After months of planning and reading through many guides (thx to all the friends for their tips and guides), we finally made it to NZ for our honeymoon! SGDF and I began our 2-week road trip across NZ in North Island. We heard there was more to see in South Island so we decided to spend only 3 days to get from Auckland to Wellington. Here is what we saw and did in our campervan, “Lex Luthor”. 

Day 1: Prepping our Campervan and Exploring nearby Auckland

We spent our first full day exploring the areas nearby Auckland (technically this would be Day 2 since we lost a day traveling to Auckland from SF). We woke up and ran to Pau Homestead. This cafe was such a pleasant surprise, it’s located inside Auckland Art Gallery and had this amazing patio with a view. Get their full breakfast (similar to an English breakfast).

After refueling, we went to pick up “Lex Luthor,” our Spaceship campervan and headed to Piha Black Sand Beach, stopping at some nice vista points along the way. There is a cafe nearby the beach and parking lot. We were surprised by how empty the beach was, just a few surfers and owners taking their dogs for a walk.

Next stop was Karekare Beach and Waterfall. You can put “Karekare waterfall” in Google maps but stop before your destination at the main car park. Also, be careful driving there since the roads are narrow and turn into one-ways so pay attention to who has the right of way. At the car park, you can walk to the falls and beach.

On the way back to Auckland, we stopped by Elevation cafe, the highest cafe in Auckland. I recommend stopping here for a drink or snack because the views are amazing.

We then got groceries before checking in the Takapuna Beach Holiday Park, located between Lake Pupuke and Throne Bay. There are many restaurants and bars nearby on Hurstmere Road, including Tok Tok, an Asian fusion spot we ended at for dinner.

Day 2: Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Wairere Falls, and Rotorua

We made an early start to head down to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. We were already impressed with the drive itself, just constant bright green fields and glimpses of cows and sheep roaming (turns out that it is just all of NZ). At Waitomo, we picked the 45 min tour which includes one tour guide for a group of 30-40 people. We walked around the caves and learned about the history of the caves and worms, and why they glow. Post the walk around the cave, we waited to board onto a large boat to get closer to the worms. Overall, we thought the tour and experience was worth the drive down.

On the way out, just outside the caves, we stopped by another cafe called Homestead. I doubt it is related to the first one we went to, though they also had a pretty good view. We then headed to Wairere Falls, the tallest waterfall in North Island. Heads up that it’s a 1.5 hour roundtrip hike to the lookout or 3 hours roundtrip to the summit. We didn’t know a hike would be involved until we parked, but definitely worthwhile to do if you have time. The photos below of the hike and falls do not do it justice.

Next stop, Rotorua, city named after its namesake lake. We were very unprepared on where to go. We randomly ended up at Kuirau Park, where you can see some of the natural hot springs for free. We then went to Sulfur Point, based on some quick Google searches, which seemed like it would be nice on a good day but is filled with thousands of bugs.

For our final stop of the day, we headed to Lake Taupo Holiday Park, which was significantly nicer than the one we went to the day before. They have a pool area, tennis courts, huge kitchen, individual private showers, and restaurant / cafe that serves hot food. We made our first meal in our Spaceship campervan and called it an early night.

Day 3: Tongariro Alpine Crossing Hike and Drive to Wellington

We headed out early to Tongariro National Park to catch our shuttle to the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing hike (a.k.a through LOTR Mordor). Here are some things you should do in advance and in preparation:

• Check the weather for both the park and summit, they can be drastically different. When we went, it was just raining at the bottom but at the summit, it was up to 50 mph winds with heavy rain and close to freezing temperature.
• Bring the right equipment, especially in preparation for bad conditions. Bring water, snacks, hiking boots (significantly easier to get through the terrain), layers including long pants (ideally waterproof), waterproof jacket, long sleeves because it can get very cold at the summit even if you visit during the summer, extra socks in case it rains, sunscreen in case it is sunny, and a hat for both the rain or sun.
• Book your shuttle in advance. There are two options: 1) Book a shuttle to the start of the hike and to pick you up at the end, or 2) Book a shuttle to take you from the end of the hike to the start of the hike and park your car at the end of the hike. There are various shuttle companies you can use, but we booked with Tongariro Crossing Shuttle.

We were unlucky with the weather (photos below) so we couldn’t see much but can imagine it to be amazing on a good day. The hike itself was challenging due to the conditions and the elevation gain, but just take your time and prepare in advance.

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After the 19km hike (~ 5-6 hours round trip) we then drove 5 hours to get to Wellington. We started our drive down the North Island, stopping for food at an unexpectedly decent restaurant called Rustic Eating House. On the way down, we discovered some incredible picnic / vista points. One of my favorites was this random stop where we got to check out NZ rolling green hills (photos below).

We ended up near the coast as we were getting closer to Wellington so we stopped by some of the beaches. My favorite one is Waikanae Beach because of the view of Kapiti Island.

We finally made it to Throndon Hotel. I have to admit that I am so glad we booked proper accommodation to rest up after a long day, and just to recharge post the 3 days of driving. Overall, we would love to come back to the North Island to see Mt. Taranaki, the beaches, and many other sites we had to skip this time!