North Island vs South Island: Which of New Zealand’s islands is better?

26.09.2024 - 06:59 / lonelyplanet.com

Sep 25, 2024 • 8 min read

The Southern Pacific nation of New Zealand is made up of more than 600 islands. The two main landmasses – the North Island and the South Island – inevitably face comparison, with tourists and locals debating which is best.

Many visitors will plan to visit both on their travels, but should you be limited to one island only, our travel writers are here to help you decide which is right for you.

Tommy, a descendant of local Māori tribes and early European settlers, calls Auckland on New Zealand’s magnificent North Island home. As a travel writer, he wants to bring his knowledge and passion for Aotearoa and its cultures to readers around the world.

I’ve been privileged to have explored much of the North Island (Te-Ika-ā-Maui), from the untouched Great Barrier Island (Aotea) and Te Urewera forest, to metropolises like the multicultural melting pot Auckland and our colorful, quirky capital Wellington. While our natural environment and urban areas are great, the North Island is defined by being the home of the world-renowned Māori culture.

Te-Ika-ā-Maui houses 85% of the nearly one-million-strong Māori population of New Zealand (Aotearoa). Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau) alone hosts almost a quarter, while the regions of Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Northland have the nation’s highest percentage of Māori residents. For a brief stint in my childhood, my whānau (family) moved to the South Island’s largest city, Christchurch, where it took us six months to meet another Māori. While South Island (Te-Waipounamu) Māori visibility has improved since, Te-Ika-ā-Maui is where you’re more likely to spot ta moko (Māori tattoos) adorned faces or hear te reo Māori (Māori language) on the street. The high concentration of Māori in the North Island make it the perfect place for visitors wanting to explore New Zealand’s Indigenous culture, like catching a Māori performing arts show in Rotorua or tasting hāngī (traditional Māori earth oven cooking) in South Auckland.

Not only is the North Island the home of Māori culture, but its biggest city, Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland is also the center of diversity and multiculturalism in Aotearoa. While visiting Auckland entails exploring a quintessentially New Zealand city, it also doubles as an opportunity to visit many Asian and Pacific cultures without having to take multiple flights across the vast Te-Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa (Pacific Ocean). Auckland is concurrently the world’s largest Pacific city (with more than a quarter of a million Pasifika) and New Zealand’s home of Asian cultures (one in three Aucklanders are Asian). Exploring the southern suburbs of Māngere or Manurewa, you can find Samoan panipopo (coconut buns) or Tongan ota ika (raw fish salad), while