ikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying intoLake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake’s northeastern edge, creates the Huka Falls, and then flows northwest, […]

gton. My trusty Toyota Estima waiting to board the Interislander ferry. The Interislander travels between Wellington in the North Island and Picton in the South Island, forming a road and rail link between New Zealand’s two main islands. Three roll-on roll-off vessels operate the 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) ferry route, taking three […]

ful west coast beach in Whanganui, one of the most undervalued towns in the North Island. Perhaps the city’s biggest scandal happened in 1920, when the Mayor, Charles Mackay, shot and wounded a young poet, D’Arcy Cresswell, who had been blackmailing him over his homosexuality. Mackay served seven years in prison and his name was […]