As soon as we picked up the campervan and got on the road in Auckland, I knew that I was going to like New Zealand. Surprisingly, it actually reminds me very much of England, but with more impressive mountains, lakes and general scenic views. (Seriously, this whole country looks like a desktop background.) The people of New Zealand are so friendly and welcoming and it has such a homely feel about it whilst at once being otherworldly in its beauty. Being in this country is like one big breath of fresh air. Apart from when you’re in Rotorua, which, whilst being my favourite place on the North Island, is more like a breath of rotten eggs. We’ll come back to that later.
Our first day in New Zealand was spent exploring Auckland city centre. The next day, we drove down to Waitamo where we visited the Waitamo Glowworm Caves. The caves were very impressive but, unfortunately, you are unable to take any photographs whilst on the tour. We were invited to take photos after the tour had ended and so here, for your viewing pleasure, is a photograph of a boat retreating into a cave that (I promise) is lit up by thousands of glowworms! Not very impressive, I know, and so I really would recommend booking on to the tour for the full experience.
Since the campervan we hired is self-contained, we're trying to keep costs down by free camping as much as possible. After the Glowworm Caves, we found one of the most wonderful free campsites we have stayed on, where we set up base for the night. Surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery, the campsite also had a swing set (where we got to act like big kids!) and a bridge over a river that led to a walking track. We completed the walk the following morning, which ended at a (somewhat anticlimactic) waterfall, before continuing on to the next stop on our journey: Rotorua.
As I mentioned previously, Rotorua is my favourite place that we visited on the North Island. And seeing as the whole town absolutely reeks of volcano farts (due to the sulphur emissions from the hot springs), that is saying something about how much I enjoyed the rest of it! Famous for its geothermal activity and Mãori culture, it was a very interesting place to visit with a lot to do and learn.
On our first evening in Rotorua, we free camped just opposite the world-famous Polynesian Spa (where, I later found out, my sister used to work when she lived in New Zealand!) The Polynesian Spa fills its pools with geothermal hot mineral waters from two natural springs, which are said to have lots of therapeutic and healing properties. We booked a private pool overlooking Lake Rotorua, which was a very romantic and relaxing way to spend the evening. The water was beautifully hot against the cold night air and the smell of the sulphur barely reached us. It was a really lovely experience to warm up a cold, winter evening.
The next day, we visited Whakarewarewa - The Living Mãori Village. Whilst there are a lot of competing attractions, Whakarewarewa is the only living Mãori Village in New Zealand. It is home to the Tuhourangi Ngãti Wãhiao people who both own and operate the village, and we really wanted to go there in order to get the most authentic experience.
Whilst there, we were treated to a traditional Mãori performance called Kapa Haka, which pays tribute to the legacy of the villagers’ ancestors through cultural song (waiata) and dance (haka). Afterwards, we were invited to have our photo taken with the performers!
We then went on a guided tour with a very lovely and funny tour guide who was born in the village and has lived there his whole life. He taught us a lot about Mãori culture; the heritage of the Tuhourangi Ngãti Wãhiao people; their day-to-day life in the village and the ways in which they utilise the geothermal activity of the hot springs for everyday activities such as bathing, cooking and heating their homes.
He taught us some interesting facts about the geothermal activity in Rotorua, and we got to see lots of hot springs, bubbling mud pools and fumaroles, as well as geysers erupting, including the world-famous Põhutu geyser!
After the tour had finished, we were treated to a traditional Hãngi pie (“Hãngi” loosely translating to “earth oven”) and corn on the cob that had been cooked in the hot springs!
It was an amazing and very educational experience that I would definitely recommend doing whilst in Rotorua.
That evening, we went to Redwoods Forest where we did the Redwoods Nightlights Treewalk. It was beautiful, as the whole forest had been lit with lanterns above the canopies.
The next day, we went for a morning walk around Lake Tikitapu, also known as "Blue Lake", which was absolutely gorgeous.
After leaving Rotorua, we took a trip to Huka Falls, which is the bluest and most powerful waterfall I have ever seen. The volume of water flowing through is approximately 220,000 litres per second!
After that, we drove to Tongariro National Park, which is the oldest national park in New Zealand. However, with neither of us having any interest in Lord of the Rings, or particularly wanting to do a 19.4km hike across a volcano in the biting cold of winter, we didn’t complete the famous Alpine Crossing. Instead, we completed a shorter and easier walk to Taraniki Falls, which was less impressive than Huka Falls, but still a very nice walk.
The final stop on our North Island tour was in Wellington, where we stayed on a free campsite overlooking the Wellington sign. After we had got set up, we went on a long walk up Mount Victoria in order to reach the city centre. We explored the city, then walked back to the campsite the same way just as the sun was setting.
The following morning, we had to be up early in order to get the ferry over to the South Island. Even if you don’t have a campervan that needs transporting, I would really recommend travelling across islands by ferry rather than plane. It is a short and comfortable journey, but with the most breathtakingly beautiful views I have ever seen by boat, as you pass through mountains and clouds on dazzlingly blue water.
I really enjoyed our time on the North Island of New Zealand and am currently enjoying our time on the South Island just as much. As I write this, I am sat in a café by Lake Wakitapu in Queenstown, overlooking the mountains, trees and general beauty that epitomises this whole country. We still have a few days left to enjoy campervan life in perhaps the most beautiful country I have ever visited, and I am trying to soak up every last second!
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