Our March trip to the land of kiwis was one to remember! I took so many photos in New Zealand, but I’ll just show you a handful so you can still get the sense of how diverse it is. From mountains to rainforests to glaciers to beaches to rolling green hills, New Zealand is like its own planet. It has something for everyone, and while two weeks sounds like a long time, we left so much unseen. We’ll just have to be back for more someday!

North Island

We landed in Aukland, which is at the northern end of the North Island. We quickly picked up our adorable camper van from Mad Campers (really recommend them!) and were off for the coast. There are a lot of warnings that New Zealand roads are different; they aren’t like the big interstates in the US where you can just cruise with your mind on autopilot and cover a lot of ground within a tight time frame. Instead, they’re steep, windy, and narrow. We were thankful we had such a small, manageable van that could take those tight turns.

Cathedral Cove

We actually didn’t add this location to our itinerary until the day-of; originally we thought we’d need a lot of time around Auckland to just shake off the jet lag, do some grocery shopping, go to the bank, etc. But we had a ton of energy right from the start, and we took care of all our errands in no time. So there was plenty of time to relax at Cathedral Cove! This is a really gorgeous spot, but that of course means a lot of people. Even midweek and with threats of rain clouds, we still had to share the beach and trails with other tourists. But that didn’t stop us from enjoying the beauty.

If you have the time and energy, there is a gorgeous coastal path that takes you through forest and to stunning vistas. Be warned it’s steep in some parts, but we found it much more enjoyable than paying to sit on a shuttle to get to Cathedral Cove.

Waimangu Volcanic Valley

This is a unique nature park where some intense geothermal activity is still going on. A hiking path takes you past hot springs, geysers, craters, and lakes. We thought it was well worth the time to see it.

Hobbiton

Being a huge Tolkien fan, I NEEDED to visit Hobbiton! But also as a fan, I was so worried it would just be a tourist trap, but that wasn’t the case at all. The set is actually on a working farm, so the landscaping is all expertly done. Everywhere there were real apple orchards, vegetable gardens, and flower beds, complete with butterflies! Our tour guide was awesome; he told us some amazing facts about filming, including this one: there is a scene in the original books where hobbit children are playing under a plum tree. Only problem: there weren’t any plum trees growing at the set, so they hand-placed real plum leaves onto a different kind of tree. All their work was for nothing though because that scene didn’t make the final cut.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

This is the most famous hiking trail in all of New Zealand. Come PREPARED. It took us about six hours total, and it is seriously strenuous. I knew it was a popular trail, but I was still astonished by how many people there were. It was just a constant stream, and despite the spectacular scenery, I had trouble enjoying it because there were always people on your heels. If you really want to go, I recommend going midweek during the off season so you can kind of enjoy the place. But the scenery is amazing; we saw the real Mount Doom, where Frodo and Sam scrambled up the slopes in the Lord of the Rings films.

We had two weeks total in New Zealand, but we could have easily filled those two weeks just on the North Island. The North Island is a great starting point to visiting the country, though. It’s more populated so it’s easy to orient yourself before going totally off the grid on the South Island.