North Island -- a Two Weeks' Tour from Auckland to Wellington
| 1st day | Auckland. The former capital of the North Island, one of the chief ports of the colony, is a handsome town. It is so fortunately located as to have the advantage of two good harbors, and its climate is delightful. Leave by rail for Oko- roire (five hours and a half) , where are hot springs, a sanitarium, an opportunity for a plunge in the cool river, trout fishing and good hotel accommodation. |
| 2d day | Rotorua. By coach in six hours or rail in two hours, from Okoroire. The view overlooking Lake Rotorua shortly after leaving the bush is a striking and beautiful one, and as Rotorua at the southern end of the lake is neared, the columns of steam rising on every side announce our arrival in the New Zealand wonderland. |
| 3d day | Whakarewarewa, the Maori village of Rotorua on the banks of the Puarenga Creek, is the center of the geyser district, and all its wonders are well represented here, within easy access. |
| 4th day | Excursion from Rotorua across the lake to Hamurana and to Lake Roto Iti, returning by coach via Tikitere |
| 5th day | Leave Rotorua by coach for Wairoa; launch, across Lake Tarawera to Rotomahana (site of the once beautiful pink and white terraces) ; to Waimangu Geyser, once king of the district, throwing up ashes and a cloud of steam from 500 to 1,000 feet, in the form of a magnificent cathedral. Coach from the geyser to Waiotapu across ash-fields, the result of the great 1886 eruption. At Waiotapu are the Sulphur Falls, the great Mud Crater, the Boiling Lake and Champagne Pool. |
| 6th day | Leave Waiotapu by coach for Wairakei ( twenty-eight miles, four hours and a half). |
| 7th day | Excursion from Wairakei to the Geyser Valley, teeming with geysers, craters, hot mud-holes, pools and streams. The principal sights are the Champagne Caldron, the great Wairakei Geyser, Karapiti, the great Steam Hammer, the Whistler, and the beautiful Aratiatia Rapids, about three miles and a half down the Waikato River. |
| 8th day | Leave Wairakei by coach via Huka Falls and Rapids, for Taupo Spa (fifty -four miles), a pleasant resting place. Visit the Crow's Nest. |
| 9th day | Leave Taupo by steamer for Tokaano (three hours) , from which place ascents can be made of Mounts Tongariro and Ngaruhoe. From Tokaano take coach to Waiouru (forty -four miles). |
| 10th day | Leave Waiouru by coach for Pipiriki (nine hours, forty -four miles). |
| 11th day | Excursion from Pipiriki to the upper reaches of the Wanganui River, and return. |
| 12th day | Leave Pipiriki by steamer for Wanganui (six hours, fifty-eight miles), via the Wanganui River, the Rhine of New Zealand, flowing between beetling cliffs and precipitous banks, and abounding in song and story of the Maori wars. |
| 13th day | Leave Wanganui by rail for Wellington (seven hours and a half). |
| 14th day | Wellington, the capital of the colony, with a population of about 50,000, is splendidly located at the end of a lakelike harbor. The Parliament buildings and the museum are worth visiting, as are also the botanical gardens ; and an afternoon may be pleasantly spent in a walk to the summit of Mount Victoria |
