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NORTH ISLAND The Fish of Maui A short drive around a small island it may be, but don't let distance fool you. With so many things to stop for, it'll take longer than you think to get from the dolphins and whales of the 144-island Bay of Islands to those of the Hauraki Gulf. There are gold or black beaches to the east and west; rolling vineyards to the north in Hawke's Bay; and 48 spectacular volcanic cones between them all—along with 75% of the country's 4.4-million populace. North Island Kiwis, as New Zealanders playfully call themselves, are mostly based in Auckland and Wellington, and for good reason. Polynesian Auckland's nightlife is simply spectacular, its neighborhoods of Britomart, Mission Bay, Ponsonby, and Viaduct acting as flames for social butterflies. Families adore the City of Sails for its thriving boating culture, day trips to Rangitoto Island to hike black-lava trails, and the aquarium's penguins in Parnell. Wellington, named "the coolest little capital in the world" by Lonely Planet, impresses from its location along the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail, where gourmets work off Courtenay Place and Cuba Street tastings on bikes, kayaks, and foot on the City to Sea waterfront walk…or sleep them off at inner-city Oriental Bay Beach. On the other end of the spectrum, adrenaline-seekers will find no end of activity in Rotorua, a geothermal wonderland of bubbling mud pools and therapeutic hot springs right in the Pacific Rim of Fire. Luxury spas take the edge off bungee jumping, luging, zorbing—rolling downhill in a giant, clear ball— and ziplining, all in the heartland of Maori culture at Hell's Gate. But what's in a name? North Island is, for most, a paradise. 34 | North Island 0 2 miles 0 2 km Lake Rotorua Lake Rotoiti Lake Tarawera Lake Okataina Lake Okareka Lake Tikitapu Lake Rotokakahi Buried Village R O T O R U A Whangamarino Tokerau Rotoiti Te Wairoa Blue Lake Hinehopu Hauparu Ruato Lynmore Tihiotonga Waikuta Waiteti Rotorua Airport Wellington Auckland Russell Paihia Waihi Wairoa Warkworth Greymouth Westport Hamilton Tuakau Dargaville Kaitaia Blenheim Rotorua Tauranga Gisborne Palmerston North Whangarei Napier New Plymouth Wanganui Taupo Nelson South Island North Island Bay of Islands Hawke Bay Lake Taupo Te Urewera National Park Raukumara Forest Park 0 100 miles 0 100 km Tasman Sea S O U T H P A C I F I C O C E A N Hole in the Rock 11 12 10 13 9 14 15 8 5 7 6

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