Island off Auckland new Zealand

New Zealand's northern island is a unique tourist attraction, from caverns and volcanos to vineyards and falls. As many travelers on their way to the long blanket country try to approach the Americas together, my fiancé and I have chosen to concentrate on one, as less soil cover means less motoring and more exploration to do.

With the nickname Wine Island we knew that Waiheke would be good. It is a 40-minute cruise from Auckland, home to 30 vines, as well as sandy shores, dining and hiking trails. At Stonyridge we began our excursion with a degustation of the renowned Kabernet mix Larsis. Taxi cabs are available on Waiheke Island, but we took the hop-on, hop-off coach - $NZ60 (about $55) per passenger inclusive shuttletickets.

It is calcareous and craterous, and vapor and sulfur shoots into the atmosphere. From Whakatane we made a five hours excursion with White Island Tours. We were brought ashore by inflatable dinghy after about an hour's cruise to the island.

There were only artificial constructions on the island, such as a seismometer, some web cams and an old sulfur mine plant, which was damaged by a mudslide in the early 1900s. They were not necessary for much of the journey, but they added some vapor pointing. It' not a journey to Rotorua without stinking silt.

We' ve reached Hells Gate Geothermal Park ($NZ35 per person) for about an hour's slow stroll through bubbly sludge and sulfur basins up to 145 degrees. As the sun went down, we slip into the adult access swimming pool at the Polynesian Spa ($NZ30 per person) and wrinkled our skins while swimming over Lake Rotorua.

We continue to Taupo, where we also stop at the Huka Falls, which are incredibly dark green, and the Huka Honey Beehive for tasting bees. The Taupo Sea seemed like a big one. After a 1½ hour tour of the Lake Taupo with Chris Jolly Outdoors ($NZ46 per head, includes a cup of tea and muffin), we travelled to Mine Bay to see the Maori petroglyph of the high preacher Ngatoroirangi.

There was a three-hour drive up and back, overlooking the arable land. Brantry, Taupo. While most to-do listings for New Zealand's North Island will refer to Waitomo Firefly Grottos, there is more than one way to check this area. We' ve registered for the Black Labyrinth with The Legendary Black Water Racing Co ($NZ142 per person) and are wearing wet suits and helmets.

Three-hours tour consisted of hiking and tubeing through the caves in a group of about 12 people. We spent the evening at Waitomo Caves Hotel, apparently cursed, but the only strange thing that struck me that evening was that I kept curling to the side of the mattress because the house is so historical that it starts to tip over.

We' re on our way to Otorohanga and Native Beach Sanctuary ($NZ25 per person) because we've already seen the silvery ferns and ewes at the beginning of the journey, but we haven't seen a kiwis, so we're on our way to Otorohanga and Native Beach Sanctuary. I was hoping to keep a cage, but after seeing the groom feeding, I immediately made a change of heart.

At the Waitomo Big Bird & Miniature Animals Petting Ranch ($NZ25 for a pair, includes pet food) we spend a few hour after dinner cuddling and feeding every pet we could find, from ostrichs and emuses to lamas and upland cattle. This was a sweet ending to a top-draw.

The South Island, next vacation.