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Northern Light North Island Tour

Northern Light North Island Tour

  • Auckland
  • Wellington
  • 5 days
  • 4.8 / 5.0 (56 reviews)
  • from NZD$1,535.00

Main Highlights

  • NZ cycle trail
  • Tongariro Alpine Crossing
  • Rotorua
  • Wellington
  • Kayaking
  • White water rafting
  • Te Papa Museum
  • Excellent bike rides
  • Thermal pools
  • Accommodation by coasts, mountains & lakes
  • ..and many more

Northern Light North Island Tour - Overview:

DOWNLOAD PDF ITINERARY

If your journey begins in Auckland and you want to head south towards Wellington then jump on to our action packed 5 day 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 less than 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. If 5 days is all you have, then this is the perfect way to cruise the central and lower North Island with plenty of beach action included!

TRIP OPTIONS:

The Northern Light trip is a 5 day trip that will see you leave Auckland and head 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 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 your Northern Light 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.

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.

  1. Pickup location: 31 Wellesley Street West, 7:45am

    We leave Auckland at 8am and drive south towards the Coromandel Peninsula. The Coromandel as locals call it, 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 stop for lunch in the seaside town of Tairua before continuing on to Hahei Beach - the gateway to Cathedral Cove. You can either go for a walk along the coastline or take to the water on one of the best sea kayak activities in the country. Cathedral Cove has a limestone archway that featured as the gateway to Narnia in the movie 'Prince Caspian' and is a great place to take a dip in the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean. Our camp this evening is very close to another iconic location, 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 perfect way to start off our adventure!

     

    • Meals: Dinner
    • Bike Rides: 8km Road Cycling
    • Walks and Hikes: Stunning Coastal Walk to Cathedral Cove
    • Optional Activities: Sea Kayaking, Hahei Explorer
    • Available Upgrades: Yes
    • Drive Distance: Approx. 4 hours
  2. This morning after breakfast, we'll drive down to the historic gold mining town of Waihi, home to an awesome beach and 'Martha's Mine', an actual working gold mine. Afterwards, we’ll continue on our journey to Rotorua, a geothermal wonderland!

    There are heaps of optional activities in Rotorua and something for everyone. If you’re interested in adventure, go for the award winning Canopy Tours eco zipline tour! If you’d prefer to relax, go for a healing soak at the Polynesia 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. For a cultural immersion experience, 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. There’s a lot to pack into one day but we promise it will leave you wanting more!

     

    • Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
    • Bike Rides: Hauraki Rail Trail and the Whakarewarewa Forest Park
    • Walks and Hikes: The Windows Walk in Karangahake Gorge and short walks in Rotorua
    • Optional Activities: Mitai Maori Village, Zorb, Luge, hot pools, Zipline Canopy Tour
    • Available Upgrades: Yes
    • Drive Distance: Approx. 3 - 4 hours
  3. We begin the day with a drive to visit a natural hot spring, wake up with a nice soak in the geothermally heated water and listen to the calming sounds of nature - the perfect way to start the day! Our next stop on the way into Taupo is the mighty Huka Falls, an impressive waterfall found along the Waikato river. This is also our drop off point for those wanting to go white water rafting or skydiving! If you’re not doing these activities there's a great walk or a bike ride into the city 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 and Dinner
    • Bike Rides: Huka Falls Trail and Taupo Lake Front
    • Walks and Hikes: Walk along the edge of the Waikato River from Huka Falls stopping off at thermal stream before exploring Taupo
    • Optional Activities: Skydiving, bungy, giant swing, Te Puia - Te Ra Guided Experience
    • Available Upgrades: Yes
    • Drive Distance: Approx. 2 hours
  4. 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 Lord of the Rings 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 start making our way to our camp, situated along the Kapiti Coast.

    • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
    • Bike Rides: Tongariro River Trail if not doing the Tongariro Crossing
    • Walks and Hikes: Tongariro Crossing! Best day hike in NZ traversing active volcanoes in Tongariro National Park
    • Optional Activities: Tongariro Alpine Crossing
    • Available Upgrades: Yes
    • Drive Distance: Approx. 5 hours
  5. This morning it's a short drive to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city where your tour ends. We'll arrive before 9am and you can spend your day exploring the Te Papa Museum, Weta Workshop and the Botanical Gardens. The capital is also home to the Beehive, our government building, as well as great shopping areas and a thriving café culture to explore - Wellington is renowned for serving NZ's best cup of coffee.

    • Meals: Breakfast
    • Bike Rides: n/a
    • Walks and Hikes: n/a
    • Available Upgrades: n/a
    • Drive Distance: Approx. 1 hour

TOUR PRICES:

Tour Price

$1535

Bike Hire

$125

Single Tent Upgrade

$85

Bring your own Bike

$85

Sleeping Bag Hire

$60

 

 

2023/24 DEPARTURE DATES:

MONTH

DEPARTURE DATE

JANUARY 2024

16TH - FULLY BOOKED

FEBRUARY 2024

1ST, 17TH

MARCH 2024

20TH Book Now to Get 10% Off

APRIL 2024

5TH Book Now to Get 10% Off

 

2024/25 TOUR PRICES:

TOUR PRICE $1535
BIKE HIRE $150
SINGLE TENT UPGRADE $90
SLEEPING BAG HIRE $65

 

 

2024/25 DEPARTURE DATES:

MONTH DEPARTURE DATE
OCTOBER 17TH, 31ST
NOVEMBER 14TH, 28TH
JANUARY 16TH, 30TH
FEBRUARY 13TH, 27TH
MARCH 13TH, 27TH

 

 

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Trip Reviews

  • Traveling on my own this has meant, I have not been overwhelmed by the amount of activities there is to do, having a guide to help navigate has been a well needed part of my trip, both Nick and Chrissie have been amazing. I will definitely be joining you again.

    , travelled Northern Light North Island Tour on 07/11/2019

  • I had great 5 days! Sad to leave...

    , travelled Northern Light North Island Tour on 07/11/2019

  • Brooke and Aaron were very patient, enthusiastic and helpful throughout the trip. I would travel with Flying Kiwi again. More than a hop-on hop-off experience. :) fun!!!

    , travelled Northern Light North Island Tour on 07/11/2020

  • It was a wonderful experience. I only did a short trip to get an introduction to New Zealand beauty and culture, but I would definitely look into Flying Kiwi to explore more of this beautiful country in the future.

    , travelled Northern Light North Island Tour on 23/10/2019

  • Enjoyable! Thank you from an Aussie man who loves meeting people and exploring new places. Lea is really knowledgeable. Robbie-John is an exceptional host/driver and a true blue NZ. It's irreplaceable!

    , travelled Northern Light North Island Tour on 01/11/2018

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