Part I - North Island

Auckland

Chances are you will be flying into Auckland. Great. First thing you should do once you arrive is leave. I may be risking the wrath of all Aucklanders here but, although I'm sure Auckland has plenty to offer, it is ultimately just a big metropolitan city and, with only one month in NZ, you'll be wanting to move on ASAP to make the most of your time.

"What if we were unlucky enough to not have read your blog before we set off?"

Fear not. Unfortunately we weren't able to read our own amazing and super-helpful blog before we left either so found ourselves with a couple of days to fill in Auckland before we could get our hands on our campervan. If you find yourselves with some time to kill we'd recommend heading up to the pretty Mount Eden village area just 10 minutes bus ride from the City Centre. It is a quaint village with plenty of hipster coffee shops, appealing eateries and, best of all, the eponymous Mount Eden; a dormant volcano which offers stunning vistas of Auckland. If you find you still have spare time in Auckland then we'd recommend heading down to the port and catching a ferry to one of the nearby islands.

Once you've finally picked up your transport then, remembering to drive on the left-hand side (very important), head outta town towards the Corramandel peninsula.

"Don't jump!". Me pondering life at the top of Mt. Eden.

Coramandel (2 hour drive from Auckland)

The first destination for your trip should be the Coromandel Peninsular, a rugged area covered in rainforest which will give you a delightful introduction to the varied nature of NZ. The drive takes a couple of hours from Auckland, and no sooner are you out of busy Auckland, then you are driving down a hilly dirt road, through a rainforest in seemingly complete isolation. Where did all the people go you will wonder. I can't provide those kind of answers, but what I can tell you is that it’s a fantastic, scenic drive to kick off the trip.

Our end destination was Cathedral Cove, a resplendent white sand beach which has risen to fame partly due to its role in the 2008 film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. You can reach the beach via a pleasant hour long downhill walk (although bear in mind you will have to walk back up!). It is a truly stunning beach and there are plenty of great photo opportunities. It's a great place to chill out for at least a few hours.

As well as Cathedral cove there are plenty of activities for the adventurous among you, from hiking the Pinnacles to abseiling down the Sleeping God Canyon. The other activity which we would have loved to have completed was Hot Water Beach which is located a short drive away from Cathedral Cove. This is a unique beach where you can dig yourself your own mini jacuzzi as the natural geo-thermally heated water comes bubbling through the golden sand. To ensure you don't get caught out like we did, we'd recommend checking when low tide is as this is the only time you can engage in some beach spa-ing.

There's plenty of accommodation around the surrounding areas so get on Campermate and find somewhere that suits your budget. Regardless of whether you're staying one or two nights we'd recommend setting off at the crack of dawn to make the most of the next destination.  

Hobbitton (two hour drive from Corommandel)

I'll admit from the outset that I am a massive Lord of the Rings nerd and therefore there was never any possibility of us skipping this destination on our trip. However, for all of you readers who are perhaps not as fascinated by the world of Middle-Earth, I can mitigate the above by pointing out that my girlfriend isn't such a big fan of LOTR (despite by best efforts) so when I say we both absolutely loved every second of it, you're not only getting the geek's opinion.

First things first, although many guides will point you towards Matamata, the Hobbiton set is actually a 20-minute drive further south so provided you've got a half-decent sat-nav we'd recommend skipping Matamata and heading straight to the set. The drive itself from Corammandel is a treat as you meander through rolling hills, open roads and more sheep than you knew existed.

Now I've been on a few tours in my time but don't be put off by past experiences of paying a bomb to be herded like cattle at breakneck speed toward the gift-shop to be sold your commemorative photo. This is not that. The Hobbiton tour, as is befitting of the Shire, is performed at a gentle pace with lots of interesting commentary from your guide and, even better, lots of time to explore the place yourself (and in our case, take hundreds of photos). Hobbiton is a living movie set and so after a while you actually forget you’re on a movie set! There are even several full time gardeners responsible for the upkeep of the vegetable patch, flowers and orchard. Once you've finished the main tour you finish with a complementary pint of your choice in the Green Dragon pub. As we sipped our pints in the sunshine, even Hannah admitted she had loved it. Having ran around like a kid in a sweetshop for two hours, my opinion didn't need elucidating.

As I said this might not be on everyone's to-do list but we loved every second of it and would thoroughly recommend devoting one afternoon to it. After all, it is on the way.

 “the property is cosy, compact and in a highly sought after area…”

Rotorua (one hour drive from Hobbitton)

After a short drive, you will arrive in Rotorua, an absolute must-do if you are visiting the North Island. The town of Rotorua is famed for its Geo-thermal activity and Maori culture, both of which we'd recommend experiencing during your time here. Just a word of warning though, geo-thermal activity also comes with its lesser-credited but equally noticeable sidekick sulphur or, as you are more likely to know it, the smell of rotten eggs.

