Romantic Getaway in North Island

by Daniel and Amanda

North Island is usually the favoured choice for starting a romantic getaway in New Zealand because Auckland is the popular entry point to the country.


After you have spent a few days in Auckland you might want to venture out and discover great day trips and romantic getaways on North Island.

Mission Bay is just a 10 minutes drive away from Auckland City and a great place to wine and dine on a Friday and Saturday night.

It has many busy cafes and excellent restaurants with a variety of different cuisines to choose from including Italian, Thai, Turkish, and Indian. Mission Bay is like a local sea side resort and there's a superb fountain which lights up at night providing a romantic setting for a picnic.

Romantic New Zealand Getaways around Auckland

Pakiri Beach is around 90 minutes by car from Auckland. With its pristine scenery and sunny weather this golden beach is a perfect secluded romantic getaway on North Island, New Zealand. On your way there, stop less than one hour's drive north from Auckland in Matakana town. This is an area where premium wines have been produced for some time now. New Zealand's northern most wineries are also located around the towns of Keri Keri and Warkworth.


From there you can continue to Northland, four hours to the north of Auckland city. This is a picturesque and sparsely populated part of the country with tranquil bays, beaches, forests and pastoral farms.


For something closer try Kumeu, characterised by vineyards and wineries, horticulture, pastoral farming and lifestyle blocks and only 16 kilometre drive to the northwest of central Auckland.

At the northern most tip of New Zealand is Cape Reinga with the 90 mile beach. This spectacular white sand beach is really only 60 miles long but its still the longest beach in New Zealand. Its well known for its enormous sand dunes and looks a lot like the Sahara Desert. The Cape Reinga lighthouse and the gnarly old pohutukawa tree mark "land's end".

The Coromandel Peninsula is a rugged coastline with plenty of beaches and hiking opportunities just two hours from Auckland. Not to miss is the Cathedral, a gigantic arched cavern that penetrates the headland between two coves on the Whanganui-A-Hei (Cathedral Cove) marine reserve.


Just a 35 minute ferry ride 17.7 km east of Auckland City is Waiheke Island. With its warmer climate, island lifestyle, small village settings, award winning vineyards, olive groves and pasture land it has its own character and seems worlds away. Waiheke is also a popular destination for romantic weddings with venues ranging from white sandy beaches to vineyards.

Hire a car on Waiheke Island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf, and visit the many wonderful vineyards. Several have restaurants overlooking the vines, with expansive sea views.

Rotorua is the perfect location for a weekend getaway in New Zealand. Situated in the heart of the North Island, 235 km (about a 4 hour drive) from Auckland, it was the winner of New Zealand's most beautiful city award 2006, 2002, 2000 and 1999, so it's definitely a worthy place to visit for a romantic getaway on North Island.

Rotorua is famous for Maori culture, geysers and beautiful hot pools and has a variety of attractions, adventures and day trips. The Waiotapu (Wai-O-Tapu) Thermal Reserve is located about 17 miles (20 minutes drive) south of Rotorua and is worth the detour on a romantic getaway in New Zealand. It has unique features including the famous champagne pool, geysers, bubbling mud, steaming ground, expansive vistas, huge volcanic craters and sinter terrace formations. The natural bush setting adds another dimension to the experience as does the guaranteed daily eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser at 10.15am.


You can check out Daniel and Amanda’s Romantic website to discover more things to do and see for couples on a romantic getaway or a New Zealand honeymoon. Unique places to stay, scenic day trips & wine tours, destination wedding locations, candlelight dinners in wellington and a two week itinerary for a South Island romantic getaway.