Welcome to the 10 Day Northern Trail Haka Plus Tour!

From New Zealand’s lively capital to its biggest city, you’ll take in a whole host of North Island gems, enjoying cinemagraphic landscapes, spectacular coastal walks and geothermal wonders. We’ll fill your days with highlights of the North Island and also give you a great insight into New Zealand life and culture.

Created for travellers in their mid-thirties and upwards, this North Island tour includes special activities such as walking to the spectacular and photogenic Cathedral Cove, a traditional Māori meal, and a walk amidst towering  – and magically lit – treetops. You can also choose to select some tour add-ons such as hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing – otherwise known as Mordor, kayaking to a natural hot pool, visiting an off-shore eco-sanctuary, visiting Hobbiton, or flying above an active volcano!

You’ll have the chance to swim, kayak, skydive, hike, see kiwis, relax in hot pools, roll down a hill in a giant ball, eat and drink like a local, and more! This is your trip, and it’s designed to be flexible. The choice is yours – pick the activities that appeal to you.

At the end of the day, you can relax in comfortable 3–4 star accommodation to ensure you have a great night’s sleep ready for the following day’s activities.

On this tour between Wellington and Auckland, you’ll encounter an array of landscapes: lush, green rolling hills; beautiful golden sand beaches, tumbling waterfalls, geothermal valleys filled with bubbling mud and sulphuric lakes, magnificent mountains, cosy laid-back surf towns and vibrant cities. Prepare you camera and get ready to make some magical memories!

WHAT’S INCLUDED ON THIS TOUR

• Stay 9 nights in twin-share 3–4 star accommodation: a mix of hotels, motels, and lodges.
• Feast on 5 continental breakfasts and 2 dinners, including a traditional Māori hāngī cooked in an underground oven.
• Stay in Tongariro National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Area.
• Hike through the forested gorge of Ruakuri (45 minutes) – bring your camera for this one.
• Brave the Redwoods Treewalk, crossing 23 raised suspension bridges.
• Soak up a sunset boat cruise in the West Coast surf town of Raglan – the fish and chips are on us!
• See endangered kiwi birds up close and personal.
• Watch a Māori cultural performance and check out a geothermal valley of bubbling mud pools including the famous Pōhutu Geyser in Rotorua.
• Walk a stunning coastal track to Cathedral Cove (as seen in the Chronicles of Narnia movies).
• Plus, many more surprise stops along the way!

ALL HAKA PLUS TOURS INCLUDE

• Passionate and knowledgeable local Kiwi guide
• Comfortable and air-conditioned bus transport
• Orientation tour of each and every location
• Small groups of maximum 16 people
• Experiences to teach you about our unique Māori culture

DAY 1: WELLINGTON

Kia ora (hello!) and welcome to Aotearoa (New Zealand). Settle into your accommodation and be ready for the 7.30pm pre-tour meeting. Here you will get to know your Tour Manager and be introduced to your new roadtrip friends. Afterwards, the evening is yours to enjoy. We recommend a good night’s sleep to be ready for tomorrow’s early start, but you may want to experience Wellington’s exciting nightlife – the choice is yours!

DAY 2: WELLINGTON

Soak up the atmosphere of vibrant Wellington. Famous for being a bit on the windy side, be prepared to ditch the hairspray and go with the flow. Your guide will introduce you to the city with an orientation tour – including a drive around the bays through central Wellington to the Botanic Gardens and Parliament Buildings. You’ll also get the chance to head up Mount Victoria for some of the best views in town. You will also stop by Weta Workshop, most famous for its creative contribution to all things Lord of the Rings. Take an optional tour to see prop-makers in action and learn about the immersive world of filmmaking. Wellington has a feast of cultural attractions and its crowning glory is Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand. Situated on Wellington’s magnificent waterfront, this internationally acclaimed museum combines leading edge technology with traditional exhibits to tell the stories of New Zealand’s land and people. The museum is free for all. If being outdoors is more your thing, head off to Kapiti Island for an optional nature tour. Here you can see endangered birds up close and learn more about New Zealand’s unique flora and fauna.

DAY 3: WELLINGTON TO NATIONAL PARK

This morning is your last chance to soak up Wellington – hit Cuba Street for brunch or take a quick stroll around the City Gallery, perhaps? Then it’s time to hop on the bus again, for the drive up north to Tongariro National Park.Our drive will take us through all kinds of scenery, from rolling hills to the spectacular peaks of the North Island’s volcanic plateau – Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. If some of the mountains look familiar, it’s for good reason – Mount Ngauruhoe gained international fame as the real life version of Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings. We finish our day nestled in Tongariro National Park, where we’ll spend the next 2 nights, home to one of the 10 best one-day walks in the world – the Tongariro Crossing.