There is plenty to do and see in Rotorua but, in our opinion, if you are willing to get up early, you can squeeze it all in to one action-packed day. We arrived in the evening after our trip to Hobbiton and given that we had missed our opportunity at Hot Water Beach, we headed for the shores of Lake Rotorua to have our own version of the geo-thermal spa mentioned above. Digging your own hole was tougher work than we anticipated but well worth it as we relaxed in our hot water hole and reflected on the trip so far.

The next day we packed in the following activities which we would thoroughly recommend:

• Wake up early and head to Kuirau thermal park.

It's completely free and if you're up early like we were, you have the park to yourselves to explore and get your first experience of the thermal lakes and mud pools.

• Visit Whakarewarewa Maori village

We had some debate as to whether to include this. The village has become a bit over-commercialised in our opinion and it doesn't feel like the 'traditional living village' which it purports to be. That said, it does give some insight into Maori culture and, more importantly, provides one of the best viewing spots for the Pohutu and Prince of Wales Geysers. 

• Head to Wai-o-tapu themal wonderland

A short drive from Rotorua is the Wai-o-tapu thermal park and its famous 'Champagne Pools' which are worth the admission price alone. Allow a couple of hours to wander around the park, reading the information boards and contemplating the other-worldly nature of this spectacular park.

That was all we had time for and after you've finished we'd recommend heading south to find a campsite somewhere along the road to Tongariro and putting your feet up ahead of what will be a tough day ahead (I did warn you!).

Tongariro Crossing (2 hours from Rotorua)

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is heralded as one of the greatest one-day hikes in NZ and for good reason. The 19.4km walk passes through a variety of terrains and landscapes and, more impressively, past a number of active volcanoes. The walk can be challenging at times but it is highly rewarding and definitely worth the effort. As an added bonus for the Lord of the Rings geeks (if you're still reading), it also takes you past 'Mount Doom' and once you reach that area you will certainly begin to recognise some of the landscape from the films.

As I said, the walk is 100% worth the effort and though you will be exhausted by the end, we've got a couple of tips to help you get the most out of your trek:

• The walk can be tough and treacherous at times so only attempt the full walk if you are relatively fit and free of injuries (one rocky descent is a real knee shredder)
• Work out your transport plans
  • One thing most people don't contemplate when starting the hike is that it is not a round loop. This means that if you've driven to the start, you are going to have to get some sort of shuttle bus/taxi back to your van (unless you fancy hiking 19.4km back where you came from). There are three options to avoid the very costly shuttle back
    • Split the journey with others
      • If you can find another group planning on doing the walk on the same day arrange to have one vehicle at either end of the walk. This means, provided you all fit in one vehicle, you won't end up paying for any shuttles
    • Leave your car in a nearby town and catch a bus.
      • Solid option but we have heard this can be a bit pricey too
    • Turn around once you get to the 'Blue Pools'
      • The option we went for in the end was this one. We had heard that once you had passed the stunning blue pools you had covered the best part of the trip. So we got to this stage (about 3/5 of the way) and then turned around and headed back. It's mostly downhill on the way back and you get to see the best part twice!
• Be prepared
  • Without meaning to sound like your mum... don't attempt the trek without some consideration of the length and difficulty. In particular you should consider:
    • Bringing warm clothes as the weather can turn very quickly and it can get pretty windy at the top
    • Bring lots of food and water. We didn't bring enough and it was hell
    • Don't leave too late. That big bright thing in the sky goes down in the evening and you don't want to be stuck up there when it does
    • Bring a camera because the views are amazing

Embrace your inner Samwise Gamjee and scale Mount Doom on one of New Zealand's most famous hikes.

“List of people to have climbed Mount Doom: Isildur ✅ Frodo ✅ Samwise ✅ Me ✅"

Wellington/ferry crossing (4 hours from Tongariro)

The next day (or same evening if you're brave/stupid) we'd recommend heading down to Wellington to get a ferry over to the South Island. It's not the most picturesque drive you'll do and there's not a great deal on the way, but it has to be done so quit complaining. You could spend some time in Wellington if you want. Because we weren't too fussed about big cities and due to our tight time schedule we didn't bother, but as NZ's second biggest city I guess there must be a few things to do there. Just don't ask me what they are.

The ferry crossing from Wellington to Picton takes about 4 hours and takes you through the beautiful Queen Charlotte Sound. It can be a bit windy and a bit choppy but worth stepping out on to the decks to take some snaps and breathe in the fresh Kiwi air.

"Aye, Aye Cap’n”