Two Weeks in
New Zealand's North Island
One question that seems to come up again and again while traveling is, “What’s been your favorite place so far?” It’s such a hard question to answer because every place I’ve been to has something completely different to offer, and so much of my experience somewhere depends on the people and activities I spent my days with/doing.
HOWEVER New Zealand keeps coming back to me when I answer the question. I was completely blown away by this country. The landscapes, the biodiversity, the mountains, the lakes, the forests… I was constantly stunned by what I was looking at. But beyond the scenery, I just had such a genuinely lovely experience there.
When it was time to leave, my heart genuinely hurt. I remember feeling grief about leaving before I had even left, which probably tells you more about how much New Zealand affected me than anything else I could write here.
In this post, I documented my first two weeks, which were in the North Island, featuring a Worldpackers Volunteering experience and a spontaneous little roadtrip with some of the other volunteers I met.
Then, I flew down to the South Island for an almost two week solo road trip. That was a completely different experience, filled with lots of hikes, the dramatic nature destinations of the South Island, and solitary enjoyment. I go into all the details here: (link)
Karekare: Worldpackers Volunteering
I started my New Zealand experience with a Worldpackers volunteering stay in Karekare, a little outside of Auckland in a beautiful, lush, almost rainforest-like part of the North Island.
Honestly, the location was a huge reason I chose this particular volunteer experience. The work itself wasn’t necessarily the kind of meaningful work I hope to seek out in the future. We mostly helped with building and repairing properties that the owners planned to eventually rent out on Airbnb, so at times it felt a little purposeless to me. BUT, the experience of living with the other volunteers was wonderful.
There were people from France, the UK, Canada, Chile, Germany, Brazil, and elsewhere, and I met some incredibly kind, interesting, and inspiring people. In our free time we walked along the nearby beach, watched Shrek, Shrek 2, and Puss in Boots (loved that), cooked meals alongside each other, and played these GREAT card games (notably Kambio and Avalon). I have such such fond memories.
We would also often drive to Piha Beach. Piha is a beautiful black sand beach surrounded by dramatic rocky cliffs, and I fell in love with it almost immediately. We’d go there after work or on our days off, sometimes just to hang out at a little bar/surf club, and sometimes to walk along the beach and cliffs. I also went surfing there with a couple of the others 🙂 I think I’ll now always have a soft, nostalgic spot for Piha.
On Friday evenings, we also had community dinners where everyone cooked something from their home country. I LOVED this. There was something really special about having people from so many different places all sitting around the same table and sharing food from home.
After this one experience (as yet), I’m definitely an advocate for Worldpackers. I loved being able to stay somewhere for free while meeting people from around the world, and I’m really interested in doing more volunteering experiences like this in the future. I think I’d just be more intentional about finding opportunities where the work itself feels meaningful to me, too.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
A few of the volunteers and I decided, somewhat spontaneously, to take a little road trip south to Tongariro National Park. This was one of those trips that came together very quickly, and I’m so glad it did.
We hiked the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which is about 20 km and took us around seven hours including breaks. It is still probably my favorite hike I did in New Zealand, mostly because of how much the landscape changes throughout a single hike. You start in these wide, grassy valleys, walking on relatively flat ground for the first couple of kilometers. Then you begin some steep hiking (many steps) and eventually, you reach Mount Ngauruhoe, the volcano famously used as Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings. It is such a spectacular volcano that it almost looks unreal. When I think of what a volcano is supposed to look like, this is basically the image that comes to mind. Here, the ground you hike on turns dark and rocky, almost molten looking, and the terrain feels much more dramatic. You also pass a beautiful waterfall (what??) on the way up and eventually reach the top of the ascent.
And then suddenly, geothermal pools appear. The Emerald Lakes are this incredibly bright green color, and you can smell the sulfur in the air. From there, you continue downward and the scenery gradually begins changing again. Alpine lakes appear in the distance, mountain ranges stretch out around you, and then little by little the flowers, grasses, and trees start returning.
By the end, you’re walking through dense rainforest. It’s hard to believe you’re still on the same trail.
Practical note: If you do the Alpine Crossing, one practical thing to know is that you’ll need to arrange a shuttle in advance. You park your car at the end point and take a shuttle to the beginning of the trail, so you can finish the hike where you left your car. There are several companies that offer this service. It is a little expensive, but the hike is worth it.
Rotorua
The next stop on our spontaneous roadtrip was Rotorua, where we visited the famous redwoods and then stumbled upon a beautiful, natural discovery.
The redwoods were beautiful. I absolutely love pine trees, and walking through the tall trees felt incredibly peaceful. Afterward, we had planned to visit a spa with natural hot springs, but when we arrived, it was closed. So, looking for other options, we found Kerosene Creek, a natural hot spring where you can soak in the warm water surrounded by forest. There weren’t many people there when we went, and I remember just sitting in the water surrounded by trees taking in the peaceful moment.
Closing Remarks
I didn’t get to see much of the North Island, but what I did see was SO beautiful and diverse, and I absolutely loved the experience of volunteering and connecting with people from all over the world. It’s something I have encouraged all my loved ones to do and something I look forward to continuing throughout my life.