The North Island has many superb physical features, and it's
home to New Zealand's two major cities, Auckland, the 'City of
Sails' and the capital, Wellington. It offers island-studded bays
and sailing, volcanic activity and geothermal wonders, wild rugged
coastlines, and fascinating Maori culture and history.
The beautiful region in the far north is known as Northland and
includes the picturesque Coromandel Peninsula, reaching into the
sea between Auckland and the Bay of Plenty. It has magnificent
kauri forests of enormous 3,000-year-old trees, stunning coastal
scenery, beaches and scenic bays, quaint seaside townships, and
mountain ranges. The Bay of Islands is the most popular destination
with opportunities for sailing, diving, snorkelling, and kayaking
on the clear blue waters around the islands. The top of the island
tails off into a rugged desolate finger of land with sand dunes and
the long white sandy stretch of Ninety Mile Beach along its west
coast.
At the heart of the North Island is the Central Plateau, the
centre of the country's volcanic activity. Volcanoes, bubbling mud
pools, hot springs, spouting geysers, steaming lakes and rivers are
strewn across the landscape. Rotorua, the Maori cultural heartland,
sits at the edge of the most concentrated area of activity and is
characterised by the unmistakable smell of sulphur. Lake Taupo,
formed by one of the greatest eruptions ever recorded, has
beautiful views across to the volcanic peaks of Tongariro National
Park, with excellent hiking, and is regarded as the trout fishing
capital of the world.
At the southern tip of the island lies New Zealand's capital,
Wellington, a beautiful city in a striking setting around a harbour
and surrounded by mountains. It is the centre of the country and a
major travel crossroads between the North and South Islands.