{"id":876231,"date":"2015-04-29T00:00:05","date_gmt":"2015-04-28T23:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aatkings.com\/real-word\/?p=876231"},"modified":"2025-11-19T18:38:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T17:38:25","slug":"new-zealand-north-island-or-south-island-why-not-both","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aatkings.com\/storybook\/new-zealand-north-island-or-south-island-why-not-both\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand \u2013 North Island or South Island?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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There is no denying the magnificence of New Zealand\u2019s South Island. The dramatic contrast of landscapes and spectrum of colours, rugged snow-capped mountains, stunning blue lakes and green rolling hills, not to mention the endless range of sporting and adventure activities at hand to further enhance a traveller\u2019s experience. I have not forgotten my trip to the South Island easily. However I was also delighted to discover this year that the quieter, slightly slower-paced North Island has just as much to offer! I am surprised that the North remains so largely underrated.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

Kia Ora! Welcome to New Zealand \u2013 Kate meets Tour Director Kevin<\/em><\/p>\r\n

Arriving into Auckland I was instantly greeted by a friendly chorus of \u201cKia Ora\u201d from locals. Kia Ora is a warm Maori greeting, which embodies everything about the very hospitable Kiwi\u2019s! It\u2019s a great first impression of New Zealand and all this charming country has to offer.<\/p>\r\n

For wine lovers like myself, the glorious Waiheke Island is only a 1-hour ferry ride out of Auckland Bay. The very scenic Waiheke is well known by locals and visitors alike as New Zealand\u2019s \u201cisland of wine\u201d. You can easily navigate the whole island by bus and over a few hours taste New Zealand\u2019s most delicious wines and sample famous vineyards \u2013 I certainly didn\u2019t leave empty handed!<\/p>\r\n

And for those who only have a short time in this beautiful city, there is plenty to see and do around the city itself, particularly with a great range of restaurants and entertainment in the Viaduct Harbour precinct. I did discover that Auckland is also well-known for some the best shopping from fresh-food markets to designer fashion. For history buffs I definitely recommend a visit to Auckland\u2019s War Memorial Museum, housed in one of Auckland\u2019s most iconic and beautiful buildings. The collections include fascinating exhibitions on New Zealand\u2019s natural and military history.<\/p>\r\n

For nature and scenery lovers, the North Island is not without magnificent sights. Just a short drive North out of Auckland led us to the beautiful Bay of Islands known for some of New Zealand\u2019s best beaches. We sat back and relaxed on the coach watching the cityscape views transform into a magical sea-side town within a few hours. It seems uncanny when New Zealanders say you\u2019ll discover natural wonders at every turn but they\u2019re not just showing off it really is like that!<\/p>\r\n

New Zealand is abundant with wildlife experiences, not only limited to the paddocks of sheep you see all over the countryside. Swimming with playful wild dolphins in the Bay of Islands is definitely one for the bucket list. Whale-watching is a pretty special experience too; it\u2019s a thrill to see these magnificent creatures in the wild. I was even lucky enough to spot New Zealand\u2019s rare and iconic kiwi bird! They are surprisingly very cute and fluffy!<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

Dolphin watching on the Bay of Islands<\/em><\/p>\r\n

At the very northern tip of the Bay of Islands the aptly named \u2018Hole in the Rock\u2019 attracts many tourists. It wasn\u2019t until I witnessed this majestic sight for myself on a cruise of the Bay that I could truly appreciate its fame and natural beauty. This massive rock formation has been carved by centuries of wind and wave erosion at sea level. It was amusing seeing every gasp as we cruised right through the middle of this narrow hole \u2013 what a rush!<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/p>\r\n

Hole In The Rock up close<\/em><\/p>\r\n

So before booking a trip to New Zealand, be sure to include the North Island on your itinerary! The North is regularly understated and deserves as much credit as the South. If you can experience the whole country top to bottom and what is has to offer they\u2019re shouldn\u2019t be anything stopping you.<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0Do yourself a favour and visit the North Island on one of these great New Zealand holidays<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is no denying the magnificence of New Zealand\u2019s South Island. The dramatic contrast of landscapes and spectrum of colours, rugged snow-capped mountains, stunning blue lakes and green rolling hills, not to mention the endless range of sporting and adventure activities at hand to further enhance a traveller\u2019s experience. I have not forgotten my trip […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":876232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":null,"ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":null,"ast-hfb-below-header-display":null,"ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":null,"ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":null,"stick-header-meta":null,"header-above-stick-meta":null,"header-main-stick-meta":null,"header-below-stick-meta":null,"astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[22952],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-876231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-expert-travel-tips","countries-new-zealand","regions-north-island","regions-south-island"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew Zealand \u2013 North Island or South Island? - AAT Kings<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It can be difficult to choose whether to travel to New Zealand's North or South Island. 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