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  2. Plan your trip
  3. Getting around
  4. Thermal Explorer Highway Touring Route

Thermal Explorer Highway Touring Route

The Waikato region is part of the Thermal Explorer Highway – a touring route which exits Auckland and takes in Waikato, Rotorua and Taupo.
A vibrant Indian Char Bagh garden at Hamilton Gardens, brims with orange and pink flowers in front of a white building inspired by the Taj Mahal featuring arched doorways. The scene is bathed in sunlight under a partly cloudy sky, while trees border the backdrop near the Waikato River.

The Thermal Explorer Highway also connects up with the Volcanic Loop – an extension of the route which runs from Taupo to Ruapehu. Working in conjunction with the Pacific Coast Highway, the two touring routes provide the perfect way to take in the best of what the Central North Island has to offer.

For more information on the touring routes as well as things to see and do along the way please visit www.explorecentralnorthislandnz.com