Auckland → Queenstown

Choose an option

1. Day 1 · 2 NovAuckland → Coromandel119 mi · 2h 58m @40mph

   Pick up the Maui (09:00) near Auckland Airport, drive SH1/SH2 to the Coromandel (2.5–3h), provision in Thames.

   Stops

   • Pick up Maui RV 09:00 + walkthrough/safety briefing
   • Drive SH1/SH2 to the Coromandel (2.5–3h)
   • Stock the fridge & top off fuel in Thames
   • Drive up the scenic western coast

   Overnight🆓 Monk Street Carpark, Whitianga · Free · 4 self-contained spaces, central (20 Monk St)🏕 Whitianga Holiday Park or Hahei Holiday Park · Holiday park
2. Day 2 · 3 NovCoromandel → Hobbiton → Rotorua144 mi · 3h 37m @40mph

   Cathedral Cove or Hot Water Beach, drive to Matamata, Hobbiton 11:30–14:00 + Green Dragon Inn, on to Rotorua.

   Stops

   • Cathedral Cove or Hot Water Beach (check low-tide times)
   • Drive to Matamata (~2.5h)
   • Pre-booked Hobbiton tour + drink at the Green Dragon Inn
   • Drive SH5 ~1h to Rotorua

   Overnight🆓 Government Gardens Motorhome Area, Rotorua · Free · up to 17 self-contained, opp. Polynesian Spa🏕 Rotorua TOP 10 · Holiday park

   Book Hobbiton tour ↗
3. Day 3 · 4 NovFull day in Rotorua

   No rushing: Te Puia / Wai-O-Tapu geysers & mud pools, a Hāngī lunch or zipline, Redwoods Treewalk at night.

   Stops

   • Te Puia or Wai-O-Tapu geysers, vents & mud pools
   • Traditional Hāngī lunch, or zipline native forest
   • Redwoods Treewalk (illuminated, at night)

   Overnight🆓 Government Gardens (2nd night) or TECT Park · Free · TECT Park has a KiwiCamp pod (hot showers/laundry)🏕 Rotorua TOP 10 (2nd night) · Holiday park
4. Day 4 · 5 NovRotorua → Lake Taupō50 mi · 1h 15m @40mph

   Easy 1h drive (SH5); Huka Falls, then a boat cruise or kayak to the Mine Bay Māori rock carvings.

   Stops

   • Drive SH5 to Taupō (~1h)
   • Huka Falls (Waikato River canyon)
   • Boat cruise or kayak to Mine Bay rock carvings

   Overnight🆓 Hipapatua Reserve (Reid's Farm), Taupō · Free · riverbank reserve on the Waikato🏕 Taupo TOP 10 · Holiday park
5. Day 5 · 6 NovTaupō → Hawke’s Bay surf coast100 mi · 2h 29m @40mph

   Thermal Explorer Highway (SH5) to the Cape Coast (2h); afternoon surf, or Napier Art Deco.

   Stops

   • Drive SH5 to the Cape Coast (~2h)
   • Surf Haumoana / Te Awanga right-hand point breaks (or Ocean Beach) — Hawke’s Bay Surf School rentals
   • Optional: Napier Art Deco walk

   Overnight🆓 Clifton Road Reserve, Te Awanga · Free · beachfront, next to the surf & bike trail🏕 Napier Beach TOP 10 or Hastings TOP 10 · Holiday park · powered, kitchens, dump station
6. Day 6 · 7 NovHawke’s Bay bike & wine

   E-bike the flat, off-road Kidnappers Coast Trail to three bike-friendly wineries; optional surf.

   Stops

   • MeloYelo e-bikes (Bay Cycles or Coastal Wine Cycles, delivered to the coast)
   • Kidnappers Coast Trail → Beach House → Elephant Hill → Clearview (lunch)
   • Optional surf session

   Overnight🆓 Clifton Road Reserve (2nd night) · Free · beachfront🏕 Napier Beach TOP 10 / Hastings TOP 10 (2nd night) · Holiday park

   Elephant Hill (book tasting) ↗Clearview Estate (book lunch) ↗Beach House Wines (walk-in) ↗
7. Day 7 · 8 NovHawke’s Bay → Wairarapa Valley162 mi · 4h 3m @40mph

   Relaxed drive south via SH2 (3.5h); Pinot Noir in Martinborough or boutique Greytown. Two nights (8–9 Nov).

   Stops

   • Drive south via SH2 (~3.5h)
   • Optional: Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre
   • Martinborough Pinot Noir or Greytown shops

   Overnight🆓 Lake Domain Reserve, Featherston · Free · grassy park on Lake Wairarapa
8. Day 8 · 10 NovWairarapa → Wellington Ferry39 mi · 59m @40mph

   Depart 08:00, over the Remutaka Range (1.5h), coffee stop, arrive the ferry by 12:30 for the afternoon crossing.

   Stops

   • Depart camp 08:00 sharp
   • Remutaka Range via SH2 into Wellington (~1.5h)
   • 10:00 coffee: Café 88 (Woodville) or The Lazy Graze (Eketāhuna)
   • 12:00 enter Wellington (30-min buffer)
   • 12:30 ferry check-in — afternoon crossing to the South Island