North Island - Noordereiland

It North Island (Maori: Te Ika-a-Māui) is an island of New Zealand.

Regions

• Northland - The north without winter
• Auckland - City region around New Zealand's largest city
• Waikato - The area around Hamilton
• Bay of Plenty - New Zealand's first inhabited area
• Gisborne - New Zealand's easternmost province and city. The day always starts here.
• Hawkes Bay - Wine-growing region and many Art-Deco buildings in napier
• Taranaki - West side of the North Island around Mount Egmont
• Manawatu Wanganui - The southern central part of the North Island
• Wellington - The region around the capital.

Towns

• Auckland - The largest city in New Zealand and also the place where most tourists arrive in New Zealand.
• Gisborne - The easternmost city in the world, this is the city where the sun rises first every day.
• Hamilton - The largest city that is not on the sea.
• napier - The "Art Deco Capital of the World"
• New Plymouth - City on the west side of the North Island and at the foot of Mt.Egmont (Taranaki), an extinct volcano.
• Palmerston North - Major city on the south side of the North Island, home to New Zealand's Agricultural University (Massey University)
• Rotorua - Sprouting geysers, boiling mud and Maori culture are the ingredients of this town in the middle of the North Island
• Taupo - Located on New Zealand's largest lake, about an hour's drive south of Rotorua
• Wellington - The capital of New Zealand, is located at the southernmost tip of the North Island. This is where the boat leaves for Picton on the South Island.

Other destinations

• Bay of Islands
• Cape Reinga & Ninety Mile Beach
• Coromandel
• Waitomo Caves

Info

Arrive

By plane

The largest and most important airport in the North Island (and also in New Zealand) is Auckland International Airport. This airport is located about 10 km southwest of Auckland near the Mangere district. There are connections to major airports in Australia, Southeast Asia, the South Pacific Islands and the West Coast of the United States. There are also flights via Santiago (Chile) to Buenos Aires (Argentina) and via Sydney and/or Perth (Australia) to Johannesburg (South Africa) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

Most domestic destinations are also connected to Auckland International.

The second largest airport is located in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. Due to limited runway capacity, international destinations are limited to Australia's East Coast (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane) and some destinations in the South Pacific such as Nadi (Fiji Islands).

In addition, there are Hamilton and Palmerston North international flights operated on Surfers Paradise (Australia). This mainly concerns holiday flights and charters.

Air New Zealand flies directly from . twice a week Sydney nasty Rotorua -vv

By boat

The Interislander [1] and Blue Bridge Ferry [2] to connect Picton (on the South Island) of Wellington. In the summer there are a total of about 10 departures per day in both directions.

Travel around

By plane

There are airports in Kataia, Kerikeri, Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga/Mt.Manganui, Gisborne, napier/Hawkes Bay, Rotorua, Taupo, New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Wellington.

Air New Zealand/Air NZ Link [3] maintains daily flights between these airports and with a number of airports on the South Island such as Christchurch, Nelson and Queenstown.

Australian low-cost airline Jetstar operates domestic flights between Auckland, Rotorua and Wellington and from there to Christchurch and Queenstown on the South Island.

By train

There is a train every day [4] by Auckland nasty Wellington via Hamilton and Palmerston North, among others.

By bus

InterCity [5] operates long-distance bus services between all cities and major tourist sites on the North Island. Pre-booking is mandatory and can be done at all tourist offices (recognizable by the logo with the letter i) and at all offices of the Automobile Association as well as at shops acting as InterCity agents, recognizable by the sign with the InterCity logo.

By car

The road network on the Noordereiland mainly consists of 2-lane provincial roads. The maximum speed outside built-up areas is 100 km/h. However, pay attention to the yellow signs with recommended speeds: they are there for a reason.

The main roads are:

SH1/M1 => this is the route that starts at Cape Reinga in the far north and then passes through Whangarei and Auckland (where the road is approximately 30–35 km of four-lane motorway) to Hamilton, Taupo, Palmerston North and Wellington. This road goes in Picton on the South Island on to Bluff (extreme southern tip of the South Island).

SH2: Bombay Heights (South of Auckland) - Tauranga- Gisborne- napier- Hutt Valley- Wellington

SH3: Hamilton- New Plymouth- Palmerston North

SH5: Rotorua- Taupo- napier.

Language

The official languages ​​of New Zealand are English and Maori. The English dialect spoken by Kiwis is characterized by pronouncing most vowels as an "i". All government institutions are referred to by their names in English and in the Maori language.

Due to the many Dutch immigrants living in New Zealand, you will often be addressed in Dutch.

To look at

Volcanoes & Geysers (Rotorua and Taupo)

There is a lot of volcanism in the middle of the North Island. About 26,500 years ago, one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history took place on the North Island. This 'Oruanui eruption' (with global consequences) led to the formation of a caldera (crater lake) on the North Island that is today known as Lake Taupo (Lake Taupo). The lake grew to its present size during a later eruption in 181 that colored the sky as far as China and Rome. There are 3 more or less active volcanoes: Mt.Ruapehu, Mt.Tongariro and Mt.Ngauruhoe. Most spectacularly, the volcanism is reflected in and around the city RotoruaIn addition to the three volcanoes mentioned, there is also an extinct volcano, Mt.Egmont (Taranaki) near New Plymouth on the west side of the North Island.

