Tracing the coastline from Auckland to Hawke’s Bay, the Pacific Coast Highway is the perfect route for an unforgettable road trip. The long arc of the Bay of Plenty, with its golden beaches and green kiwifruit orchards, is anchored at either end by more rugged terrain: the forest-clad Coromandel Peninsula in the west and the wild and mountainous East Cape. On the east coast, the sun-bleached foothills and plains of Eastland and Hawke’s Bay are patterned with rows of grape vines, and the blue Pacific Ocean is an ever-present backdrop from end to end of this very special highway.

REST & RELAX

Take a seat on a leafy terrace overlooking the vines and sample renowned local wines under a blue sky in Eastland or Hawke’s Bay.

LUXURY EXPERIENCE

Sip a glass of local wine and nibble on fresh crayfish aboard your own private luxury launch as you cruise the waters of Mercury Bay in search of a secluded beach.

NATURAL EXPERIENCE

Join a pre-dawn tour to the sacred peak of Mount Hikurangi in Eastland and watch the sunrise push slowly over the horizon – you’ll be among the first in the world to witness the dawn of a new day.

CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

Stroll the charming streets of Napier, camera in hand, collecting your own photographic story of the city’s impressive Art Deco architecture.

BUDGET TRAVEL

As the tide recedes, use spades, buckets or hands in the race to dig your own spa in the sand at Hot Water Beach in The Coromandel – the further the tide goes out, the hotter the water gets!

ADRENALINE RUSH

Feel your nerves tingle at the sight of steam rising off White Island, an active offshore volcano in the Bay of Plenty, as your helicopter swoops by for a closer look.