The North Island of New Zealand doesn’t get the credit score it deserves. Which is considerably unsurprising, if we’re being trustworthy: The South Island boasts a extra otherworldly magnificence, which is extra simply accessible than the delicate charms additional north. On the identical time, you’ll be able to have a completely transcendental journey to New Zealand’s North Island—particularly in case you make satisfactory preparations. I’ve met some vacationers who truly want it to the South Island!
n specific, I believe it’s vital to think about the query of Rotorua vs Taupo totally. Though these locations are close to each other, they’re not equivalent relating to the energy as bases to your North Island journey.
How I Got here to Know Rotorua and Taupo
The easiest way to determine between Rotorua or Taupo, paradoxically, is to go to each of those locations—I discovered this personally. As I deliberate my “large” journey to New Zealand (which, unbeknownst to me on the time, happened proper earlier than the nation shut itself off to the world in response to covid-19), I knew that my North Island exploration wouldn’t be full with out seeing each.
In fact, I rapidly realized that these locations weren’t the identical, despite being comparatively shut to at least one one other. Taupo’s lake is on the heart of recreation there—effectively, except you’re doing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. You’re extra more likely to want sailboat rental in Taupo than you might be in Rotorua-proper, although some folks do think about Tauranga (which is on the ocean) to be a part of Roturua so far as tourism is worried.
Methods to Examine Rotorua with Taupo
Points of interest
In Taupo, there’s just one attraction that I actually think about well worth the journey to get there: Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which for my cash is the most effective hike in all of New Zealand. Many individuals come to Rotorua, in the meantime, due to how shut the town is to the Hobbiton Film Set—lower than an hour away, when you have your individual automobile.
Pure magnificence
As you drive from Rotorua to Taupo (or vice-versa), it won’t appear obvious that each cities are dwelling to beautiful pure magnificence. Within the case of the previous, that largely consists of Rotorua Treetops, a park that’s filled with each redwood bushes and iconic New Zealand ferns. In Taupo, in the meantime, I really feel much less compelled by Lake Taupo itself than I do by the thundering torrent of Huka Falls.
Tradition
There aren’t a number of explicitly “cultural” experiences on provide in Taupo, except in fact you think about the weird “parking shuttle” that transports you from the Tongariro parking space to the primary trailhead. Whereas Rotorua’s Mitai Maori Village is arguably performative and synthetic, it at the least affords the potential for some type of fulfilling cultural alternate.
Delicacies
I in all probability shouldn’t say this, given how proud New Zealanders appear to be of their delicacies, however whether or not I’m in Taupo or Rotorua, meals tends to be of secondary significance. Given the shortage of established culinary heritage right here (excepting, in fact, the meals the Maori put together), I really feel like I’d as effectively simply be consuming derivate “new American” delicacies again dwelling.
Ease of entry
Whereas each Rotorua and Taupo have their very own airports, the fact is that you simply’ll must lease a automobile to get pleasure from each—there’s no sensible solution to see both place in an affordable period of time utilizing public transportation alone. Because of this, on condition that each are a number of hours from Auckland by highway, I’d say that they’re roughly even on this regard.
Ought to You Go to Each Rotorua and Taupo?
In case you have time—so, in case you’re spending at the least two weeks in New Zealand total, and at the least 5-7 days within the North Island—I will surely counsel you add each of those cities to your listing. As you’ll be able to see combing by means of the classes above, they provide remarkably completely different journey experiences, but each of them are core to having the ability to perceive and admire New Zealand as an entire.
f you don’t have time—if, in different phrases, the dialogue of Taupo vs Rotorua actually is determinative to which of those locations you select to go—then I’d method the selection like this. Rotorua, with its colourful scorching springs and (actually) performative Maori shows is “simpler.” Taupo, in the meantime, can appear boring, at the least in case you don’t hike at Tongariro, or in any other case make an effort to get away from its lakeside city heart.
Rotorua
Is it higher to remain in Taupo or Rotorua?
By way of precise lodging, each Taupo and Rotorua depart so much to be desired, if I’m trustworthy. Nevertheless, relating to sights. every metropolis affords a novel vary of them in a brief distance. In case you’re in search of extra rugged adventures, Taupo is likely to be preferable; Rotorua’s scorching springs and Maori exhibits require much less emotional and bodily buy-in.
In case you merely plan to go to Taupo and sit on the shores of its namesake lake, I’m unsure you’ll be able to say it’s price visiting. For me, the city’s principal utility is as a base for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (which, to be truthful, I do think about to be my favourite hike in all of New Zealand).
Why is Rotorua so standard?
Rotorua is standard as a result of it affords a variety of family-friendly adventures inside a number of hours’ drive of Auckland. The recent springs are unique with out being threatening; the Hobbiton film set evokes the sense of being in New Zealand greater than virtually wherever else within the nation, however with out requiring hardly any effort.
Robert Schrader is a journey author and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications reminiscent of “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” alongside the way in which. His weblog, Go away Your Day by day Hell, gives a mixture of journey recommendation, vacation spot guides and private essays masking the extra esoteric points of life as a traveler.
