North Island

• Auckland
• Bay of Islands
• Matamata
• Rotorua
• Taupo
• Wellington
  

Auckland

Although not the capital of New Zealand, Auckland certainly seems like a capital. A modern, thriving city with a multicultural population. Surrounded by islands and beaches there's an adventure lifestyle here and good nightlife. Queen Street is the main street.

Things to see and do

• The Sky Tower - The first thing you will notice in Auckland is the Sky Tower, the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere at 328m. Get a lift up to the viewing deck for around NZ$20. For a few extra dollars catch the skyway lift up to the highest level. You can also do the vertigo climb, where you will climb up outside the tower onto the spire, as well as the sky jump where you will throw yourself off the tower and you will be lowered at speed down to the street below.
• Kelly Tarltons' Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World - An impressive aquarium which has all the usual sealife. There's also an antarctic display which has a replica of Scotts' 1911 antarctic hut among other things.

  There's also the Auckland Zoo (Motions Road), Lionzone Brewery (Hyber Pass Road), Stardome Observatory and many museums.

• Bungy jump off the Auckland Harbour Bridge
• The 'sky screamer' is sort of an upside down bungee where you are shot up into the air.
• Harbour Bridge Climb - climb to the top of the bridge.
• Canyoning - going down rivers and waterfalls without a kayak.

Also try skydiving, sailing, kayaking, and swimming with dolphins and whale watching.

Going out

Pubs

• Vertigo Bar (13th Floor, Mercure Hotel), Occidental Belgian Beer Café (Vulcan Lane), Globe Bar on Queen and Darby Streets has happy hours and backpacker nights. There's a few Irish bars doted around the city such as the Fiddler, across from the skytower. Head to the K Road to go clubbing.

The rest of the North Island

Bay of Islands

Up the far North of the North Island is the Bay of Islands, the Whitsundays of New Zealand, and one of its biggest attractions. It was here that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between Europeans and Maori chiefs.

The Bay of Islands is a playground that everyone can enjoy. Like every popular tourist spot there will be backpacker deals going. You can go on short day trips or overnight cruises, sailing, jet boating, kayaking, surfing and swimming with dolphins and scuba diving.

Matamata

Otherwise known as Hobbiton in Lord of The Rings, Matamata lies roughly between Hamilton and Rotorua. A local farmer who allowed Peter Jackson to use his farm somehow managed to convince them to leave most of the set behind and with a little imagination you can relive the movie for yourself. Bilbos' house is the only one you can enter, the rest are just cutouts. The visitors centre on Broadway will book you on a rings tour.

Rotorua

The most famous and popular place on the North Island, Rotorua is home geysers, hot springs and mud pools. If you can stand the rotten egg smell of the sulphar in the area and the big crowds, you will realise that you are in one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand.

Go visit one of the thermal parks such as the Whakarewarewa where you can see these magnificent geysers erupting up to 20m in the air. There are also all sorts of Moari arts and crafts and concerts going on, which are very interesting.

Take a cruise on Lake Rotorua, the largest of the 16 lakes in the area. You can also rent out your own boats, pedal boats, and sea kayaks. Go white - water rafting on the Kaituna river, which is a grade 5 river. You can also go white water sledging on this river. go mountain biking in the Whakarewarewa state forest park. Or take a scenic flight over this area.

Just out of town there's the Agrodome Adventure Park, where you can shear sheep, watch sheep dog displays, there's a woolen mill and a chocolate factory but many people come here to do the zorbing. Zorbing involves climbing inside a large plastic ball and getting pushed down a hill. You can do it dry or with some water thrown inside. It's around $35 for the first go and $29 for the second. It's a bit pricey because once you do it once you will want to do it again. The park also has a bungy, an agrojet, a skydive simulator and a swing called the swoop.

Taupo

Taupo is famous for its lake, the largest in New Zealand, which was caused by one of the biggest eruptions ever some 26,500 years ago, which devastated the North Island. It's hard to imagine now when you look out across the peaceful waters of the lake.

Obviously there are lots of water sports to be enjoyed here such as cruises and jet boats. Theres some great trout fishing here. Do it from the bank or hire a charter boat and head out on the lake. The most popular bungee on the North Island is here, on the Waikato River. It also has a reputation for some fantastic skydiving from 15,000 feet up. Go rock climbing or tear it up on some quad bikes at the Crazy Catz Adventure Park, north of Taupo.

Go to Wairakai Park to see the Huka Falls. They aren't high waterfalls but they are extremely powerful. It's an awesome sight to see such a huge amount of water crashing through such a small place.

Wellington

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and lies at the bottom of the North Island. This is where the ferries to the South Island leave from. Wellington is a pretty cool city with plenty of cafés, restaurants, and good nightspots. There are also plenty of activities to enjoy so don't head over to the South Island without checking this place out.

Wellington has a reputation for being quite windy, and this makes for great sailing, while there are enough sheltered harbours to enjoy some more sedate activities, such as kayaking. Go mountain biking in Makora Peak Mountain Bike Park, or take a walk on the Red Rocks coastal walk. There are also the usual helicopter scenic flights and Lord of The Rings tours.

Going out

Pubs

• Molly Malones, The Grand, Mercury Lounge (Courteney Place), JJ Murphys (Cuba Street).

  Restaurants

  you will find restaurants serving Malaysian, Chinese, Indian, Cambodian, Italian, Greek, you name it, probably even New Zealand cuisine somewhere.