The North Island is very different in scenery and geographical makeup from the South Island of New Zealand. It is a sub -tropical climate in the north where NZ's largest city, Auckland, 'The City of Sails', is situated on its beautiful Harbour. This is where the America's Cup Yachting was recently contested with Team New Zealand winning for a second time. Here again in 3 years time this great event will be fought again.

Further south in the centre of the Island lie the attractive towns of Taupo and Rotorua which are both situated on beautiful lakes and surrounded by active geothermal areas containing geysers and mud pools. Both lakes offer wonderful trout fishing and water activities to the enthusiast.

The travel routes through the east coast, west coast and the centre of the Island, offer different scenic views and attractions. These all lead to the Wellington, which is situated on another spectacular harbour in the South of the Island. Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand, and also the seat of New Zealand's House of Parliament. The city features the fantastic 'Te Papa' the National Museum of New Zealand.

Throughout the North Island there are many local attractions to visit in each region and area. Check out our Region and Area pages and our Search facility on this Page for your particular interest!