North Island Hike Information and Travel Resources

North Island Hike

Walking Legends offers a wide range of guided walking holidays in New Zealand including the famous North Island hike, the 'Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk' and Rotorua Day Treks, the Urewera Discovery Tour, Tongariro Hiking Tour, and custom made walking and hiking holidays. If you are planning to visit or hike in New Zealand's North Island, you may also find these resources helpful when you begin your planning:

Recommended Accommodation New Zealand Information
Useful Travel Services Interesting Sites
New Zealand Adventure Activities


Recommended Accommodation:

Rotorua

  • East West Homestay & Holiday Apartments: Very comfortable bed & breakfast accommodation, self-catering apartments & cottages in a quiet street, 5 mins walk to Rotorua city centre. Heated swimming pool and spa.
  • Jack and Di's: Luxury, lake view bed and breakfast style accommodation. Great location close to Lake Rotorua and city centre.
  • Innes Cottage: Bed & breakfast accommodation in a cute cottage on a quiet street just out of Rotorua city centre.
  • Tresco B&B: Comfortable bed & breakfast accommodation in a character villa close to Rotorua city centre. Hot mineral pool.
  • Solitaire Lodge: 5 star luxury lodge located on private peninsula at Lake Tarawera, with stunning views.
  • Treetops Estate: 5 star luxury lodge located in its own private wilderness estate, with walking, fishing and hunting on your doorstep.
  • Emerald Spa: New motel with luxury studios and suites boasting private spas, near city centre.
  • Fenton Court Motel: Four star motel near Rotorua city centre, with private spas.
  • Sport of Kings Motel: Comfortable motel on a quiet road near Rotorua city centre, with shared spa.
  • Regal Palms Motel: 5 star motor lodge about 15 mins walk from Rotorua city centre, with private spas and swimming pool.
  • Treks Backpackers: New Rotorua backpacker accommodation, in city centre.
  • Funky Green Voyager: Cosy backpacker accommodation in quiet street near centre.
  • Kiwipaka YHA: Rotorua backpacker accommodation.

Whakatane:

  • Alfresco B&B : Very comfortable bed & breakfast accommodation with friendly hosts, 15 mins walk along river to town centre. Outdoor spa.
  • Crestwood Homestay : Self contained guest area with 2 bedrooms, sunny deck and great views.
  • White Island Rendezvous Motel & Villas: Motel, self-contained villa and bed & breakfast accommodation in a great location near the wharf and town centre.

Other New Zealand:

  • Waikawa B&B: B&B accommodation with spectacular sea views on the North Island's East Cape, Te Kaha.
  • Auckland No. 1 House: Beautiful villa on waters edge (own beach), yet only 8 mins from centre. Meet you at airport, full cooked breakfast, happy hosts.
  • Whakamarino Lodge: Old-style lodge located on the shores of a small tranquil lake near Waikaremoana.

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Useful Travel Services:

New Zealand

  • Air New Zealand: International and national flight service. Trialling the use of bio-fuel to reduce carbon emissions! Now offering Sydney to Rotorua direct flights.
  • Qantas: International and national flight service.
  • Freedom Air: International flight service.
  • Intercity Coachline: National coach service.
  • Naked Bus: National coach service offering cheap, no-frill fares.
  • Tranzscenic Rail: National railway service. Auckland to Tongariro.
  • Interisland Ferry: Ferry service connecting the North and South Islands.
  • Strait Shipping: Ferry service connecting the North and South Islands.
  • Go Rentals: Quality, well presented and maintained rental cars at very competitive prices in New Zealand. Free delivery to Auckland hotels.
  • Ace Rental Cars: New Zealand car hire company with competitive rates which include unlimited kilometers insurance and roadside assistance.
  • Tui Campers NZ: Campervan rental company specialising in catering for international tourists.
  • Moa Trek: See a decidedly different NZ with Moa Trek's wine tours, luxury customized private tours, and tailormade itineraries.
  • New Zealand Tours: Offering small group guided tours, coach tours, self drive tours, private tours and sightseeing day tours throughout New Zealand.
  • Rotorua Sustainable Tourism Charter: Members committed to improving their environmental sustainability.
  • Organic Explorer: Green travel guide to sustainable NZ: eco-tourism, cafes and accommodation.
  • NZ Tourism Online: Comprehensive directory of NZ tourism operators, activities and accommodation.
  • http://www.charleshotel.hu/: New Zealand Travel and Hotel Directory
  • http://new-zealand.travel-information.org/: Travel Information
  • Loveat Limited: Auckland online restaurant guide.

