupo. On your way into the town, you’ll pass the famous Huka Falls. Pull over and take a short walk across the bridge. From the lookout, you can watch more than 220,000 litres of crystal blue water thunder over the 11m cliff face every second.

Once you arrive at Lake Taupo , take a scenic cruise around it’s shimmering blue waters and see the extraordinary Mine Bay Maori Rock Carvings that stand at 14m tall. The carvings were undertaken by a local master carver in the 1970s and depict Ngatoroirangi - a visionary Maori navigator who guided the local tribes to Taupo over 1000 years ago.

Where to Stay in Taupo

The Lake Taupo Holiday Resort is another of New Zealand’s coolest holiday parks. It’s got a thermal pool with a swim-up bar and cafe. There’s a range of camping options available with powered sites starting at about $73 per night.

Alternatively, you can try the Whakaipo Bay Recreational Reserve. This is an amazing freedom camping spot with access to Lake Taupo and basic facilities (drop toilet). A 10-minute drive from town.

8. Tongariro National Park

Drive Time: 1 hr 20 min | Distance: 100km

Another short drive today but an action-packed afternoon of adventure around Tongariro National Park - New Zealand’s first national park. Opened in 1887, this park encompasses three famous volcanoes and now enjoys dual UNESCO World Heritage status for both cultural significance and outstanding natural value. Take your pick from one of the following walks that will take you past emerald lakes, steaming volcanic crates and ancient lava flows.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is regarded as one of the best hikes in the world. But at 19.4km long, it’s not for the faint of heart. The walk takes about 7-9 hours in total and you will have to arrange for return transportation. However, if you want to see absolutely everything that the Park has to offer, this is the walk for you.

If you’re like us and want something a bit easier than the Alpine Crossing, try the much shorter Taranaki Falls Walk. It’s only 6km long (2hr return) but it leads you directly to some of the Park’s best sites, including the 20m tall Taranaki Falls, which spectacularly tumble over the edge of a 15,000-year-old lava flow.

If you continue on the Taranaki Falls Walk, you will merge onto the 17.6km (6hr return) Tama Lakes Walk. Along the way, you will pass through tussock and alpine herb fields before reaching the emerald waters of the lower and upper Tama Lakes. These lakes have formed in old volcanic craters and are some of New Zealand’s most iconic geographic attractions.

Where to Stay in Tongariro National Park

The Whakapapa Holiday Park is a friendly holiday park that provides clean and modern amenities as well as a shuttle bus service around the National Park. Camping starts at about $22 per night.

Alternatively, Ruatiti Domain is a beautiful freedom camping site about a 35-minutes drive from Tongariro National Park. It has basic amenities (drop toilets, tap water and BBQs) and river access.

9. Napier

Drive Time: 3 hr | Distance: 220km

The trendy Art-Deco city of Napier sits on the water’s edge in the iconic Hawkes Bay region. This is the second-last stop on your North Island road trip and a wonderful opportunity to relax and unwind. Wander through the streets and admire the beautiful buildings that have been restored to reflect the popular architectural styles of the 1930s. And while you’re at it, indulge in some of the food and wine being served up at one of the many world-class vineyards or restaurants around town.

We recommend starting with a walk along Napier’s seafront promenade: Marine Parade. Make your way past tall Norfolk Pines and slowly meander through the various gardens that splatter the foreshore. You’ll also have the chance to admire some of the famous monuments and installations, the most popular of which is the Pania of the Reef statue.

In the afternoon, you can visit the National Aquarium of New Zealand. This place is massive and will take a few hours to walk through. The Oceanarium is a crowd-favourite and gives you the chance to see sharks, stingrays, fish, turtles and octopi from the Pacific Ocean. Plus, you can also get up close and personal with some of NZ’s other famous animals like the Kiwi or the Little Blue Penguin.

Where to Stay in Napier

There’s no shortage of camping options at the Hawkes Bay Holiday Park. It boasts over 50 sheltered and unsheltered campsites set amongst its lush grounds and well-maintained facilities.

Alternatively, Beach Domain is an awesome freedom camping spot for self-contained vehicles. It has a clean toilet block and waterfront views.

10. Wellington

Drive Time: 4 hr | Distance: 320km

Considered by Lonely Planet to be the “coolest little capital in the world”, Wellington sits at the southern tip of the North Island. If you are only travelling one way, this will be the final destination on your North Island road trip. It’s not a bad place to end either, given that this city is renowned for being New Zealand’s creative hub. Take it easy and enjoy a wealth of cultural experiences around the city or get out and explore the glorious surroundings.

Start with a visit to New Zealand’s national museum and art gallery - Te Papa Museum. Since opening in 1998, Te Papa has attracted over 1.5 million visitors each year. It’s recognised as the best museum in NZ thanks to its cutting-edge interactive exhibitions and a vast collection of both traditional and modern Kiwi artwork. Entry is free for all visitors.

Finish the day with a charming ride on the historic Wellington Cable Car. It departs from the city centre and gently climbs 612m to the suburb of Kelburn - famous for its colourful timber houses and hillside terraces. Once at the top, take a walk around the Wellington Botanic Gardens and enjoy panoramic views over the city.

Where to Stay in Wellington

Camp Wellington Campervan Park is close to the city centre and has modern and clean facilities. It’s also affordable with camping sites starting at only $25 per night.

If you want a very scenic freedom camping spot right in the heart of Wellington City, try Evans Bay Marina Self Contained Camping. This waterfront camping spot has basic facilities (tap water, dump station and public toilet) for self-contained vehicles.

North Island Road Trip - Return (Days 11 - 14)

Drive Time: 9 hr | Distance: 710km

If you plan on returning to Auckland, you can continue your North Island road trip up the west coast. The return trip can be done in as little as a day but we recommend that you take 2-3 days. Along the way, stop at the coastal city of New Plymouth which sits at the bottom of the snow-capped Mount Taranaki. Here you can stretch your legs along the 13km New Plymouth Coastal Walkway for stunning views over the Tasman Sea.

Organise your road trip with Camplify

With so much to see and do on the North Island, it’s time to start planning your road trip! We recommend starting with campervan hire on the North Island so that you can hit the road ASAP and focus on the fun stuff! Camplify will make your trip easy with a huge selection of campervans to choose from and convenient online booking. Plus, every booking comes standard with comprehensive insurance and roadside assistance.

Should you run short of things to see or do during your travels, you can always check out our other North Island road trip ideas.

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