Central North Island

Pros: drop dead gorgeous scenery.
Cons: Winding roads and cloudy skies.

Easter weekend is not a good time to be out and about on New Zealands highways as the 4-day weekend attracts lots of holidaymakers and generally, a very high road toll. The roads are usually overloaded with cars and traffic can come to a...

Pros: Absolutely amazing glow worm caves and the activity options to see them
Cons: lack of accommodation options

Just returned from a 2 week trip to New Zealand. Our first week was spent on the North Island, starting in Auckland, going to Waitomo and then to Rotorua.
Waitomo is about a 3-4 hour drive south of Auckland - most of the driving is a 2 lane...

Pros: Little bit of everything
Cons: sulfur smells bad

Review Topic:  Overview

Taupo and Rotorua are big tourist stops along the way from Auckland to Wellington at the base of the North Island. Taupo is a small town on the shore of the biggest Lake in NZ, of the same name (Taupo)....

Pros: Rotorua's cultural and geothermal attractions. The central plateau's mountains. Very scenic.
Cons: Don't bother with the Waikato.

The Central North Island... what on earth do they mean by that? Well, I'm going to focus on the very centre but I'll touch on all areas between Hamilton and Palmerston North too.

ROTORUA: is fantastic. If you're going to only one part of New...

Pros: Rappelling, blackwater rafting, and a little climbing, all in one morning!
Cons: The water was absolutely freezing, since it was the equivalent of their December.

One of many unique and interesting experiences in New Zealand, blackwater rafting in Waitomo is in a league of its own.

There were six of us, plus our leader, on our excursion. We began the day by taking a van up a winding road to a tiny...

Pros: Something for everyone
Cons: Not much else

Hamilton is one of those cities that tourists tend to pass through on the way from, say Auckland to Rotorua. It's seldom a destination on its own.

This suggests that perhaps Hamilton has nothing to offer the tourist, when in actual fact it is...

Pros: Amazing glowworms and stalagtites
Cons: It's cold and wet

Definitely one of the highlights of my trip! Waitomo Caves are something you have to "do" rather than see b/c no picture in the world will come out when you're underground slogging through cold water. I highly recommend "Black Water...

Pros: ?
Cons: ?

Review Topic:  Sights & Attractions

Located on the East Coast of the North Island, Waimarama is a village all tourists and holiday-makers must experience while in the beautiful country of New Zealand. All though not known...

Pros: real cave experience, not a path type trip
Cons: extreme adventure. must be in shape

While on a three week trip to New Zealand spent one day at the Waitomo Caves with the Lost World adventure company. They offer at least two trips the first being a Absail (repel) down a 300 foot rope and then a short walk out of the cave. The second is...