First-time visitors to New Zealand often think of a few days’ tour of the country, taking a sampling, as it were, of the country’s myriad offerings.
You won’t see much of New Zealand in less than a week — not much of either the North Island or South Island — but there’s enough of variety and contrasts found in, say, a five-day tour.
The North Island is usually the favored choice, mainly because Auckland is the popular entry point to New Zealand.
Then there is the Bay of Islands north of Auckland and inland Rotorua with its thermal geysers and its Maori character.
Gateway to New Zealand
The North Island is actually the smaller of the two major New Zealand islands but boasts two of the country’s more important cities: Auckland in the north and the usual gateway to New Zealand; and Wellington, the nation’s capital, in the south.
Auckland was the New Zealand capital from 1840 to 1865. Before that period, the capital was Russell in the Northland close to Waitangi, birthplace of the nation.
Auckland today is the commercial and industrial centre of New Zealand and is its largest city.
