u/alvaromontoro

A few months ago, I shared our North Island itinerary here and got some great feedback from the community (thanks!).

We recently completed the trip, and I thought I'd share how it actually went in case it helps anyone planning a family trip with limited time.

TL;DR: We spent 7 days around Hobbiton, Waitomo, Rotorua, and Taupō with two kids. The highlights were Hobbiton, Ruakuri Cave, the Rotorua luge, Wai-O-Tapu, and Huka Falls. If I were planning it again, I'd try to reduce the driving and "squeeze out" an extra day somewhere.

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Day 1 – Auckland → Matamata
Picked up the rental car and drove to Matamata. Mostly a travel day, but it let us see the countryside and get close to Hobbiton. I kept the schedule light while getting used to driving on the left side of the road.

Day 2 – Hobbiton & Waitomo
We did the Behind the Scenes Hobbiton Tour, which I highly recommend (the food alone almost makes it worth it). Afterward, we drove to Waitomo and did the Ruakuri Bush Walk at night. The kids loved it, and we got to see glowworms in the wild.

Day 3 – Waitomo → Rotorua
We visited both Ruakuri Cave and Waitomo Glowworm Cave before heading to Rotorua. That evening we attended Mitai Māori Village. It was enjoyable and a good introduction to Māori culture, although a bit touristy.

Of the two caves, I preferred Ruakuri. We had a small early-morning tour, got very close to the glowworms, and were allowed to take photos. Waitomo was good too, but I felt the experience was a little overhyped.

Day 4 – Rotorua
This was the kids' favourite day. The Luge was an unexpected hit (they would have happily spent the entire day there). We also visited Whakarewarewa, which was fascinating and our first real introduction to Rotorua's geothermal activity. At night we did the Redwoods Treewalk, which I highly recommend, even as someone who is scared of heights. The glowworms there felt a little artificial, but there were so many of them that it was still worth seeing.

Day 5 – Te Puia & Wai-O-Tapu
A recommendation from our B&B host led us to Te Puia, where we saw geysers, learned more about Māori culture, and saw some kiwi birds. After that, we explored Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. We ended up spending much longer there than expected and had to move our evening plans to the next day.

Day 6 – Taupō Area
We took a boat trip to see the Māori Rock Carvings, visited Huka Falls, and walked around Craters of the Moon.

Huka Falls was stunning. Craters of the Moon was decent, but after Wai-O-Tapu and Rotorua's other geothermal attractions, it felt a bit underwhelming.

Day 7 – Hamilton → Auckland Airport
Mostly a transition day. We picked up some souvenirs and headed back to Auckland with plenty of time for the flight.

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We ended up skipping Auckland itself, Mount Maunganui, and Cathedral Cove altogether, which was a bit disappointing... but it gives us a good excuse to come back.

Overall, the trip was fantastic and the whole family had an amazing time.