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Northern Light

Beginning in Auckland and finishing in Wellington, our action-packed Northern Light Tour explores New Zealand’s Northern hot spots and the remarkable landscapes.

Northern Light North Island Tour - Overview:

If your journey begins in Auckland and you want to head south towards Wellington then jump on to our action packed Northern Light Tour! Discover the best of New Zealand’s Northern hot spots and the remarkable contrasting northern landscapes on this quick thermal blast! In a week you'll get to see some amazing destinations, enjoy fantastic hikes (including the world renowned Tongariro Crossing), and visit the unique Hot Water Beach where you'll dig and then relax in your own thermal pool!

Trip Options

The Northern Light trip departs Auckland and heads south to Wellington, taking the best cultural and scenic experiences of the Central North Island.

Tour Extensions

If you have extra time available after your trip why not extend with one of these great options:

Summer Blast Tour - Departing from Christchurch, the Summer Blast is one of our favourites, taking in the best of the South Island. From the golden sand beaches of the Abel Tasman to the deep waters of Fiordland, experience some of the finest natural wonders in the World.

Southern Light Tour - This shorter trip takes you to a huge range of natural wonders from glaciers and mountains to beautiful beaches and wild coastlines. Starting in Christchurch we enjoy the highlights of the South and wrap things up in the adrenaline capital - Queenstown!

What Is Included In The Northern Lights Tour:

This trip takes in many of the best activity options available in the North plus some excellent free options. We have carefully constructed each tour so you can pick and choose the things you love to fill your day. Options include passive sightseeing to adrenaline junkie adventures - but always know that there's never any pressure to participate so whether you enjoy mud pools & museums or bungy & skydive you are guaranteed to enjoy some once in a lifetime experiences. Here are just a few of the things that you will find included in this North Island adventure tour:

Accommodation: Your accommodation in our carefully selected campsites is included in a shared tent, two people per tent. If you want your own space you can upgrade to a single tent for a small additional cost.
Food: Tasty healthy meals are all part of the package; see which meals are included on the day to day itinerary. If you have a specific dietary requirement, no problem we cater for most diets.
Hikes: We offer daily walk options including Redwoods Forest and the roaring Huka Falls but the most stand out is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, heralded as the best one-day trek available in New Zealand, while others say it ranks among the top ten single-day treks in the world.
Bike Rides: From mountain bike trails to scenic riverside tracks, if you have hired one of our bikes you won’t be disappointed as you cycle your way through the most scenic regions of the trip (bike hire additional cost).

Other Free Inclusions

While there are always optional activities for you to do if you choose there are also heaps of free options. We take in many of these on the Northern Light tour including access to Tongariro National Park, Te Papa museum, Wellington Botanical Gardens, heaps of free hikes, amazing sunrises and sunsets and more.

Our activities page above gives more detail on many of the free and optional activities that you might choose to do on your Northern Light Tour and how it all works while you are out there adventuring!

Our bike rides page and the hiking pages will also give you lots more details into the rides and hikes our guides will show you along the way. We include printed maps and route notes for any of the hikes and rides you might want to do.

Important Things We Want You To Know About The Northern Light Tour:

Please visit our How It Works page for everything you need to know.

Highlights

NZ cycle trails
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Discover Rotorua
Explore Wellington
Kayaking near Cathedral Cove
Experience white water rafting
Engage at the Te Papa Museum
Soak in warm thermal pools
Enjoy accommodation by coasts, mountains & lakes

Itinerary

Pickup location: Mayoral Drive, at the Bus Stop opposite the Four Points by Sheraton Auckland, 08:00am

Welcome to the first day of your Flying Kiwi adventure! We’ll leave Auckland at 8am and drive south towards the Coromandel Peninsula. The Coromandel is a popular holiday spot for us Kiwi’s and it's not hard to see why. With stunning white sandy beaches, dense fern forests and a rich history of both Maori and European settlement, the Coromandel Peninsula is the perfect place to start your trip!

We’ll arrive at our Hot Water Beach campsite, where we’ll spend the next two nights. Go for a walk along the beach once we’ve set up camp, and this evening we’ll enjoy our very first group dinner together.

Meals: Dinner

Bike Rides: 8km scenic road cycling from Hahei Beach to Hot Water Beach camp

Walks and Hikes: Stunning coastal walk with views over the Pacific

Optional Activities: Sea Kayaking, Hahei Explorer

Available Upgrades: Yes

Today you have a full free day to spend relaxing or exploring. We’ll head to Hahei Beach where you can go for a walk along the shoreline or take a boat or kayak to see the iconic Cathedral Cove. Later, we’ll head back to Hot Water Beach, so-named because there is a unique geothermal reservoir of hot water under the sand. At low tide, we’ll grab our shovels and head down to dig our very own hot pools in the sand - the cheapest spa day ever!

