Boyfriend and I are going to be in New Zealand for two weeks in January and we've decided to stick to North Island, since we have quite a list of things we want to see and do there. Here's our planned itinerary, critiques and suggestions welcome!

December 31: Arrive Auckland 5am (!), have a leisurely day in the city, go to city centre for fireworks at night.
January 1: Underwater Adventure, self-guided volcano walk, possibly a museum (will things be open on New Year's Day?)
January 2: Beach and hiking day (still haven't decided exactly where)
January 3: Take the ferry to Waiheke island in the morning. Take a winery tour with Fullers (other suggestions?), see Stony Batter.
January 4: Take ferry back to Auckland early in the morning. Aickland Harbour Bridge Climb at 11:30, then pick up rental car and drive to Rotorua.
January 5: Half-day trip to Hobbiton with Hobbiton Tours, followed by a Maori concert and hangi in the evening.
January 6: Agrodome for the day. I want to bungy and the boy wants to zorb, what other interesting stuff is there at Agrodome?
January 7: Free day in Rotorua. We want to maybe go to the Polynesian spa, or just wander about. Suggestions?
January 8: Day trip to Waitomo caves. We want to see both the Glowworm cave and the other one, without the worms but with lots of formations.
January 9: Possibly Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland, or some other geothermal area.
January 10: Drive to Wellington. We'll do something in the evening, but we're not sure what.
January 11: Visit National Tattoo Museum and Te Papa. Wander around the city.
January 12: Rover Lord of the Rings tour!
January 13: Fly to Auckland, and then back to San Francisco that evening.

So, that's the general plan. We need to book hotels everywhere, any recs? We're looking for mid-range accomodations...a B&B would be preferable in Auckland and Waiheke island, and something pretty straightforward would be good in Rotorua. No idea what to look for in Wellington.

My first thought is you're spending a really long time in Auckland. I would take a day off there and put it elsewhere - maybe spend a night in Tongariro National Park on your way to Wellington, since it sounds like you're a LotR fan.

We enjoyed the hangi and concert at Te Puia - www.nzmaori.co.nz

In Wellington, we stayed at the Bay Plaza Hotel, located on Oriental Parade. It was an easy walk to anything we wanted to see.

You can read our trip report and see pictures at http://community.webshots.com/ElendilPickle

Lee Ann

Hi
Quite a lot will be closed on New Year's Day, although Auckland Museum www.aucklandmuseum.com will be open, and also Kelly Tarltons (where you can have an Antarctic experience) http://www.kellytarltons.co.nz

If you're going to the beaches in Auckland, I'd look at going to the west coast (only an hour drive from Auckland).
Waiheke is really lovely - in many ways a microcosm of the North Island, with lovely beaches, wine, and farm land.

I'd go to Waitomo caves on your way out from Auckland before you get to Rotorua rather than double back. The black water rafting is very popular, or you can do the Lost World experience, which always looks awesome if you're not scared of heights like me.

You may also find the Hobbiton tour is on the way to Rotorua - I'm not 100% sure, but recommend you check that out before committing to accommodation in Rotorua that night. Its a waste of your precious time to double back.

There's lots to see in Rotorua - go to the geothermal reserves, and equally there are some stunning lakes nearby.

The drive to Wellington should take a whole day - aim at getting there at the end of the day. So you can stop in Taupo, you could drive via National Park (the west side of Lake Taupo) and head up one of the volcanoes. You could also drive via the Wairarapa area, which produces great wine particularly Pinot Noir(lots of places to sample), and is only an hours drive from Wellington.

Bear in mind this is NZ's traditional vacation period, and so you will need to book accomodation in advance. It won't get dark till about 10 pm, and so you can do lots of things after dinner if you're not exhausted. That means you could cut a day off your time in Auckland, and even fly to Auckland at the end of the day in Wellington (there are lots of flight) to give yourself an extra day or two somewhere else.

I would also take time off from Auckland and Rotorua to spend more time on the way to Wellington.

In Rotorua, Whakarewarewa, Buried Village, Lake Tarawera were all worth visiting, IMO.
Can't help with the Agrodome, I've avoided it, along with the Rainbow Springs Trout pool.

Thanks for the advice, everyone! We're still working out our final itinerary, but we're definitely going to change our plans a bit now based on your suggestions. We're trying to keep a good balance between my wanting to plan everything out and have every day filled, and the boy's desire to have a few unstructured free days. Heh.

Anyone have any hotel recs for Auckland?

What is your hotel budget for Auckland?

We stayed at the New President on Victoria about a block off of Queen Street. Their rates in 2004 were around $150 per night; they appear to cater to business travelers, so you might get a good deal on a weekend.

We were very pleased with our room; we reserved a studio but they upgraded us to a two-bedroom apartment with full kitchen and laundry facilities. It was our last night in NZ, and it was great to have room to spread out all our stuff and repack.

Lee Ann

That sounds like a nice hotel, Lee Ann, thanks for the advice. Our budget is around $150 a night, but we're willing to pay a little more if the place seems worth it. We'll definitely look into the New President.

I *think* they also include breakfast in the room rate; it wasn't part of our deal since we were staying there as part of a prize package, so I can't comment on whether it's good or not.

Lee Ann

We loved the very North of Auckland, Cape Reinga, Ninety Mile Beach, Coromandel Coast.