3 Places You Need To Go In New Zealand's North Island

As a kiwi girl living in Australia, I often find myself missing my home country an awful lot and wanting to re-live all my memories in any way possible! So to accompany my reminiscing and wanderlust today, I thought I'd write up this little feature on my 3 all-time favourite places to visit in the North Island of New Zealand.

Tongariro National Park 
AKA basically my favourite place ever! This national park is located right in the centre of the North Island, about 4 hours drive from Auckland. It is home to 3 mountains, which happen to have been part of the set of The Lord Of The Rings! The scenery is simply stunning no matter what time of year you're there, and there are numerous lovely walking tracks that suit any level of fitness-for those who are into walking, the Tongariro Crossing is pretty famous as a really wonderful day walk. In addition to this, the area has a beautiful chateau with stunning views of the surrounding landscape (see image below), which is perfect to relax or even stay in at the end of a long day of exploring! What more could you want?!

Mount Taranaki
Mount Taranaki is found on the west coast of the North Island near the city of New Plymouth, about 4 and a half hours drive south from Auckland. I may be a little bit biased about this one as New Plymouth is my home town, but I think everything about this place is absolutely beautiful! (can you tell I really like mountains??) It's great for just a picnic and explore of the visitors centre, as well as having plenty of great walking tracks-for those inclined for a bit more fun, you can climb the mountain in a day! I'd totally recommend this to anyone who is properly equipped as it's a tough climb but so worth it for the stunning views you get out over the ocean as you come down!

Kapiti Island
I managed to pick something that wasn't a mountain! You'll find Kapiti Island off the coast from Wellington at the bottom of the North Island. It takes a short boat ride to get there, and once you arrive you're in total paradise! Kapiti has been protected from the predators that have invaded mainland New Zealand, meaning the delicate native wildlife continue to live there. The birdlife on this island is incredible, you'll see very rare birds flying around everywhere and the whole island rings with the sound of them calling. It's such a wonderful experience to go and explore the island, and the views are totally stunning as well! I'd thoroughly recommend it!

I hope that you guys enjoyed this post and that it might be useful for anyone planning a trip to New Zealand sometime soon! Have you been to New Zealand? What were your favourite places to see there?
Kate x