Complete Guide: 7 days on the North Island of New Zealand

The North Island of New Zealand is not as talked about as much as the South Island but we absolutely loved it! It was our first taste of the country and had us obsessed from day one. We could have spent weeks and weeks and hope to return one day soon! Here is our complete guide to 7 days on the North Island of New Zealand including where to go and how far everything is!

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Just like with any itinerary this is not the only way to spend a week in the North Island. We landed in Auckland and had 7 days before flying down to the South Island. This itinerary is how to spend 7 days specifically on the Coromandel Peninsula of the North Island. We absolutely loved this area! You will find gorgeous beaches and stunning mountains.

Do you Need a Car in New Zealand?

We landed in Auckland and picked up our small rental car for the next week. So many people road trip around both islands either in a car or a campervan. There are so many campsites and public facilities that make it really easy. We chose to rent a car in the North Island and then a campervan in the South Island.

There are some buses that go around the island but you are limited to certain areas. It’s significantly easier if you have your own car plus we found we loved getting to see more of the island while driving around!

If you’re renting a car you definitely want to make sure to bring this car charger with you! That way you never have to worry about taking too many pictures because if you’re anything like me you will constantly be holding up your phone while driving! It has both a USB-A and USB-C port on it.

Day 1: Arrive & Stay Near Auckland

You will likely fly into Auckland in the northern part of the island. Consider staying relatively close to Auckland to make it easier to recover from the long flight. We stayed about an hour away from Auckland in Ngatea. It’s about two-thirds of the way to the Coromandel Peninsula so it’s a good in between place.

If you arrive earlier in the day you could take some time and explore the city of Auckland! We wanted to maximize our days getting closer to the coast which is why we chose to drive and stay closer to the peninsula.

Day 2: Drive around the Coromandel Peninsula to Cooks Beach

Get an early start on day 2 because this drive is incredible! Whether you stay right in Auckland or outside like we did, you want to start driving along the western coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. Once you get to Thames you’ll be rewarded with views of the water on the left!

We stopped at a few different beaches and beautiful lookout spots in Thorton Bay. The drive is a winding road with trees on one side and the bright blue water on the other.

Make your way all the way up to the town of Coromandel which is a small town with some shops and restaurants. You could easily stop for a few hours and have lunch. From Coromandel continue on state highway 25 up to Kuaotuna on the northeastern part of the peninsula. Your GPS or maps might tell you to cut inland to go more directly from Coromandel to Cooks Beach but staying along the coast gave us amazing views and we really recommend it!

We stopped at a beach in Kuaotuna along 25 for a snack and it was so nice! There were a few people snorkeling in the rocks in the water and we could have easily laid out for a few hours!

Whitianga is another good stopping point especially if you are looking for a larger town with more options for stores and restaurants.

You can also take the ferry from Whitianga to Ferry Landing (which is less than 3 km from Cooks Beach) which many people do if you don’t want to drive around. The ferry costs 5 NZD for an adult single ride or $3.3 USD.

Depending on how many stops you make along the way you should get to the town of Cooks Beach by late afternoon! We took full advantage and made our way to Cooks Beach after checking into our Airbnb. From the town there is a path leading to the large beach. Every time we went there were hardly any other people there.

If you’re staying farther away and driving you can park either in the parking lot near the public toilets or along the outside of the field right next door.

Day 3: Spend the Day at Cooks Beach

Today is all about spending the day at your beach of choice! We woke up and had a really slow morning drinking our coffee outside. Cooks Beach is a really small, quiet town and it is so nice!

You can grab a morning coffee at The Vessel in town or head down to the beach with a towel to sit and watch the water!

Our original plan was to spend the day at New Chum’s Beach which is a well known beach just over an hours drive north from Cooks Beach. There is a beautiful viewpoint above the beach that is a really great photo spot. But honestly once we saw Cooks Beach and how empty it was we couldn’t bring ourselves to drive to the farther beach. So we spent the day walking 3 minutes from our Airbnb to the beach and had such a nice day! We both got really sunburnt though so don’t underestimate how strong the sun is in New Zealand!

Whichever beach you chose you are bound to find yourself in a beautiful place to spend the day. Once you’re back in Cooks Beach you have a few options for dinner. The Vessel has really delicious burgers as well as fish and chips and BBQ options in a fun outdoor setting. Although it is a little pricey because of the location. The Frying Scotsman is a takeaway restaurant with fish and chips, burgers and pizza. Every time we walked by there were a lot of people waiting for their food!

Day 4: Hahei beach and Cathedral Cove

Drive about 15 minutes down the road to the Hahei Beach Visitors Carpark. It’s free to park which is amazing and there are clean toilets as well. From the carpark you can take a Cathedral Cove Park and Ride Shuttle that goes to the Cathedral Cove Carpark or you can walk to Hahei Beach and then along the coastal path. We would highly recommend opting to walk!

The Cathedral Cove Carpark is closed during the summer to minimize congestion during the busier months. You can find it on Google Maps but parking is roped off and only allows the shuttle to drop off and pick up.

From the Hahei Beach Carpark there is a path at the end farthest from the entrance that will take you to Hahei Beach. It is very well marked so don’t worry about missing it. You will pass a small store on the left where you can buy food or water if needed.

