CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND
Walking Must-Do’s of Central North Island Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland © Adobe Stock
DON’T MISS • Rotorua is New Zealand’s most active geothermal area, with spewing geysers, bubbling mud pools and steaming parks. • Adrenalin pumping thrills in Rotorua include the Skyline luge, ziplining, zorbing and the exhilarating Redwoods Altitude journey. • Top walks in Rotorua include the Redwoods Treewalk and Nightwalk and the 26km Rotorua Walkway. • Experience a living Māori village in Rotorua, or the fictional world of Hobbiton just down the road from Matamata.
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• Lake Taupō is roughly the size of Singapore and • Visit Hamilton Zoo, the city’s excellent Botanic a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts. The incredible Gardens and Zealandia Tea Estate. Huka Falls are nearby. • Delve below Aotearoa at Waitomo, home to an • Experience one of New Zealand’s Great Walks: extensive underground network of caves. The Whanganui Journey. It’s actually a 145km • Walk or cycle the Waikato River Trails. stretch of water, navigated by canoe or kayak. • See Kiwiana displays and kiwis in Ōtorohanga. • Tongariro is New Zealand’s oldest national park and hosts three significant volcanoes: Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngāuruhoe. • Raglan is a small but lively seaside village with bohemian flare and countless surfers. • Cycle the Ohakune Old Coach Road trail.
• Kāwhia has a beautiful harbour and surf beach. • Visit the largest pest-proof fenced project in the world at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari near Cambridge. • A wealth of top tramping tracks await in the Pirongia Forest Park.
