Road trip: Auckland to Napier on the Thermal Explorer Highway

The Thermal Explorer Highway is one of New Zealand’s classic road trip routes, traversing the North Island through the Waikato, via Rotorua’s hotspots to finish in Hawke’s Bay wine country.

To make the journey even more memorable, I’m wending my way through Te Ika-a-Māui in a Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 Coupe. The name is a mouthful, but the car is a saucy little power pack of speed and performance.

I slot into the slipstream of Auckland’s Southern Motorway, cocooned in ambient purple light and richly textured sound. Out of the city, the Mercedes slices sleekly through the Waikato countryside, appreciative of the traffic-free expressway. 

In town, I head straight for one source of the aroma: Te Puia, home to Pōhutu, the largest geyser in the Southern Hemisphere and many bubbling, steaming mud pools. I had been sceptical about visiting this slick tourist attraction catering predominantly to overseas visitors and as expected, I’m the only Kiwi in the group. But I am soon won over by the sprawling park, the authentic execution of traditional Māori crafts and the good-humoured commentary of our guide, Manaia.

Te Puia is home to the national schools for carving and weaving, where students from various iwi around Aotearoa come to learn these traditional arts. We watch a young man sketch a design that will be applied to pounamu and the meditative process of a woman crafting a kete from multi-coloured flax. 

The evening concludes with a buffet featuring delicious smoky fare from the hāngī we’d smelled cooking earlier and a cultural performance. Far from the cheesy rendition of a haka that I’d feared, this is polished and professional. A group of young Māori performers demonstrate the solemn rituals of a pōwhiri, then switch to entertainment mode, showcasing impressive poi skills, powerful waiata and, yes, a haka that is genuinely spine-tingling. The tourists respond with rapturous applause.

Enveloped in drizzly dark, I drive to another of Rotorua’s nocturnal attractions in the Whakarewarewa Forest, giggling at the Merecedes’ terrible, almost unintelligible pronunciation of Māori place names along the way. 

I’m astonished to find the carpark full and queues of people stretching beneath the trees on a mid-week evening, but I quickly see why: come nightfall, the majestic forest becomes a wonderland.

The Redwoods Treewalk is lit up like Christmas,  the giant trees festooned with pendants, colourful glowing orbs and swarms of twinkling lasers bedazzling the branches. A ruru morepork calls from the depths. Or maybe it’s a recording that’s part of the AV display. I decide it doesn’t matter as I bounce along metal walkways strung between the giant trees.

Leaning into Rotorua’s history as a wellbeing destination since way back, the next morning I head to Wai Ariki, the newest and most impressive spa on the Rotorua lakefront.

The shock of cold water from the introductory showers jolts me into the present moment. It’s a visceral reminder to be mindful here in this two-hour window of indulgence.

In the fire and ice room my shins tingle from the wade through the frigid river, contrasting with the glowing, ambient heat of the sauna lined with pink Himalayan salt blocks. Out by the lake my body is pummelled with water jets that feel like dexterous fingers. Then, I smear on fragrant mud the consistency of clotted cream and rest on the warm lounger until it dries to a crunch. In the final steam room, I sprawl on a dark tiled roundel like a sacrificial offering, skin drooling with condensation, having made it to the end of the truly restorative journey.

Stopping for coffee in Taupō I go to exit the car, and the Mercedes clears her throat: “excuse me, I think you’ve left your phone behind.” She’s a helpful travelling companion.

Then, on the road to Hawke’s Bay, I get a tiny hint of what the vehicle is capable of. Equal parts lithe and grippy, it’s an athlete of a car. I find myself craving a limitless Autobahn to explore the extent of its performance potential.

Crossing the hills, I descend into Napier in a different season. It’s a full 10° warmer than Rotorua – an unseasonable 25° with a toasty breeze. 

I stroll down pastel-hued streets to reach The Central Fire Station Bistro, a restaurant located in, unsurprisingly, Napier’s original Art Deco fire station. Here, chef Sam Clark makes magic with the region’s bountiful produce. Tonight, it’s a French-themed feast, accompanied by local Chateau Garage wines. Crudites and garlic clams are served with strawberry-hued rose, gurnard with beurre blanc and chardonnay, duck and Syrah.

Overnight, I stay in a room fit for royalty. Literally. The Royal Suite at the Masonic Hotel is named for its most famous guests: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip who, in January 1954 slept between the same walls as I do. 

To better understand the history of Napier, I take an Art Deco vintage car tour the next morning, cruising the streets in an open-top 1940 Packard. My guide, John, a volunteer with Napier’s Art Deco Trust explains the timeline for the city’s rebirth as an architectural hotspot after the 1931 earthquake that flattened the CBD. Or most of it. A handful of pre-quake buildings still stand, including the famous Six Sisters – a sextet of narrow wooden houses on Marine Parade, one of which is home to Roam café where earlier I’d enjoyed a hearty breakfast and strong coffee.

It's a cloudless day, and the Mercedes seems to enjoy the run along Hawke’s Bay country roads as much as I do, zipping alongside the teal ocean, then weaving between vineyards and orchards to Havelock North.

In the carpark of Craggy Range, the Mercedes looks right at home between other equally luxurious vehicles, their passengers revelling in the spring sunshine, enjoying award-winning dining from what has recently been crowned Cuisine magazine’s Winery Restaurant of the Year. From al fresco oysters, to flower-studded crudo, slow-cooked pāua and crispy skin fish, I quickly see why Craggy Range is deserving of its accolades.

From gardens to vineyards, hot pools to history, the Thermal Explorer Highway has delivered on its promise, providing a taste of some of the best bits of the North Island.