Driving from Auckland to Wellington: A road trip itinerary
Don’t miss these beautiful spots on and Auckland to Wellington road trip.
Whanganui is a gorgeous little riverside town
Driving from Auckland to Wellington takes you right past some of the highlights of the North Island.
You can drive the whole distance in one day (I’ve made the journey several times) or take your time and stop at places like Rotorua, Taupo, and Hobbiton along the way.
If you’re considering a road trip from Auckland to Wellington, or Wellington to Auckland, here are my recommendations for where to stop.
I’m basing these recommendations on the assumption that you want to move fairly quickly south — if you have longer, you could detour to the Coromandel Peninsula, or spend even longer exploring other corners of the North Island.
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Auckland to Wellington road trip in 5 days
You can make the Auckland to Wellington drive in three days:
Day 1: Auckland to Rotorua
Day 2: Rotorua to Ohakune, via Taupo
Day 3: Ohakune to Wellington
4 days:
Day 1: Auckland to Rotorua
Day 2: Rotorua to Taupo via Wai O Tapu or Waimangu
Day 3: Taupo to Tongariro National Park (stay in Ohakune)
Day 4: Ohakune to Wellington
Or 5 days:
Day 1: Auckland to Raglan
Day 2/3: Raglan to Rotorua (stay two nights)
Day 4: Rotorua to Tongariro National Park, then on to Whanganui for the night
Day 5: Wellington
Your road trip essentials
If you need wheels, check out rental car prices on DiscoverCars
I use Gaspy to find the cheapest petrol stations (you’ll need to fill up at least once on this trip).
The best places to stop on the drive from Auckland to Wellington
From Auckland to Hamilton, there’s nowhere I would recommend stopping. This part of the drive is mostly on well-made motorways, a luxury in New Zealand, so relax and enjoy the drive.
Most of the best places to stop are clustered around the middle of the island — you can link these together in any way that makes sense to you.
Day 1: Auckland to Raglan
Raglan is a great small town to stop in if you want to spend one night somewhere.
While it’s a slight detour from the main Auckland to Wellington route, it’s well worth visiting Raglan for the laid-back surf vibes and epic scenery.
If you surf, there are multiple breaks in the area. Even if you don’t, the black sand Ngarunui Beach is a beautiful spot for walks and sunsets.
The town itself is small and cute, with artsy shops and cute cafes.
ITINERARY NOTES
If a beachy surf vibe doesn’t appeal, you could skip this stop and head straight to Rotorua on your first day, going via Hobbiton if you’re interested in visiting the movie set.
WHERE TO STAY IN RAGLAN
If you’re camping, Te Kopua Whanau camp is a cheap, spacious campground only a few minutes walk to the beach.
FEATURED STAY
Blackwood Cabin
A secluded family-owned cabin just outside of Raglan.
Day 2: From Raglan to Rotorua
WHY GO: The town of Rotorua itself is a little touristy, but the geothermal activity is truly unique. It’s one of the top destinations in New Zealand.
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU NEED IN ROTORUA: If you stop for one night, you can see some free mud pools on your first evening, followed by a visit to a geothermal park the next morning.
Stay a second night if you’re interested in Maori culture, and want to check out a show. You can also use the extra time to bathe in naturally thermal waters, like at Secret Spot hot tubs, a cool little locally owned spot that’s all about connecting with nature (and having drinks on demand).
From Raglan, you can head across the island to Rotorua, potentially stopping off at the Hamilton Gardens on the way.
The Hamilton Gardens focus on garden design rather than plants, with themed gardens like the Italian Renaissance, Surrealist, and Modernist Gardens.
You’ll also pass through Tirau on the way; I usually stop here for a coffee and a snack; it’s also cool to admire the quirky corrugated iron sculptures the town is famous for.
Just beyond Tirau is another very worthwhile stop; the Blue Spring (Te Waihou Walkway).
The Blue Spring
If you take your time getting to Rotorua, you might only have time for a walk around Kuirau Park in the afternoon, but you could also check out the Redwoods Treewalk in the evening.
ITINERARY NOTES
If you’re interested in the Waitomo Caves, you could add in a stop on your way to Rotorua.
This would add one hour of driving, making it nearly 3.5 hours total driving for the day, but with a stop in Waitomo in the middle.
You could also save visiting Wai O Tapu and Kerosene Creek on the day you head down to Taupo — both are on the road south. This means you could only stop in Rotorua for one night, before moving on.
Day 3: From Rotorua, head south to Tongariro National Park, via Taupō
Taupō (pronounced “toe paw”) is a massive lake in the heart of the North Island.
In my opinion, Lake Taupo isn’t that interesting — it’s cool to see the lake, and drive south alongside it, but otherwise it’s not the most exciting destination in the North Island.
Huka Falls is the most famous attraction, and seeing the waterfalls is cool, but you can do that very quickly (in 30 minutes or so).
