Originally Posted by ademanuele

We have booked a round the world ticket and have 16 nights in North Island in May next year. We did a round the world earlier this year and spent 35 days in South Island, a fantastic experience.

On reflection, an extra 8 days in North Island would have been good to explore the northern part of the island, but will leave this for our next trip!

Does the following sound sensible/doable for a 16 night tour of North Island:

Auckland - 3 nights
Tongarino National Park - 3 nights (will visit Hamilton Gardens and Waitomo Caves on the way from Auckland.
Wellington - 2 nights (Is a detour via New Plymouth worth doing on the way down to Wellington?)
Napier - 2 nights (via Greytown)
Lake Taupo - 2 nights
Rotarua - 2 nights
Coromandel Peninsula - 2 nights (will stop off at Hobbiton on the way up)

Welcome your thoughts!