North Island by the Numbers

We found the winter weather (cold, cloudy, and rainy) to be a bit annoying, so kinda hustled through the North Island. Here are some interesting statistics about travels through NZ's more populous northern half.

For an interactive map, visit this link: https://goo.gl/maps/JxEQ4WvPAhr

• Time
  • Time zone:
    • UTC+12:00
    • DOES participates in DST.
  • Day entered: 4-Dec-2017
  • Day left: 26-Dec-2017
  • Day entered: 21-Apr-2018
  • Day left: 19-Jun-2018
  • Total # of days: 82
    • Nights slept in van: 72
    • Nights slept in tent: 0
    • Nights slept in hotel/etc.: 9
    • Nights paying for lodging: 18 (does not include places where purchased passes were used)
• Distance
  • Driven: ~11,234.5 km (~7,021.6 miles)
  • Hiked: 154.3 km (96.5 miles)

  Date	Location	Description	Distance (km)	Distance (mi)
  12/7/2017	Maungauika/North Head Historic Reserve	Tunnels Loop	1.00	0.63
  12/9/2017	Rangitoto Island Scenic Reserve	Summit Track	3.00	1.88
  12/9/2017	Rangitoto Island Scenic Reserve	Crater Circuit	1.00	0.63
  12/9/2017	Rangitoto Island Scenic Reserve	Kidney Fern Glen	0.40	0.25
  12/9/2017	Rangitoto Island Scenic Reserve	Lava Caves	0.80	0.50
  12/9/2017	Rangitoto Island Scenic Reserve	Wilson's Park	1.50	0.94
  12/10/2017	Cornwall Park	One Tree Hill	3.50	2.19
  12/17/2017	Rotorua	Kuiriau Park	2.50	1.56
  12/17/2017	Okere Falls Scenic Reserve	Okere Falls Track	3.00	1.88
  12/20/2017	Wairakei Tourist Park	Craters of the Moon	3.00	1.88
  12/20/2017	Tauhara Forest	Mt Tauhara Summit	5.00	3.13
  12/23/2017	Coromandel Forest Park	The Pinnacles	10.40	6.50
  12/25/2017	Tongariro NP	Taranaki Falls	6.20	3.88
  4/23/2018	Otari-Wilton's Bush	Rimu Walk	2.00	1.25
  4/23/2018	Putangirua Pinnacles Scenic Reserve	Stream bed track	3.00	1.88
  4/24/2018	Kaitoke Regional Park	Rivendell	0.45	0.28
  4/26/2018	Manawatu Gorge Scenic Reserve	Tawa Loop Walk	4.20	2.63
  4/28/2018	Castlepoint	Lighthouse Walk	1.30	0.81
  4/28/2018	Castlepoint	Deliverance Cove Walkway	3.96	2.48
  5/9/2018	East Coast	East Cape Lighthouse	1.24	0.78
  5/11/2018	Mahia Peninsula Scenic Reserve	Peninsula Walkway	4.00	2.50
  5/12/2018	Te Urewera NP	Lou's Lookout	1.00	0.63
  5/13/2018	Te Urewera NP	Aniwaniwa Falls Track	1.00	0.63
  5/13/2018	Te Urewera NP	Hinerau Walk	1.10	0.69
  5/13/2018	Te Urewera NP	Tawa Walk	1.70	1.06
  5/13/2018	Te Urewera NP	Rata Walk	0.48	0.30
  5/13/2018	Te Urewera NP	Lake Waikareiti	7.00	4.38
  5/17/2018	Kaimanawa Forest Park	Tree Trunk Gorge	2.00	1.25
  5/21/2018	Waitomo	Raukuri Bushwalk	1.25	0.78
  5/21/2018	Waitomo	Mangapohue Arch	2.25	1.41
  5/21/2018	Waitomo	Marokopa Falls	0.46	0.29
  5/24/2018	Coromandel Forest Park	Coromandel Walkway	4.20	2.63
  5/24/2018	Coromandel Forest Park	Waiu Kauri Grove	1.00	0.63
  5/24/2018	Coromandel Forest Park	Cathedral Cove	4.00	2.50
  5/26/2018	Coromandel Forest Park	Collins Drive	4.00	2.50
  5/27/2018	Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park	Karangahake Gorge Historic Walkway	2.50	1.56
  5/28/2018	Coromandel Forest Park	Kaueranga Kauri Trail	11.40	7.13
  5/30/2018	Tiritiri Matangi Island	Wanderings	3.00	1.88
  5/31/2018	Tiritiri Matangi Island	Wanderings	7.00	4.38
  6/1/2018	Waipu	Mangawhai Cliffs	3.00	1.88
  6/2/2018	Whangarei	Quarry Gardens	0.80	0.50
  6/3/2018	Ruapekapeka Pa	Track	1.40	0.88
  6/4/2018	Gumdiggers Park	Walks	2.00	1.25
  6/6/2018	Omahuta Forest Park	Kauri Sanctuary	1.00	0.63
  6/7/2018	Waipoua Kauri Forest	Tane Mahuta	0.33	0.21
  6/7/2018	Waipoua Kauri Forest	Kauri Walks	4.14	2.59
  6/9/2018	Tongariro NP	Tongariro Alpine Crossing	17.90	11.19
  6/11/2018	New Plymouth	Pukeiti Gardens	0.76	0.48
  6/13/2018	Rainbow Mountain Scenic Reserve	Summit Walk	6.20	3.88

  • Fuel fill-ups: 19
• Money
• Total spent: $3,806.91 USD ($5,214.94 NZD)
• Consists of the costs of traveling full time in the North Island
• Does not include gear or van conversion costs
• Does include 1 ferry crossing
• Does not include shipping costs
• Average cost per day: $46.43 USD ($63.60 NZD)
• Average cost of diesel: $1.259 NZD per liter ($3.478 USD per gallon)
• National Parks visited: 5
• Ben Boyd
• Te Urewera
• Tongariro
• Whanganui
• Egmont

Interesting observations about the North Island:

1. It has over 3/4s of the population, about 3.677 million residents.
2. It only has 12 main urban areas, only 6 of them are officially considered cities.
3. The population density is about 32.3/km² (83.7/sq mi).
4. It is the 14 largest island in the world.
5. It houses 5 of NZ’s 14 national parks.