New Zealand North Island Pre-Trip Extension

The perfect complement to your New Zealand Nature Explorer adventure on the South Island, this 6-day pre-trip extension offers a diverse sampler of wild North Island highlights. Maori people arrived here by oceangoing canoe in the 14th century and have lived among these stunning landscapes since, and your experience includes a rich interweaving of their culture. Explore the mist-swathed mountains and unspoiled beaches of the Coromandel Peninsula, and stay at a luxury lodge tucked among forest and ferns with Pacific Ocean views. Witness the volcanic wonders of the Rotorua region, with geothermal phenomena including the largest geyser in the southern hemisphere and Hot Water Beach, where naturally heated mineral water bubbles up through the sand as the tide recedes. Watch thousands of resident and migratory shorebirds, and marvel at luminescent glowworms inside a cave. From dense rainforest to powerful waterfalls, the beauty and drama of nature is on full display.