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This is the kind of road trip that sticks with you. It’s not too far, not too rushed, and packed with cool stops along the way.
If you’ve hired a campervan in Auckland and want a solid first adventure, this 4-day trip to Rotorua is a perfect start.
- We want to remind that this route is designed for freedom campers, that means you are travelling purely with a self-contained campervan. However, you can still use it as a route without the accommodation stops we’ll share, let’s explore it!
Day 1⃣ — Auckland to Matamata (Hobbiton)
⏳ Drive time: Around 2 hours
🚘 Distance: ~160 km
Leave the city behind and head south. The drive is easy, and the views just keep getting better, specially after a 30–45 minutes drive (depending on the Auckland traffic).
You can start by making a quick stop in Pokeno for a giant $6 ice cream — classic Kiwi road trip fuel.
The main stop today is Matamata, where you’ll find the Hobbiton Movie Set. Even if you’re not into Lord of the Rings, it’s still worth checking out. The little hobbit houses, green hills, and that pub at the end — it’s all super cool.
Planning to do freedom camping?
There is a cool place call Brock’s Place, it’s a farm stay where they charge 10$ per person.
You can only arrive between 4pm to 8pm, but it’s a cool and cheap choice to stop by with your campervan.
🚐 You can find this farm stay here, you also may want to call in advance to make sure everything is operating as usual.
Day 2⃣ — Matamata to Waitomo Caves
⏳ Drive time: About 1.5 hours
🚘 Distance: ~100 km
Wake up, make some breakfast by the van, and hit the road to Waitomo — a small town with some serious underground magic.
The Waitomo Glowworm Caves are the main event. You hop on a little boat and float through a pitch-black cave with thousands of glowworms lighting up the roof like stars. It’s silent, weird, and beautiful.
If you’re into adventure, go for the black water rafting. You’ll float through dark caves in an inner tube and even jump off a few underground waterfalls. Wild stuff.
Before sunset, you can also do the Ruakuri Bush Walk — a short free track with cool limestone rocks and mini caves.
Where to Stay Overnight with Your Campervan
Waitomo area doesn’t count with freedom camping spots as of today.
Still, a popular choice is the Waitomo Caves Village, a top 10 holiday park with plenty of amenities, you can spend there the night having some extra comfort rather than purely doing freedom camping.
If you are really interested on freedom camping, you can drive to Otorohanga area, there are few stops where you can park your campervan.
Day 3⃣ — Waitomo to Rotorua (with a quick detour)
⏳ Drive time: About 2 hours
🚘 Distance: ~150 km
Leave Waitomo in the morning and stop at the Blue Springs (Te Waihou Walkway) near Putaruru. The water here is insanely clear — like glass. It’s also where most of NZ’s bottled water comes from.
By the afternoon, you’ll reach Rotorua. You’ll smell the sulfur before you see anything — that’s just the geothermal stuff. Hot pools, steaming ground, bubbling mud — it’s all here.
What to do:
- Chill in the Polynesian Spa or find a free hot stream.
- Walk through Kuirau Park – free mud pools in town.
- Explore the Redwoods Forest – easy walking tracks, great views.
Stay the night:
- Lake Okareka DOC Site – lakeside, peaceful, freedom camping.
- Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park – hot pools and powered sites.
👉 Rotorua, as being the main destination of the trip and the place where you can do plenty of activities, will be recommended to have day and half for it.
Day 4⃣ — Rotorua Adventures + Chill Time
Last day — your call. You can keep it slow or go full adventure mode.
If you want to chill:
- Walk around Lake Rotorua
- Grab a hangi pie from a local bakery
- Visit Government Gardens and relax by the lake
If you want action:
- Try ziplining through native forest
- Ride the Skyline Luge
- Go white water rafting over a 7m waterfall
From here, you can either start heading back to Auckland (about 3 hours) or keep the journey going — maybe to Taupo, Mount Maunganui, or even down to Wellington.
