Traveling the North Island via the Thermal Explorer Highway you will see a great amount of geological phenomena such as geothermal activity (mud pools, geysers, and more), limestone glowworm caves, and volcanic plateaus.
Thermal Explorer Highway’s logo is a symbol of geyser:
It starts from Auckland as State Highway 1 (SH1), at Tirau switches to SH5, and switches to SH2 shortly before reaching Napier, just follow the Thermal Explorer Highway logo.
Though this route supposed to reveal different thermal wonders, it also lies through some important Maori cultural places, such as the sacred Maori burial ground of Taupiri Mountain and Turangawaewae Marae, which is the home of the Maori Queen.
Rotorua
From Hamilton you will usually travel east, to Rotorua where you will find the bubbling mud pools and gushing geysers. Rotorua is a very touristy place and it is very crowded during the summer. Many tourists come here to soak in thermal pools. But besides the thermal wonders, Rotorua is also Maori culture center and is known for its local Marae and Maori cultural performances.
Champagne Pool at Wai-O-Tapu, Rotorua photo by robertpauloyoung
Taupo
From Rotorua Thermal Explorer Highway continues to Taupo going through additional thermally active areas. On your way to Taupo you might want to stop at Wai-O-Tapu to see the eruption of the famous Lady Knox geyser and Champagne Pool. Another famous place on your route will be the Huka Falls – famous waterfall coming from the great lake with the speed of about 200,000 liters of water per second.
Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand full with activities around it. These activities include windsurfing, skydiving, fishing, jet boating and more. Bu if you still determined to see more thermal wonders besides small pockets of geothermal steam along the route, then a number of thermal swimming reserves are available in the Lake Taupo area.
Lake Taupo photo by g-hat
Making the right choice 
From Taupo Thermal Explorer Highway heads east, but in my opinion one thing that is absolutely a must for a thermal phenomena enthusiast is, of course, the Tongariro National Park. To get there, instead of staying with SH5, turn south to SH1 near Waipahihi, and then use the map to get to the Whakapapa village. The famous Tongariro Crossing one day hike will take you through the most breathtaking scenery, which includes beautiful thermal lakes and craters. For people like me who like tramping I suggest doing the Tongariro Northern Circuit Great Walk which will take you about 3 to 4 days, and in my opinion will also give you a better taste of the local volcanic nature.
For the “Lord Of The Rings” fans the Tongariro Crossing goes near the mountain Ngarauhoe, which was Mount Doom in the trilogy. You can actually climb this mountain if weather permits.
Mount Doom photo by celebdu
Hawke’s Bay
If after all these experience you will still want to follow the Thermal Explorer Highway to its end, then return to Waipahihi and turn east to SH5. You will drive over the Ahimanawa range through a heavily forested mountain range, offering beautiful scenery, but beware that there are no petrol stations, so fill your fuel tank at Taupo.
The ending of the Thermal Explorer Highway lies in Hawke’s Bay with Napier being its main center. There is not much to do in Napier to my taste except from relaxing on the seashore and taking a wine-tasting tours.
All in all it is a very beautiful route, and I really recommend it. If you don’t want to make the whole route, just do a part of it, but be sure to visit Rotorua, Taupo and Tongariro!
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