Day-by-day programme of this 9-day itinerary across North Island: volcanoes, geysers and Maori.
Day 1 â Arrival in Auckland
Landing in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, spread between two harbours and dotted with volcanoes. A first tour of the waterfront and the Sky Tower.
- âïļ Auckland â Aeroporto di Auckland (AKL)
- ð Sky Tower â The Sky Tower, 328 metres high, dominates Auckland: from the observatory the view sweeps over the city, the two harbours and the many volcanic cones that surround it (Auckland sits on a volcanic field). You then stroll along the Viaduct Harbour, full of yachts, bars and restaurants, and in the Wynyard district. Auckland is a multicultural, relaxed city, with great Maori and Polynesian influence. In the evening, a fish dinner on the harbour. Tomorrow the city and its volcanoes.
- ðĻ Sudima Auckland City â Centro, Auckland
Day 2 â Auckland between sea and volcanoes
A day in Auckland: the coastal village of Devonport, the 360-degree view from the Mount Eden crater and the museum with Maori treasures.
- ð Mount Eden â Mount Eden (Maungawhau) is the highest volcanic cone in Auckland: from the top, around its perfect grassy crater, you enjoy a 360-degree view over the city and its harbours. It was an ancient Maori fortress. You then visit the War Memorial Museum, with an extraordinary collection of Maori and Polynesian art and a vibrant haka dance performance. A ferry takes you to Devonport, a pretty Victorian seaside suburb. In the evening, your last in Auckland. Tomorrow you set off for the caves and Middle-earth.
Day 3 â Waitomo and Hobbiton
The Waitomo caves lit by thousands of glowworms and the Hobbiton movie set, the Shire of The Lord of the Rings, before arriving in Rotorua.
- ð Waitomo Glowworm Caves â A couple of hours from Auckland, the Waitomo caves hide a wonder: aboard a little boat you glide silently in the total dark of a cavern, beneath a vault sparkling with thousands of blue-green dots, the luminous larvae (glowworms) endemic to New Zealand, like a starry sky underground. It is a magical, surreal experience. You continue towards Middle-earth: the Hobbiton set.
- ðŊ Hobbiton â Hobbiton is the movie set of the Shire from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, preserved intact among the green hills of Matamata: you stroll among the 44 hobbit holes set into the hillocks, with their flowering gardens, the tree above Bag End, the mill and the Green Dragon Inn pub, where you drink a beer. For Tolkien lovers it is a dream, for everyone a fairy-tale place. You continue to Rotorua, geothermal land and the heart of Maori culture.
- ðĻ Ibis Rotorua â Rotorua, Nuova Zelanda
Day 4 â Geothermal Rotorua and Maori
The geothermal land of Rotorua: geysers, pools of boiling mud and colourful terraces, and in the evening a hangi dinner with a Maori dance show.
- ð Wai-O-Tapu â Rotorua sits on one of the most active geothermal areas in the world: at Wai-O-Tapu you walk among steaming pools of incredible colours (the orange Champagne Pool, the acid-green terraces), bubbling craters and the Lady Knox geyser. At Te Puia you see the Pohutu geyser erupt and discover the art of Maori carving. The earth here boils, puffs and steams everywhere. In the afternoon, relaxation in a natural thermal spa. In the evening, the encounter with Maori culture.
- ðŊ Maori Village â In the evening you live an authentic Maori experience in a cultural village (like Tamaki or Te Puia): you witness the powhiri, the welcome ceremony, the dances, the songs and the powerful haka, the war dance, and dine on the hangi, traditional food cooked underground on hot stones. It is an immersion in the culture of the Maori people, proud guardians of these lands. You return to Rotorua. Tomorrow you go to Lake Taupo and the Tongariro volcanoes.
Day 5 â Taupo and Tongariro
Lake Taupo, the largest in New Zealand, the powerful Huka Falls and arrival at the Tongariro National Park, land of volcanoes and Mordor.
- ð Huka Falls â On the road south you reach Lake Taupo, a huge volcanic caldera the size of Singapore, with crystal-clear waters. Nearby, the Huka Falls are a spectacle of force: the Waikato river funnels into a narrow gorge and plunges in a leap of boiling turquoise water. You can take a jet boat ride or admire them from the bridge. You continue to the Tongariro National Park, dominated by three volcanoes. The air becomes alpine.
- ðĻ Skotel Alpine Resort â National Park Village / Taupo
Day 6 â The Tongariro Alpine Crossing
One of the most beautiful day treks in the world: the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, among smoking craters, emerald-coloured lakes and the volcano of Mount Doom.
- ðŊ Tongariro Alpine Crossing â The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is considered one of the best day treks in the world (about 19 km, 7-8 hours): you cross a lunar volcanic landscape among smoking craters, expanses of black lava, the emerald-coloured Emerald Lakes and the perfect cone of Mount Ngauruhoe, the 'Mount Doom' of The Lord of the Rings. The effort is repaid by unreal panoramas. Those who prefer choose a shorter walk in the park. You return exhausted and happy. Tomorrow you head down to Wellington, the capital.
Day 7 â Towards Wellington
A journey south to Wellington, capital of New Zealand: a creative, lively city set between hills and sea, the country's cultural capital.
- âïļ Tongariro â Wellington â Wellington, Nuova Zelanda
- ðĻ Novotel Wellington â Centro, Wellington
Day 8 â Wellington, cultural capital
A day in Wellington: the extraordinary Te Papa national museum, the historic cable car with a view over the bay and the lively creative districts of Cuba Street.
- ð Te Papa â Te Papa Tongarewa is one of the most beautiful and innovative museums in the world, and it is free: it tells of the nature, geology (earthquakes and volcanoes), history and above all the Maori culture of New Zealand, with a marae (ceremonial house) and extraordinary treasures, in an interactive and engaging way. You then take the historic red cable car to the lookout and botanic gardens, with a view over the bay. You stroll Cuba Street, the city's creative heart. Tomorrow the flight home (or the ferry to the South Island).
Day 9 â Departure from Wellington
Return flight from Wellington. The end of the journey on the North Island, among volcanoes, geysers, Maori culture and Middle-earth.
- âïļ Wellington â Aeroporto di Milano Malpensa (MXP)
