Road trips that show off large parts of the central and upper North Island in all their splendour are the latest adventures to tempt Australians travellers across the ditch.

A partnership between Tourism New Zealand, regional tourism organisations (RTOs) and key trade partners has produced suggested itineraries that highlight the attractions centred on and around four main routes.

Tony Saunders, Tourism New Zealand’s Manager, Australia says: “This is about encouraging Australians to explore more of the North Island, to see different places and to travel in the off-peak months, away from the crowds. It’s a perfect time to enjoy outdoor holiday experiences. Australians don’t have the depth of understanding of New Zealand to know the differences between the regions so we have done a lot of the work for them developing sample itineraries to help them plan their journey. We want to show that although New Zealand is just on their doorstep and they can visit any time, there is more to see and do than they think, with activities and experiences that are different to their everyday life.”

The four routes being promoted include Twin Coast Discovery Highway between Auckland and Northland, the Pacific Coast Highway taking in the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty, the Thermal Explorer Highway through Rotorua, Hamilton and Waikato and the Volcanic Loop around Ruapehu and Lake Taupō.

Tourism New Zealand has worked with eight regional tourism organisations to shape up the four sample itineraries, which are:

Twin Coast Discovery
Pacific Coast Highway
Thermal Explorer Highway
Volcanic Loop Highway

The key trade partners for the campaign are Flight Centre, providing regional product offers and Air New Zealand which will run promotions to boost the campaign.

As part of the campaign, Tourism New Zealand has included a safer driving element providing information that visitors need to know before embarking on road trip in New Zealand. Check out this latest initiative here.