Chasing Sunshine: My North Island Strory

“What team do you support?”

If you’re from the UK, every Kiwi asks this the moment they learn where you’re from. As a rugby fan, I never know what to say. They’re not obsessed with football—they just assume we are.

My time on the North Island was shaped heavily by the weather. The South Island hadn’t exactly been tropical, but everyone promised things would warm up once I headed north. Instead, I arrived just in time for extreme storms that caused real devastation. Any inconvenience to my plans felt tiny compared to what some communities were facing.

More than once on this trip, I’ve wondered whether New Zealand is a place humans were meant to live. Rotorua’s bubbling hot pools and geysers, the train line that tiptoes across the meeting point of two tectonic plates (and is sometimes delayed because the earth has shifted), and the countless earthquake memorials all make the country feel like a beautiful but slightly volatile flatmate.

My ferry ride into Wellington was calm but onboard we had a sea shanty band to sing along to which was fun, though I was disappointed that the orca pod that had been hanging around the harbour for two days decided not to greet me. (Don’t worry—there’s an orca plot twist coming.) After just over 24 hours in the capital, I headed for Hamilton and my cat‑sitting duties, with a planned stop at Tongariro National Park. The guidebooks say the three active volcanoes “rise majestically from the plateau.” They might. I wouldn’t know. The rain was so thick no one saw anything beyond a vague grey blur.

The plan had been simple: arrive, hike, sleep, hike again, then catch a bus. Instead, it was too wet to leave the hostel in the tiny village of Whakapapa. The place was full of hikers and cyclists frantically rerouting their trips as it became clear they were stuck for about three days and still had flights to catch. I, however, discovered the door connecting the hostel to the bar and settled in with a pint by the fire. Then came the news: the people I was meant to cat‑sit for could no longer travel due to road closures and landslips. So off I went to Hamilton… with absolutely nothing to do.

Hamilton itself passed without much fanfare, though I did discover Manu—a sport that is essentially competitive dive-bombing. The biggest splash wins! This was supposidly the qualifiers for the world champs but I'm not sure any other contry will be competing. I also took a magical day trip to the Waitomo glow‑worm caves, which absolutely lived up to the hype.

Next came Rotorua, my base for five days. It was bliss to unpack properly and stay put for a while. And the magic returned: night walks through towering redwoods, the surreal colours of Wai‑O‑Tapu thermal park, and kayaking on the Tongariro River near Lake Taupō. Miraculously, the sun even made an appearance, and it’s amazing how much more exciting everything feels with the sun on your face.

My final stop was Auckland. With only two days, I skipped most of the city and explored the surroundings instead. Waiheke Island was a highlight—cycling the five‑bay route, stopping for swims, hopping back on the bike, and even squeezing in a vineyard lunch. Perfection.

And then, the grand finale: a sea safari where we finally saw orca. Actual orca. Up close. And that was where the magic of New Zealand ended.

My Top Five Moments in New Zealand

• Seeing orca and dolphins in the Hauraki Gulf

• Kayaking and hiking in Abel Tasman National Park

• Spotting little blue penguins in Oamaru

• Walking through the redwood forest at night

• The scenery of Queenstown and Milford Sound

My favourite bird the little FanTail.

Onwards on Monday for a quick five day stop in Malaysia (Geogetown Penang) before my dream trip to Sri Lanka. I have always wanted to go to Sri Lanka, this really is my bucket list stop. A special guest will be joining me for the last 10 days in Sri Lanka and she has promised to write a guest blog.