With some awesome road trip options in the surrounding area, renting a car makes sense. Without one, it wouldn’t be half as easy to experience everything that Auckland, 35 miles away, has to offer. Among your first few stops here ought to be Auckland Ferry Terminal, Princes Wharf and Viaduct Harbour. The locals will also probably point you in the direction of Hamilton, 40 miles away. If you only see one thing here, let it be SkyCity Hamilton. (But we’d also highly recommend The Base and Hamilton Gardens.)