As the world was learning about how a virus can travel, I was exploring the New Zealand for the first time. While in New Zealand, we were listening to reports of the spread of this virus around the world, and seeing signs of the closure of the global trade market. My brother, uncle, and I landed in Auckland on February 26, 2020 from the JFK airport (losing a day over the ocean), and ready to see and do as much as we could in two weeks. We had an ambitious schedule with time on both islands. My goal was to explore activities that might be options for adventure travelers and possible group activities for future trips.

Landing in Auckland, I warned my brother and uncle that we needed to make sure that our hiking boots were clean, because there was a check at the airport to make sure we weren’t bringing in any foreign dirt. I scrubbed my boots with a toothbrush to make sure they were very clean. My brother did a more casual cleaning and the inspector noticed. He made it through the check, but not without some prodding and joking. So if you are going to New Zealand, make sure you clean your boots and your poles. After customs, we made our way to the rental counter to pick up our ride for the North Island. You can book a tour that takes you around, but exploring New Zealand is very easy with your own vehicle. Of course, you need to learn to drive from the passenger’s seat and the opposite side of the road, at least opposite from the United States.

Everything in the vehicle was opposite, except for the turn signal and the windshield wipers. So every time I wanted to turn during the first few days, I’d indicate the turn by putting on my windshield wipers. Honestly, driving on the opposite side of the road was not difficult to get used to as one would expect. Taking a few extra moments to look both ways and look again, help to make sure you are anticipating traffic from the appropriate side. After a few days it all becomes second nature.

We pulled out of the airport car rental parking lot and headed towards our youth hostel in Auckland. After checking in to our room, we decided to head to the harbor and do some exploring and get some dinner. The walk from our hostel was short and felt really good after 25hrs of travel. When we arrived at the coastline the ocean was dotted with sailboats. We also got to see the boat that was used in the America’s Cup yacht race. It was of particular interest to me because it was the first yacht to use bicycles to propel the ship instead of the traditional rowing method.

Our agenda was to explore activities that would appeal to an adventurous group. Here is an outline of our days on the North Island:

Feb. 26 - Landed at 3pm and explored Auckland

Feb. 27 - Drive to Taumarunui and see the sights along the way

Feb. 28 - Bike the 84km Timber Trail

Feb. 29 - Hike Tongariro Crossing 19.4 km

March 1 - Drive to Wellington

Everyone that I spoke with about visiting New Zealand agreed that a majority of our time should be spent on the South Island, so I picked the two activities that I wanted to do on the North Island, bike and hike. We covered lots of miles from the north to the south of the North Island. I loved seeing the terrain and the different towns along the way. We made our way to Wellington so that we could take the ferry to the South Island. To read about our adventures biking and hiking on the North Island of New Zealand, check out the additional posts. Below are some pictures from our time in Auckland.