You can visit the Aratiatia Rapids — upstream from the famous Huka Falls — where you can see a dry gorge turned into a roaring river as millions of litres of water are unleashed from the Aratiatia Dam several times a day.
Once you’ve done that, I would carry on further south, to sleep somewhere closer to Tongariro National Park.
ITINERARY NOTES
You can definitely set off from Taupo the following morning to do the Tongariro Crossing hike, if you struggle to find a place closer to the national park (Taupo will have the most accommodation options).
Otherwise, look around Turangi, Rangipo, or National Park Village.
WHERE TO STAY
One place to stay near Tongariro National Park that I absolutely loved is Rua Awa Lodge.
There is an outdoor bathtub, a fire brazier, a cosy kitchen — it’s so wholesome and beautiful. It’s also owned and run by a Maori woman, which makes staying here even better.
They are on Airbnb but I recommend booking directly via their website, so to show the most support. See more and book here >>
Day 4: Hike the Tongariro Crossing in Tongariro National Park
Of course, you don’t have to hike the Tongariro Crossing — there are many other walks you can do instead.
Make your way to the National Park visitor centre, and from there you can go on several short walks, some of which are accessible for people with lesser mobility.
Check out the Taranaki Falls walk for something slightly longer.
The trails around here are beautiful, and it is worth exploring the park, which is one of New Zealand’s two UNESCO world heritage sites.
ITINERARY NOTES
If you want to continue south after the Tongariro hike, you can make your way down to Whanganui, which is a 90 minute drive from the national park.
I have a real soft spot for Whanganui — it’s a quirky, cute town that feels like a smaller Wellington.
It makes a great place to stop for one night.
The town centre is lovely to stroll around, tucked into the elbow of the Whanganui River.
You can ride the Durie Hill Elevator, the oldest operating public elevator in New Zealand, up to a viewpoint.
My favourite thing to do here is check out the Glassworks. You can watch the artists at work from a mezzanine floor (it’s free to go in) and browse some beautiful glass art in the gallery.
The glass kina paperweights are stunning — I think they would make perfect souvenirs.
Mangaweka campground
If you happen to be travelling in a campervan, a great place to stop for the night is Mangaweka. Right by State Highway 1, the campground is cheap ($10 for a night) and beautiful.
It sits under tall white cliffs with a river running around the bottom.
Plus, there’s the Awastone - Mangaweka cafe, which has a stunning deck with a view.
Day 5: Head to Wellington, via Martinborough
It will add a bit of time to your journey, but head to Martinborough as one last stop before Wellington.
It’s a cute little town and a great pit stop for lunch — Poppies is the top spot for lunch and a wine tasting.
On your way south to Martinborough, I also like stopping in Featherston, which is just a cute little town.
A map and suggested routes
What’s the best way to get from Auckland to Wellington?
The fastest and easiest way to get from Auckland to Wellington is to fly. With Jetstar and Air New Zealand offering many flights on this route, it’s often the cheapest way as well.
With the cost of petrol what it is, driving 8+ hours can actually end up being more expensive than a flight.
However, driving allows you to stop at some of the North’s Islands key highlights, making for a fun road trip.
If you have 3-5 days, driving between Auckland and Wellington means you can explore geothermal wonders, volcanic mountains, and Lord of the Rings locations at your own speed.
Another option is to take the scenic Northern Explorer train from Auckland to Wellington, although this is expensive (from NZ$239 one way), time consuming and limited in the stops you can make.
There are public Intercity buses that run from Auckland to Wellington frequently, which is the cheapest way to travel between the cities.
How long does it take to drive from Auckland to Wellington?
The drive from Auckland to Wellington is about 640 kilometres and takes roughly 8 hours non-stop.
I’ve driven the route before only stopping once on Desert Road, but I don’t recommend doing this.
The road between Auckland and Wellington is State Highway 1, but that doesn’t mean it’s big. In many places the road is a narrow ribbon of only two lanes.
In the interests of safe driving, take the road slowly and stop every couple of hours for a rest break.
There are some great places to stop overnight to break up the trip as well.
Can you take a train from Auckland to Wellington?
There is a train between Auckland and Wellington but it’s slow and expensive. It’s great for the scenic journey, and a solid option if you don’t like driving and want to reduce your carbon footprint.
However, if you’re on a budget, the bus is a better option, and flying will usually cost less and get you there much faster.
Is it better to fly into Auckland or Wellington?
Auckland is the main entry point to New Zealand and the best place to start if you want to explore the country’s biggest city, and be close to destinations like Rotorua and Taupo. It’s better to fly into Wellington if you want to skip straight to the capital city, then catch the ferry to the South Island.
Thanks for reading this far! I hope this helped you plan your trip from Auckland to Wellington. Feel free to drop me an email if you have any questions about the drive.
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