A sea arch over a white beach, a hot spring you dig yourself, a village of hobbit holes, and a cave whose ceiling glows like a starry sky.
Two of New Zealand's most popular day tours, and its most famous beach, are all within a few hours of Auckland. Each makes a long but rewarding day; together they're better spread over a couple of nights.
East across the Firth of Thames, the Coromandel Peninsula has Cathedral Cove, a huge sea arch joining two white beaches, reached by boat or kayak from Hahei, and Hot Water Beach, where hot springs bubble up through the sand at low tide.
South, in the green dairy country near Matamata, the Hobbiton movie set has been kept as a permanent village of hobbit holes, gardens and an inn, visited on guided tours.
An hour beyond, Waitomo sits above a maze of limestone caves. The highlight is a silent boat ride under a ceiling of thousands of glow-worms, which is better than it sounds.
Pick one per day, or loop them over a few nights.
Take a water taxi, glass-bottom boat or guided kayak from Hahei to the arch and its beaches; snorkel in the marine reserve.
Hire a spade and dig a pool in the sand within two hours of low tide. Don't swim here: the rips are dangerous.
A guided walk through the Shire's hobbit holes and gardens, ending with a drink at the Green Dragon inn.
Walk through the cathedral-like chambers, then drift by boat in silence beneath the glowing ceiling.
Add a second cave, or float through the dark on an inner tube with a headlamp.
Hire a car for the Coromandel. Hobbiton and Waitomo are easy to combine on a coach tour from Auckland, or self-drive with booked tour times.
Hobbiton tours and Waitomo boat rides must be booked; summer and school holidays fill fast.
Photography isn't allowed in the Glowworm Cave itself. Long days: leave early and allow time to stop.
Auckland practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
