East Coast and the Volcanic Zone

When you get to Rotorua, the mid-island's major city and a longtime Maori hub, after a trip through the rolling sheep-speckled fields of the Waikato and the wild Mamaku Ranges, the aptly named "Sulphur City," with its mud pots, geysers, and stinky air, comes as a complete surprise. Rotorua has been a tourist magnet since the 19th century, when Europeans first heard of the healing powers of local hot springs.

South of Rotorua is Lake Taupo, the country's largest lake and the geographical bull's-eye of the North Island. From the lake, you'll have a clear shot at Ruapehu, the island's tallest peak and a top ski area, and its symmetrically cone-shaped neighbor, Ngauruhoe. Ruapehu dominates Tongariro National Park, a haunting landscape of craters, volcanoes, and lava flows that ran with molten rock as recently as 1988. As part of the Pacific Ring of Fire (a zone that's earthquake and volcanic eruption prone), the area's thermal features remain an ever-present hazard—and a thrilling attraction.

Southeast of Lake Taupo is the laid-back art deco town of Napier along Hawke's Bay, where you can laze the days away drinking at the local vineyards. To truly get off the beaten path, head to isolated Eastland, the thick thumb of land that's east of Rotorua.

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