4 places you sleep in over 7 nights. Select a place in the list to find it on the map.
1Overnight stop, in route orderVisited on the wayCoach with your driver guideStarts in Auckland, ends in Wellington. 4 overnight stops across 8 days, about 1,140 km of driving. Select a marker to open that day.
Overview
Guided tour, coach group. A driver guide travels with you the whole way, on a full-size coach, with the luggage and every booking handled.
It’s incredible how much a tour of New Zealand’s North Island can reveal about the country. 8 days through the North Island, running Auckland to Wellington. Along the way: Auckland, Bay Of Islands, Ninety Mile Beach. Every night is booked and the travelling is handled, so the itinerary below is what you actually do rather than a list of things you could arrange yourself.
Auckland is known as the ‘City of Sails’. And you’ll discover why when exploring its two harbours at your leisure. Pick a waterfront precinct and find a perch to while away the afternoon with a glass of robust red from Waiheke. Your Travel Director will welcome you and your fellow travelling companions tonight for a tour briefing and drinks. Staying in: Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre (1 night)
Your journey north to Bay of Islands from Auckland is not short of drama, discover 140 droplets of land ringed by turquoise sea at the top of the country. It’s undeniably beautiful, but it also holds a special historical significance: this is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between Captain William Hobson and Māori Chiefs in 1840. Your local specialist, perhaps a descendant of one of the original signatories, will explain the significance of the site, while pointing out the world’s largest ceremonial war canoe and a carved meeting house. Staying in: Copthorne Hotel and Resort (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
If there’s a travel destination that inspires wanderlust, the Bay of Islands is it. And today, you can do just that on optional experiences. Venture up to Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua, the very top of New Zealand, via idyllic Ninety Mile Beach or enjoy a scenic cruise among the 144 islands including lunch and a visit to the iconic hole in the rock. Or join a tour of Russell and learn more about the settling of the Bay of Islands. The choice is yours. Staying in: Copthorne Hotel and Resort (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast
Northern exposure is a thing today, when you journey toward the top of the country to visit Whangarei, NZ’s northernmost city, and a place where quirky galleries and museums wait to be explored. It’s like the country in a tantalising snapshot, a union of nature and forward-thinking culture. Explore at your leisure before sinking back into your seat for the mesmerising commute back to Auckland. Staying in: Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast
There’s no bad day in Auckland, today, yours starts with a city sights tour before you set your GPS for the Waikato River and Waitomo Caves. This place is radiant, quite literally. While cruising cavernous waterways, your route is cast in a magical light by thousands of glowworms. It’s a landscape almost as otherworldly as Rotorua, where mud pops and jettisons from bubbling geysers, and steam rushes skywards from cracks in the Earth. Tonight, delve deep into Māori culture with the Te Pō Indigenous Experience at Te Puia. It begins with an exhilarating cultural performance in a beautifully carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua, followed by views of the Pohutu Geyser, one of New Zealand’s geothermal wonderlands, and ends with a delicious buffet dinner of hāngī-inspired cuisine. Staying in: Ibis Rotorua Hotel (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Explore at your own pace today, but with plenty of tips from your Travel Director. Perhaps choose an optional experience? Want a bit of down time? We wouldn’t blame you for simply blissing out at Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa. Hobbit fans will want to take advantage of the opportunity to tour the sights featured in The Lord of the Rings movies at Hobbiton. These beautiful landscapes are not only a bucket list tour for Hobbit fans, but a gorgeous countryside getaway. Staying in: Ibis Rotorua Hotel (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast
You’ll hear Huka Falls well before you see it, at this natural wonder, a staggering 220,000 litres of water thunder over an 11-metre-high waterfall every second. The road ahead unfolds in a broad panorama of Lake Taupo, its waters so vivid and blue you’ll think someone has taken the glasses off your nose and cleaned them for the first time. Traverse the Kapiti Coast to New Zealand’s cool little capital, Wellington. Tonight, join your Travel Director for drinks to toast your adventure. Staying in: James Cook Grand Chancellor (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast
Wellington is known for its uber-cool cafes, so grab a coffee before you head out on your city sights tour. After the tour, bid farewell to your NZ crew. You may wish to depart directly, or if you have time, linger in town, discovering Māori culture at Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand (entrance fee applies). Meals included: Breakfast
Good to know
Departures
Northern Spotlight 26/27 runs on set dates. These are the departures still open, with what each one costs per person, two sharing.
Sat, 20 Feb 2027Sold out
Availability checked 26 October 2026 from the operator's own bookings. Guaranteed means the operator has confirmed the departure will run; sold out dates stay on the list so you can see what is left.
A date not listed is not being sold. Choose one and your quote comes back against that departure, at that departure's price.
Before and after
The tour itself runs as published. Nights in Auckland before it starts or in Wellington after it ends, and any of the optional experiences, can be added to your quote.
Never travelling alone
Your whole itinerary lives in a smart travel app with live vouchers, maps and daily guidance, and your own travel specialist is reachable seven days a week while you are on the road. If plans change, we rearrange them in real time.
Who you are booking with
Operator
This itinerary is operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand operator. We book it for you and stay your point of contact.
Silver Fern Travel
Tourism New Zealand 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist (Insider), IATA certified, based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Prices
Quoted from the operator's own booking engine and refreshed weekly. The figure on this page is the one you will be quoted.
Yes, and most guests change something. Add nights, upgrade rooms, swap activities or start from a different city: tell us what you would change and we re-quote Northern Spotlight 26/27 at no cost and no obligation.
A professional driver-guide from our New Zealand operations team, on the ground with you throughout. Every itinerary we sell is operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand tour operator, the highest grading in the country's official quality mark.
Northern Spotlight 26/27 runs on 7 scheduled departure dates, listed with their prices on this page. Choose one when you enquire and your quote comes back against that departure, usually within one working day.
7 nights in hotel 3 star. Every property is confirmed by name on your written quote, before you pay anything, so you can look each one up before you commit. The trip runs one way, Auckland to Wellington, so there is no backtracking.
Nothing to enquire. A firm written quote arrives within one working day; if you go ahead, a 20% deposit per person (minimum NZ$250) confirms every booking and the balance is due 70 days before travel, with the exact date on your quote. Deposits can be paid by card, which keeps your card scheme's dispute protections in play.
No payment to enquire; a firm quote within one working day. Lowest priced travel dates, two sharing. International flights not included. A 20% deposit confirms your booking, with the balance due 70 days before travel. How your money is protected
Itineraries operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand operator. Tourism New Zealand 100% Pure Insider.
Request a quote for this trip
No payment, no obligation. A specialist replies with a firm quote within one working day.
Nothing to enquire, nothing until your quote is confirmed in writing, and never more than your deposit until the balance falls due 70 days before travel. Deposits can be paid by card, which keeps your card scheme’s protections in play.
Availability checked with our New Zealand operations team and confirmed in writing, not an automated estimate.
No booking fees, and nothing to pay to enquire
Quotes are free and carry no obligation. You pay a deposit only once the itinerary is right and you say go.
One person, before and during your trip
The same specialist plans your trip and is reachable while you are travelling, alongside in-country support seven days a week.
Insider status, Tourism New Zealand 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist Programme. IATA certified. Every itinerary is operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand tour operator.