DAY 4: NATIONAL PARK

Decision time – is today the day you brave the Tongariro Crossing? Considered one of the world’s top 10 best one-day walks, this 19.4km mountain trek boasts emerald green lakes, venting steam, lava flows, craters and rich green bush. Not for the faint-hearted – it’s a challenging day! But every step of the way the views are spectacular. Our Haka guides highly recommend this activity, it’s definitely a highlight. If 19.4km is a little too far for you, there are plenty of shorter walks and hikes to enjoy. However you choose to spend today in this UNESCO World Heritage Area, we guarantee you won’t forget it.

DAY 5: NATIONAL PARK TO ROTORUA (VIA TAUPŌ)

We wave goodbye to National Park as we continue northwards – first stop, Taupō. It’s a beautiful lakeside town with a stunning mountain backdrop. There are options here to get your bungy on, or to skydive! Then, we head onward to Rotorua. It’s a short drive but we’ll take our time, checking out bubbling mud pools and thundering waterfalls en route. One not-to-be-missed highlight is Huka Falls – the most visited natural attraction in New Zealand! With its roaring rapids and turquoise colour, it’s not hard to see why. To make an awesome evening even more incredible, tonight we take on the Redwood Forest Canopy Walk – the ultimate way to get amongst these giants of the forest.

DAY 6:  ROTORUA

Rotorua has it all: natural beauty, unique geothermal landscapes, and iconic Lord of The Rings destinations. We stay here a full day to make the very most of it. This area is world-renowned for its geothermal activity, with neon blue and red lakes, steaming rivers, violent geysers, and bubbling mud pools galore. A visit to the picturesque Hobbiton movie set is a must-do activity for many. Even if you haven’t seen the films, it’s impossible not to be charmed by this gorgeous hobbit village set amongst the lush green hills of Matamata. For a truly epic brush with nature, fly high through the lush ancient forest canopy on a zipline tour complete with swing bridges crossings and treetop platforms. What better way to get to know the native plants and birds –many of which unique to New Zealand. This evening we are welcomed to a Māori village for an unmissable cultural experience featuring combat demonstrations and – of course – the breathtaking haka. This experience extends beyond the performance – you’ll have the chance to see magnificent geothermal activity and get to spot kiwi birds.

DAY 7: ROTORUA TO RAGLAN (VIA WAITOMO)

Once we’ve departed Rotorua, we head to Raglan, via Waitomo – famous for its glow worms. There are fantastic and informative walking tours of the caves where you can learn more about the history, geology and Māori mythology of this unique area of New Zealand. For those who prefer to stay above ground, we highly recommend exploring the tree-studded gorges and limestone arches of the nearby Ruakuri Forest Walk; definitely a favourite amongst the Haka guides. For dinner tonight, once we’ve arrived in Raglan you’ll have a chance to tuck into New Zealand’s unofficial dish – fish and chips (or fush and chups, as it tends to sound in a Kiwi accent). And what better way to enjoy a tasty meal than on a sunset cruise of Raglan Harbour?

DAY 8: RAGLAN TO COROMANDEL

Welcome to the arty surf mecca of Raglan! If you have always wanted to try surfing, or if you’re dying to get back on your board, Raglan is the perfect destination both for beginners and experienced surfers. Not keen on surfing? There’s plenty to enjoy in this laid-back township. With an awesome blend of cafes, bars, surf shops and galleries, the streets here ooze character and creativity. Relax on the beach, or enjoy a variety of bush and coastal scenery on Raglan’s walking trails. As you make the trip across the North Island to the Coromandel Peninsula, your Haka guide has some great sights to show you en route, including the 55-metre high Bridal Veil Falls. The Coromandel Peninsula is a paradise of beautiful beaches and misty rainforests. The drive here takes in plenty of quintessential North Island rolling farmland. It’s also home to famous Hot Water Beach – thousands visit each year to dig their own personal hot tub. If the tide times allow, we’ll grab our buckets and spades and get busy.

DAY 9: COROMANDEL TO AUCKLAND

In beautiful Whitianga, you’ll have plenty of time for your guide to show you around. Sample the sandy beaches, take a surf lesson with the locals, or simply enjoy the vibes. There are all sorts of ways to enjoy the Coromandel, whether you want one last adrenaline kick or some wind-down time on this, the last full day of your tour! Then, we hit the road for the final stretch of our journey together. The drive to Auckland is truly spectacular – the road twists and turns dramatically round the coastline as the skyline of New Zealand’s largest city gradually comes into view.

DAY 10: AUCKLAND POST TOUR DEBRIEF

Today is the final day of the tour, where we exchange photos and stories over breakfast before saying our goodbyes and parting ways.