• NZ Road Trip – North Island – Day 2 & 3
• Auckland – Rotorua – Tūrangi
• Monday 23rd – Tuesday 24th Feb 2026

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We woke up in Auckland to blue skies and that crisp, clear light that makes everything feel brand new. There’s something about knowing you’re on the other side of the world that makes even a coffee run feel exciting.

Today’s plan was to pick up our van and leave the city behind and head south to Rotorua, New Zealand’s geothermal heartland and then on to Tūrangi.

So late morning, we picked up our ‘home” for the next part of the adventure, a small campervan for the road trip ahead.

Now, these are not just ordinary campervans.
Each one is hand-painted with its own quirky theme. There are no subtle beige motorhomes here. Oh no….and ours…. A Sonic and Super Mario van.

Yes, we will be travelling across New Zealand in what is essentially a moving 90s arcade game.  It’s loud, it’s colourful and it has character. We have absolutely embraced it.  I lie, Andy has not – quote from him “Im slightly embarrassed driving this thing”🤣.  Makes me love the van even more so now 🤭.

Somewhere between standing on a sacred volcanic crater and collecting a van covered in cartoon hedgehogs and plumbers, this trip has already found its balance.  Culture, beauty… and a blue hedgehog on wheels.  Road trip mode is activated.

The drive itself felt like a postcard. Rolling green hills, endless farmland, sheep and cows (lots and lots of them) dotted across the landscape like someone had carefully placed them there for effect. It’s that classic New Zealand scenery you see in films and yet it somehow looks even better in real life.

We passed through the Waikato region, where the land stretches wide and open. There’s a calmness to it. Space, silence and big skies.

And then gradually, almost subtly at first, the landscape began to change.

As we approached Rotorua, the earth quite literally started steaming.  Plumes of white vapour rose from the ground. The air changed. And yes… there it was… that famous sulphur smell. There’s no easing into it,  Rotorua announces itself boldly.

Rotorua sits within the Taupō Volcanic Zone, one of the most active geothermal areas in the world. You don’t just see the earth’s power here, you feel it.

We strolled through the beautiful Government Gardens and soaked in the slightly surreal feeling of sitting beside a peaceful lake… while steam rises from the ground nearby breathing in the fresh ‘eggy’ smell.

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Rotorua feels different from Auckland. Smaller, earthier and rich in Māori culture and geothermal history.

We left the bubbling earth of Rotorua, the faint scent of sulphur still lingering in the air, and headed south toward Tūrangi.

It wasn’t too a long drive, but in New Zealand, even short distances feel cinematic.

Soon the vast blue expanse of Lake Taupō came into view.  It’s hard to describe the scale of it.  It looks like the sea, but it’s a lake. A huge volcanic caldera filled with water so still it mirrors the sky. The road hugs its edge, offers us those constant “wow” moments around every bend.

Arriving in Tūrangi feels like stepping into adventure territory.  Often called the gateway to Tongariro National Park, this small town sits near the southern edge of Lake Taupō and beside the Tongariro River.  It has that outdoorsy, slightly rugged charm, with mountain silhouettes in the distance.

We had come here specifically to visit Tongariro National park and more specifically to undertake the Tongariro Alpine Crossing….and that’s definitely a post in itself!