There is a smaller parking lot that you will walk past right at Hahei Beach but it was always full when we walked by so we didn’t even try. If you’re visiting during off peak times you might have more luck.

We honestly feel like Hahei Beach is a hidden gem! It is such a beautiful beach that completely surprised us. The only reason we went was to walk from there to Cathedral Cove but wow is it worth spending some time at! It’s really large and we found almost everyone walks down from the carpark and goes to the right. Walk to the left all the way to the end and there is no one. We felt like we found the most beautiful spot and we had it all to ourselves!

There is a rope swing that makes for a really good photo spot!

We tossed our bathing suits in our daypack and were so glad because the water is crystal clear!

There is a large sign at the entrance to Hahei Beach directing you to the path leading to Cathedral Cove. We found all the trail signs in the area are very well marked and labeled which makes it much easier to find your way. The trail starts by walking through beautiful purple flowers which you will see all over the North Island.

From there you walk through a forest area which gives a nice break from the sun. The trail goes up and down as you hike higher but rewards you with views overlooking all of Hahei Beach!

It took us about 15 minutes from the start of the path at Hahei Beach to get to the Cathedral Cove Carpark. There is a lookout platform where you can take pictures as well as bathrooms in the carpark.

There was also a food stand in the carpark where you could buy water or a snack. But your options are limited so do yourself a favor pack lunch and a water bottle so you’re all set!
You can see the white cliffs of Cathedral Cove from there so if you’re short on time you could just hike there and then go back. But the walk itself is really nice and worth taking the extra time to continue on.

From there the trail goes up and down. You have the option to walk out to 2 other spots, Gemstone Bay and Stingray Beach. There are signs indicating the trail out to both as well as kilometer and minute guidelines. We chose to continue on straight to Cathedral Cove but if you’re looking to do more I’m sure going out to one or even both would be beautiful!

About 15 mintues past the carpark is a really good viewpoint. You’re high enough that you can see all the surrounding water and an island directly across from where you’re standing. This is another really good spot to stop and take a picture!

Close to Cathedral Cove the path starts going downhill as you climb down to the beach. It took us about 40 minutes to walk from from the Cathedral Cove Carpark to Cathedral Cove. All in all it’s not a very long walk but is so nice! It wasn’t too crowded, it’s a paved pathway so its easy to walk on and gives you really beautiful views along the way.

We instantly noticed that Cathedral Cove was significantly more crowded than Hahei Beach. It’s a well known beach and the famous cliffs are beautiful. It wasn’t too crowded for us not to find a spot. We were even able to wait a few minutes and get some pictures without too many people. If you’re looking for it to be empty definitely come early in the morning if you are visiting during the summer months.

Spend as much time as you like at Cathedral Cove and then you can decide to either walk back or take the shuttle. We again chose to walk and really enjoyed it! If you start your day early it gives you plenty of time to enjoy both beaches as well as the walk between!

Day 5 & 6: Stay in Cooks Beach or Move to Thames

There is a lot more you can do on the Coromandel Peninsula depending on what you’re looking to do. Hot Water Beach is really close to Cooks Beach and very popular as a place where you can dig your own thermal pool in the sand. Although we’ve heard it can be crowded and not quite as spa-like as it sometimes looks in pictures.

If you’re ready to leave Cooks Beach drive again on highway 25 across to the west side of the peninsula and then down to Thames. You actually drove through on day 2 but there are so many places to stop! If you didn’t have enough time on the drive up you can make some more stops this time.

Or if you’re done with the beach for a little while consider hiking the Pinnacles (Kauaeranga Kauri Trail) in the Coromandel Forest Park. You can park at the Kauaeranga Road End Carpark and the trail starts from there. It takes about 35 minutes to drive to the start from Thames which makes it a great spot to stay if you’re planning to hike. Hiking the Pinnacles is a really popular hike on the peninsula and gives you amazing views at the top!

It takes about 2 1/2 – 3 hours to get to the Pinnacles Hut and then about 40 minutes from there to the summit. Roundtrip it’s estimated to take 6-7 hours depending on your pace.
Many people hike up, stay in the Pinnacles Hut to see the sunset and then hike to the summit to see sunrise the next morning before hiking back down to the bottom

We were really sad to leave Cooks Beach and I’m sure you will be too! This quiet beach town is exactly the way you want to start your time in New Zealand. Our original plan was to hike the Pinnacles from Thames, however, the weather had a different plan so we got rained out! But it’s honestly just another reason why we need to come back because we already want to!

Day 7: Return to Auckland & Leave!

Driving from Thames to Auckland takes about an hour and a half which is another reason why it’s a good spot to spend your last night. From there it’s really easy to drive into Auckland.

If you have more time before your flight you can explore some of the city of Auckland or drop off your rental car and more your way to the airport. We rented our car from SNAP Rentals and had a really good experience! They sent a shuttle to pick us up when we first landed and then after returning the car they dropped us off at the terminal for our flight to the South Island.

If you have more time on the North Island Piha Beach is a really nice beach that you can reach in less than an hour from Auckland. If we had more time some places we would have loved to go are up in the Northlands (north of Auckland) including the Bay of Islands! But we also loved that we didn’t have to rush from place to place and had such an incredible experience on the Coromandel Peninsula!