5 of the best road trips from Auckland
Ideas for short getaways from Auckland city
One of my favourite things about living in Auckland is how easy it is to travel from Auckland (Friday night traffic aside).
The city is positioned at the narrowest point of New Zealand, and it’s a great jumping off point for exploring in pretty much every direction.
Three days from Auckland isn’t quite enough time to make it to the very far north, but it is long enough to reach the Bay of Islands and other spectacular parts of Northland.
You can cover a lot of the North Island from Auckland — I’ve spent long weekends in the Coromandel, around Rotorua, and in Raglan, as well as Northland.
If you’re looking for a three or four day road trip from Auckland, these are my favourite routes, and what you can find there.
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Road trip essentials
If you need a car, compare prices on DiscoverCars (I usually go with the lowest price as they are all fairly similar, but I can recommend Go Rentals!)
Check fuel prices on Gaspy
1. Auckland to the Bay of Islands
Auckland to Paihia: 3 hour drive
Highlights: Visit Urupukapuka Island for great day walks. The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are also an important place to visit, with a lot of essential New Zealand history.
Things to see and do:
Make sure you visit the Hundertwasser toilets in Kawakawa
Visit Ngawha Springs for beautiful geothermal pools — Northland is surprisingly active on the geothermal front.
Stroll around Russell.
For a more adventurous long weekend, tackle the Cape Brett Track. It’s one of my favourite overnight walks in the country, with a long walk out to a former lighthouse keeper’s hut.
Where to stay:
Auckland to the Tutukaka Coast
Highlights: I love Matapouri Bay,
Things to see and do:
Go diving at the Poor Knights Islands. If you don’t have your PADI, you can do your certification here — I did mine with Dive! Tutukaka and it was a gorgeous place for a first diving experience.
Camping: Woolley’s Bay freedom camping spot is one of my all time favourite freedom campgrounds. It’s right by a stunning beach and close to Whale Bay, an incredible swimming spot.
Auckland to the Coromandel
The Coromandel Peninsula is only a two hour drive to Auckland — around three hours to the more remote reaches.
I grew up on the Coromandel and still love exploring every corner of the Peninsula. Some of my favourite thing
Highlights: Beaches and camping. There’s great surf on the east coast and plenty of incredible swimming beaches too.
Things to do:
Take the Driving Creek Railway through the bush
Head north of Colville to get well and truly off the beaten track. I love camping at Waikawau Bay.
Eat at Luke’s Kitchen and if you’re lucky catch some live music
Drive out to Opito Bay for a glorious beach, and walk to the top of the Opito Point Pā for stunning views
Where to stay: The Wairua Rainforest Retreat is my top pick; you get a bathtub looking out into native bush and a hot tub for gazing at the stars.
Camping: If you’re in a campervan, you’ll find beautiful freedom camping spots at Little Bay, Pauanui, and Opoutere Beach.
Auckland to Hobbiton and Rotorua
From Auckland, you can visit Hobbiton on a day trip, but I think a better way to do it is to make a short road trip out of it.
Auckland to Raglan and Waitomo
Raglan is a popular long weekend destination from Auckland, but you can add Waitomo to the trip to see more of the North Island’s unique landscapes.
Things to do:
Watch sunset from Ngarunui Beach lookout.
I loved the Spellbound Glowworm tour — it was smaller and a bit more laid back than the main Waitomo Caves tours. The glowworms also seemed brighter.
Walk the Ruakuri Caves walk to see some beautiful rock formations.
Where to stay:
Camping: When camping in Raglan, I stay at the Te Kopua Whanau campground, which is basic but cheap and close to the beach.
Thanks for reading this far! I hope this helped give you some inspiration for short trips out of Auckland.
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AUTHOR BIO
I’m a freelance travel writer from New Zealand with bylines in National Geographic Travel, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and more.
I’ve travelled up and down beautiful Aotearoa and I love sharing my recommendations for the best places to visit in New Zealand.
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