World-wide:

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New Zealand Adventure Activities:

Rotorua

  • Waimangu Volcanic Valley: An exceptional walk through native forest and an active volcanic valley created by Mt Tarawera's eruption in 1886.
  • Orakei Korako Cave & Thermal Park: A really special place featuring interesting volcanic formations including silica terraces and an unforgettable geothermal cave, situated on the shores of Lake Ohakuri.
  • River Rats Rafting: Great rafting adventures on the famous Kaituna rapids and other rivers in the region.
  • River Jet: The only place in NZ where you can jet boat to a thermal reserve and experience 2 of NZ's best icons - jet boating and geothermal activity.
  • Tarawera Ultramarathon Event: Ultramarathon and relay run around pristine Lake Tarawera and Tarawera River, March 2009.

Te Urewera National Park

  • Te Urewera Rainforest Route: A collection of tourism operators offering a range of guided wilderness experiences in the largest National Park in the North Island.
  • Ahurei Adventures: Hunting and fishing trips, marae stays and bush cabin accommodation, deep in Tuhoe country, hosted by local Maori.
  • Te Urewera Treks: Unique 1- to 3-day treks with local Maori guides in the Whirinaki Forest Park, Te Urewera National Park, and on private Maori land.
  • Kiwi River Safaris: 2 hour guided rafting adventures on the Rangitaiki River (grade 3-4).

North Island

New Zealand

  • Southern Wilderness: guided hikes on the Heaphy Track and other walks in the spectacular Nelson Lakes region of the South Island.
  • Unlimited New Zealand: offer a one day guided trip to Arthur's Pass National Park from Christchurch, which includes a half day guided walk and return journey on the TranzAlpine scenic train.
  • Pure Trails NZ: Active walking holidays exploring some of our favourite places in the South Island.
  • NZ Walking Company: Offer a range of walking holidays throughout New Zealand.
  • Backpack New Zealand: Comprehensive directory of activities and services available in New Zealand.
  • Backpacker Board New Zealand: The independent travel guide for New Zealand. Fully interactive online guide for backpacking and budget travel in NZ.
  • Trekking NZ: A range of DVDs and videos about other New Zealand walking tracks.
  • Backcountry NZ: I enjoy hiking the back country trails of NZ. Come and see spectacular views of the Milford, Routeburn, Kepler and Stewart island tracks.
  • Tourism Online: Comprehensive directory of tourism operators and activities in New Zealand.
  • Adventure New Zealand: Information, tours and itinerary planning for adventure travel to New Zealand.
  • Experience New Zealand Travel: New Zealand vacation services and recommended accommodation guide.

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New Zealand Information:

  • Greenpeace: New Zealand and world-wide environmental campaigners. Check the site for their latest news and events, and to find out how you can help to save the world!
  • Kiwi Recovery Programme: A site loaded with interesting information about our threatened national bird, with a little info on the programme running at Waikaremoana.
  • 100% Pure New Zealand: The official New Zealand tourism site. Contains a wealth of information on travelling and tourism in New Zealand.
  • Department of Conservation: For more information on the Waikaremoana area and New Zealand's other national parks and conservation areas.
  • Craig Potton Publishing: Independent New Zealand publisher and distributor of fabulous NZ books and photos, with particular focus on walks and the outdoors.
  • Gisborne Information Centre: Information on Gisborne and the East Cape area.
  • Rotorua Information Centre: Information on the Rotorua area.
  • Organic Explorer: Complete guide to New Zealand's eco-tours, organic food and eco-accommodation.
  • New Zealand Focus: New Zealand tourism information guides.
  • Gym in a Suitcase: Christchurch based website providing information on health and fitness facilities for travellers.
  • Tramper NZ: New Zealand's most extensive site devoted solely to our favourite activity, "tramping", known as hiking or trekking in other parts of the world.
  • Peak Bagging: Forum and route descriptions of New Zealand's peaks.
  • NZ Wine Cellar: Site providing information on our next favourite activity! Wine sales, festival events, regions, books and general NZ wine advice.
  • NZ Bartender: Site packed with drinks recipes, competitions and articles.
  • One Weather: Check out the weather in New Zealand today!
  • Qualmark: New Zealand tourism's official quality assessors.

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Interesting Sites:

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View more information about the Lake Waikaremoana, North Island Hike.