Hawkes Bay/Bay of Plenty

The eastern side of the North Island is characterized by fertile soils, especially around Hawkes Bay and Gisborne. Here you will find one of the most important wine regions of New Zealand. The city napier and nearby Hastings is home to a unique collection of Art Deco and Spanish Mission style buildings. The origin of this lies in the devastating earthquake in Napier and Hastings on February 3, 1931.

Northland/Bay of Islands

In the "North without winter" (everything north of Auckland) the vast Kauri forests (family of the gigantic Sequoia in California) near Dargaville are a sight to behold, as are the Bay of Islands where the first capital of New Zealand Russell is located. Even further north is "Ninety Mile Beach" a vast sandy beach (90 kilometers is a better name than 90 miles) that lies between the most northern village of New Zealand (Kataia) and Cape Reinga (the most necessary point of New Zealand.

Coromandel Peninsula

This peninsula is about 2 1/2 hours drive from Auckland and is a favorite weekend destination for Auckland residents. Activities here include fishing, taking a ride on the Driving Creek Railway and relaxing on Hot Water Beach where you can dig your own Hot Tub in the sand.

Routes

Due to the relatively long distances in connection with the hilly terrain and the fact that most roads are provincial roads (2 lanes with an occasional passing lane), you should count on a maximum distance to be covered per day of about 300 to 400 kilometers. The official speed limit is 100 km/h, but in most cases you will not exceed 80 km/h. This is also not a problem because you can then enjoy the beautiful landscape in peace.

• Coromandel Route - It starts in Auckland and heads south on the M1, one of New Zealand's few motorways. Where the M1 turns into SH1 (at Bombay Heights) turn left onto SH2 towards Thames/Tauranga. After 25 km turn left onto SH25 and follow it further to the village of Kopu, where you turn left to Thames. You are now entering the Coromandel Peninsula. Please note, SH25 is a very winding road along the water. Carefully follow the recommended speeds on the yellow signs, they are there for a reason. At the necessary end of SH25 is the town of Coromandel. Worth seeing here include the Driving Creek Railway. You continue on SH25 to Whitianga, the main town on the northeast side of Coromandel. The SH25 winds further through the hills to the south. In Whenuakite is the exit to Hot Water Beach where you can dig your own Hot Tub in the beach. Via Taiura you keep following SH25 to Whangamata, an important town on the southeast side of Coromandel. In Waihi, SH25 rejoins SH2, where the route ends and you can either turn right back to Auckland via SH2 and SH1 or turn left via SH2 to Tauranga.

• Auckland - Rotorua - As with the first route, start in Auckland and head south on the M1 and SH1. You follow SH1 along the Waikato River and arrive in . after about 1 1/2 hours drive Hamilton, the largest city in New Zealand, which is not located on the sea. Follow signs for SH1 towards Cambridge. About 3 km after Cambridge on your right is Lake Karipiro, the water sports center (rowing, canoeing, water skiing) of New Zealand. After the village of Tirau, turn left onto SH5 towards Rotorua. The SH5 runs through a hilly area with many forests. At the end of SH5 you come out at Lake Rotorua and at the roundabout turn right and drive Rotorua in via Fairy Springs Road.

To do

The Noordereiland is a destination with many possibilities in both summer and winter. Keep in mind that the seasons are opposite to those in Europe: winter is from April/May to August/September. During this period it is possible to ski on the slopes of Mt.Ruapehu [6] and on some slopes in Tongariro National Park [7].

Summer is from mid-October to the end of February. The peak of the summer holiday is from Boxing Day to mid-January. During this period it is especially busy in the north around Bay of Islands, but in general all tourist attractions are very busy. Activities in summer: tramping (multi-day walking tours) in the national parks [8], sailing in the Bay of Islands and swimming in the clear waters there.

All year round: Soak up Maori culture (along with the sulfur smell) in Rotorua and after a tiring day relax in the natural hot water baths, go shopping and visit "Te Papa" in Wellington.

Special events: 3rd weekend in February: Art Deco weekend in napier.

Food

Going out

Safety

New Zealand is an extremely safe country by Western standards. Nevertheless, you should take the necessary precautions in the cities as you would in Dutch or Belgian cities.

Traffic: Please note that traffic in New Zealand drives on the left. If there is a yellow square/rectangular sign with an advisory speed, stick to this speed.

In winter (July/August) there can be a lot of nuisance from snow so that it is very difficult to get from one place to another. This is especially common on SH1 between Taupo and Palmerston North ("Desert Road") and on SH5 between Taupo and Napier. These two roads run through virtually uninhabited areas, so keep that in mind when driving these routes (plenty of petrol and blankets in winter!).

In the summer months (January/February) it can happen that parts of the road are washed away by heavy rainfall due to heavy rainfall. This can happen anywhere in the North Island, but is most likely in the Hamilton/Rotorua/Taupo area and north of Auckland.

If there is extreme weather during your stay in New Zealand, check with your local Automobile Association or Tourist Information Office about road conditions.

all around

This is a usable article. It contains information on how to get there, as well as the main attractions, nightlife and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but dive in and expand it!