Meals: Breakfast

Bike Rides: 8km scenic road cycling from Hahei Beach to Hot Water Beach camp

Walks and Hikes: Stunning coastal walk with views over the Pacific

Optional Activities: Sea Kayaking, Hahei Explorer

Available Upgrades: Yes

This morning after breakfast, we'll make our way down to the southern end of the Coromandel Peninsula where we’ll stop at the historic Karangahake Gorge which offers great biking and hiking options through old mining relics. This stunning region combines the natural beauty of the area with some NZ history and is a must-see on the North Island.

Afterwards we’ll continue on to Rotorua, famous for its geothermal activity, adventure activities and cultural experiences. This evening we’ll set up camp and enjoy a group meal together.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Bike Rides: Karangahake Gorge

Walks and Hikes: Stroll through Karangahake Gorge & unique thermal landscapes in Rotorua

Optional Activities: Polynesian Spa

Available Upgrades: Yes

Today you have a full day to enjoy everything that Rotorua has to offer. There are heaps of optional activities in Rotorua and something for everyone. If you’re interested in adventure, we recommend the award winning Canopy Tours eco zipline tour, or go white water rafting down the world’s highest commercially rafted waterfall. If you’d prefer to relax, opt for a healing soak at the Polynesian spa, or if you’d like to explore the natural geothermal features of the area, there's plenty of walks where you can see the activity for free. This evening, we recommend heading to the incredible Te Puia where you'll learn about Maori culture, experience the breathtaking Haka and feast on a traditional Hangi meal.

Meals: Breakfast

Bike Rides: Whakarewarewa Forest Loop (33 km)

Walks and Hikes: Walk through Kuirau Park or the Whakarewarewa Forest to see the towering redwoods

Optional Activities: Zipline Canopy Tour, Rotorua Rafting, Te Puia

Available Upgrades: Yes

We begin the day with a drive to visit Wai-o-Tapu bubbling mud, a unique experience not to be missed. Next we’ll stop at the mighty Huka Falls, an impressive waterfall found along the Waikato river. This is also our drop off point for those wanting to go skydiving! If you’re not going skydiving there's a great bike ride to Spa Park along the river's edge - be sure to stop off at the natural hot spring along the way or get an adrenaline buzz from the Taupo bungy which is conveniently located on your way into town. You’ll have some time in Taupo to grab some lunch and check out New Zealand’s largest lake, Lake Taupo, before we make our way to Tongariro National Park, where we’ll be spending the night.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Bike Rides: Huka Falls to Spa Park

Walks and Hikes: Walks of various distances past dramatic waterfalls and around Lake Taupo

Optional Activities: Skydiving, bungy, giant swing

Available Upgrades: Yes

Tongariro Crossing Day

Voted one of the best day hikes in the world, today's 19.4km walk takes in some of New Zealand’s most impressive and diverse landscapes. The challenging Tongariro Alpine Crossing hike covers a small section of the country’s oldest national park and dual UNESCO world heritage area, the Tongariro National Park. On a fine day you’ll be able to see Mt Ruapehu, the North Island's highest peak which stands at a towering 2797 metres. You'll also be able to see Mt Ngauruhoe, which featured in the Lord of the Rings movies as Mount Doom.

If you'd prefer not to do this hike, your Guide will take you to see some lesser known but equally stunning views and offer up some cycle options for our bikers. When everyone is back together after the hike we'll make our way to our camp, situated on the beach.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Bike Rides: Marton Sash & Door (if not doing the Tongariro Crossing)

Walks and Hikes: Walks of various distances past dramatic waterfalls and around Lake Taupo

Optional Activities: Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Available Upgrades: Yes

This morning we’ll drive down to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand! We'll arrive early, giving you most of the morning to explore. We recommend checking out the exhibits at the famous Te Papa Museum, getting to some Lord of the Rings locations on Mt Victoria or taking the iconic red cable car up to the Botanical Gardens. The capital also boasts a thriving café culture, as Wellington is renowned for serving NZ's best cup of coffee.

Meals: Breakfast

Bike Rides: n/a

Walks and Hikes: n/a

Optional Activities: Te Papa National Museum of NZ (free), Cable car

Available Upgrades: n/a