North Island suggestions?
 

Hi,

I plan to fly into Auckland and spend a week in the Bay of Islands. Then I want to bus it to Wellington before continuing to the South Island.

My question is, where should I stop between Auckland and Wellington. Rotorua doesn't sound all that interesting to me. How about Taupo? Any other ideas for a first time NZ visitor?

There are many things of great interest to visitors in Rotorua. Have you done any research yourself, what are your interests, cultural, sporting, scenic etc?
A week in the BOI is probably too long, three or four days is usually enough.
You also don't mention what time of year you plan to travel, makes a big difference to our diverse country.
Check purenz.com.

Hi Kathy,

I'll have about 6 weeks, Jan/Feb 2004. I'll be staying in hostels and travelling by bus. I got the impression from my guidebook that a Rotorua visit would be expensive and commercial and I'd rather save my money for other activities I know I want to do (like Milford Sound cruise, glacier tour, etc.).

Well, certainly Rotorua is a big tourist destination, and there are 'commercial' sights that you should probably skip, such as the Agrodome or the downtown hot springs. On the other hand, there are some interesting places. Whakarewarewa has some great hot springs and geysers that are worth visiting. I would definitely not skip Taupo, which has a number of good stops, such as Craters of the Moon, and nearby Orakei Korako (Hidden Valley).

You would definitely want to stop off around Tongariro/Ruapehu. The volcanos around there are wonderful. Great hiking, skiing (depending on season), and scenery.

HI Karla
Sounds like you will have a great time with six weeks up your sleeve. Re Rotorua, the places I like the best and I used to travel to them on business every six weeks are, Waiotapu, Buried Village, Waimangu and Rainbow Springs.
The museum in Rotorua is also very interesting because with the area being such a tourist attraction from the 1800's there were many photographs taken so they have a great record of the culture and history as well. You will want to have a hangi, (maori feast) and after that follows a maori concert. A four wheel drive trip up the slopes of Mt Tarawera to the crater's edge is pretty exciting. Because you are staying in hostels you will meet lots of people with plenty of suggestions so I'd just go with the flow. You won't spend any more on activities there than in Queenstown or on the glaciers etc. There's more to do in the Rotorua area than in Taupo but it's a great town and worth an overnight.