PHLGovFlyer

I have an opportunity to spend roughly 6 days in the Auckland area this coming September. It will be my first trip to NZ and I'm hoping for some advice and suggestions. I've read a lot of the threads on FT about NZ and checked out several guide books. Unfortunately, I'm very time constrained so hoping to select some of the best nearby highlights. I can't really stretch the trip due to commitments on either end.

I'm thinking about spending a few days in Auckland discovering the city, local culture, history, and museums. Then I'm thinking about renting a car and driving to see a bit more of the surrounding sights. I have a few relatively firm ideas and some other possibilities.

Fairly firm ideas:
1. Spend 1 to 2 days walking and cabbing Auckland checking out culture, history, and museums.
2. Day trip to Waiheke Island. I'm a wine nut and would like to get at least a small taste of NZ wineries since I can't realistically make it to Marlborough.
3. Rent a car and drive to Rotorua. Spend the night and see the sights/Maori culture.
4. Drive to Waitomo area and see the caves.

Beyond that I'm thinking about:
1. Hamilton. Is it worth it for a short visit?
2. Lake Taupo. Concerned about being able to enjoy it in mid-September.
3. Possibly driving north of Auckland for sightseeing. Destinations?
4. Other? Suggestions? How to divide the limited time available?

I'm fine with arranging local lodging as needed near the sights.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions.

number_6

Thames (town) and Coromandel peninsula is worth a day or 2, about 3 hours drive from AKL. On Waiheke there are some excellent wineries but not open all the time so you have to find out about the hours and which you want to visit; also not bad to stay overnight there in B&B. Auckland has some great features, and for museums the Domain is quite good (Polynesian). That would burn your 6 days, but Rotorua is worth a visit if you like volcanic activity, otherwise not (the 8th wonder of the world collapsed a century ago so nothing to see now ).

PsiFighter37

FWIW I was not a big fan of Rotorua, largely because the smell of sulfur was not pleasant to deal with after a (very) short time.

worldiswide

The Auckland Museum is really excellent, and Kelly Tarlton's is fun, they have a bus that does hotel pickups. Another half day excursion from Auckland is Rangatito Island. Devenport is also a nice afternoon out. Auckland is a big city, and you certainly do not get the feel of the wonderful scenery that NZ has to offer.

Hamilton - what did you want to see, the botanic gardens there are very nice, but not really a first time to NZ type of attraction.

I really liked Rotorua, but than as others have said, if the geo thermal is not your thing, than it can be missed as well. It is interesting for Maori culture.

curioustill

1. Hamilton is not worth visiting.
2. Lake Taupo will be a little cold but still enjoyable in September.
3. North of Auckland - depends how north you want to go. Paihia is nice. 90 mile beach too. Don't forget Cape Reinga. If you don't want to go so far north you can stop at around Whangarei.

PHLGovFlyer

Thanks all for the feedback.

You mean the War Memorial Musuem right? That one does look interesting.

Rotorua does seem quite interesting, and I'm also very interested in the Maori culture. Does the sulfur smell pervade the entire area or is it localized to certain sites?

It looks like Hamilton is off the list based on feedback here. I'll ponder heading north out of Auckland for a day.

What about Tauranga? Worth a visit in September?

Eltham

Rotorua is a good base in the Bay of Plenty - roughly an hour to Taupo or Tauranga. Try the Tamaki Maori Village evening tour - good entertainment and a nice walk through the forest. The smell comes and goes depending on thermal activity, and is certainly not a reason not to go there. A nice day trip north of Auckland is Puhoi (only for the pub), Warkworth, Matakana, Omaha and surrounds.

PsiFighter37

I was staying in downtown Rotorua (near Lake Rotorua) and it was very pervasive, IMO.

I enjoyed the Maori cultural show I saw just outside of town, but it felt very much catered towards tourists, and (TBH) the food wasn't that good - almost certainly because it was made in bulk. YMMV, as others have noted, but it wasn't my cup of tea. The only memorable thing from there is the jade necklace my wife bought at one of the jewelry stores in town

worldiswide

Yes I meant the war museum..


As another poster indicated the sulphur smell will not ruin your visit. The thermal pools like Polynesian spa are fun too. You can go in waterpark or rent a private pool by the hour. As for the Maori culture show aimed at tourists, you are a tourist so just enjoy and learn..

C206

Given a wine nut, I would fly to Napier, rent a car and drive to Havelock North area (45mins iirc) for https://www.craggyrange.com/ among others.

Taupo is nice for scenery and adventure. If a clear day, the view down the lake to the mountains is amazing. Taupo is known for the lake, fishing, bungee jumping and sky diving being the biggest attractions.

Another alternative is fly to Rotorua, rent a car, drive through Taupo (one hour) enroute to Napier/Havelock North/Hawkes Bay area for wines (two hours from Taupo. The drive is spectacular.

Really depends on what you want and what interests you. My preference would be to avoid Auckland, fly to ROT and drive for amazing scenery and wines.

PHLGovFlyer

The Hawkes Bay suggestion is great! Definitely more my speed in terms of winery visits. Based on that I think I'll skip Waiheke, do a winery tour around Napier, and spend more of the Auckland time on Museums etc.

I'm thinking I definitely want to do Rotorua for a night and Napier/Havelock for a night (or maybe two depending on driving times/logistics). Maybe a side trip to Taupo for a few hours while driving between Rotorua and Napier. Still undecided about Tauranga.

Eltham

Havelock North is a very pleasant little village, close to Napier but also close to several wineries. Auckland also has a wine area, around Kumeu (Kumeu River being the standout IMO). I'd give Tauranga a miss.

PHLGovFlyer

The plans are starting to gel...

I'm now thinking I'll spend the first 2 nights in Auckland.

Then rent a car and drive to Rotorua where I'll explore and spend a night.

Then drive to Napier and explore and do a winery tour, and then spend the night.

It looks like it's very inexpensive to fly from Napier to AKL so I'll drop the rental car at NPE and fly back to AKL where I'll spend one last night before heading home.

How's the experience on Jetstar with domestic NZ flights? I realize it's pretty spare but for a bit over an hour I can tolerate most anything.

Any suggestions for lodging near AKL? I'll likely take the last NPE-AKL flight of the day and my departure from AKL the following day is at ~15:00.

PHLGovFlyer

Finalizing the details of my trip and I'm looking for suggestions for scenic driving routes from Auckland to Rotorua, and then Rotorua to Napier. I'll be taking my time so no rush needed. Bear in mind that I'm a very experienced driver but have never driven on the left side...