We made a short stop in the town of Norsewood for a coffee before stopping for lunch at an amazing cafe called the Clarksville Bakery. After lunch we continue driving—suddenly we were on a super curvy road in a rain storm on the Rimutaka Hill Road. We did not Read more…
It was a short drive from Taupo to Napier. We made a quick stop Waipunga Falls to stretch our legs. We are glad we stopped to see the two-waterfalls drop more than 40 meters. We missed the Art Deco Festival in Napier by a day. Although disappointed, the positive was Read more…
There are two geothermal areas en route from Rotorua to Taupo and friends suggested Waimangu Volcanic Valley. It is the world’s youngest geothermal valley and is constantly changing. The walk started with panoramic views of the Tarawera mountain. It is described as a sleeping volcano because it has erupted Read more…
Rotorua is known for its geothermal activity (and associated sulphuric smell) as well as Maori culture. On the drive to our hotel, we stopped for the daytime Redwood Treewalk in the Whakarewarewa Forest. The treewalk is a 700-meters walkway made up of 28 suspension bridges between 27 majestic redwood trees. Read more…
A visit to the Hobbiton Movie Set where scenes from Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies were filmed was a highlight of our time on the North Island. We arrived and took a carriage from the gift shop/parking area to the entrance of Hobbiton. We arranged our visit Read more…
Lake Karapiro Lodge was not easy to find. Nevertheless, it was very much worth finding. Eddie and Ann were delightful, very knowledgeable about the area, and had many stories of their own adventures. In addition to a stunning view (from the main house), there were fruit trees and flowers everywhere. Read more…
Before leaving the area North of Auckland, we stopped at the Brick Abby Sculpture Trail. This was an unexpected highlight. The trail showcased 68 sculptures displayed in and among flora, fauna, lakes, open pastures, native forests, and a vineyard. The impressive collection included Gregorian chants coming from hidden speakers Read more…
We left the Bay of Islands after an incredible morning jet-ski to drive to Matakana. While on the road we stopped at the Kawiti Glowworm Caves. This was our first experience with glowworms and we learned that glowworms are really maggots attracting food with their bioluminescence. The Kawiti caves were Read more…
The drive north to the Bay of Islands was scenic. We booked our rental car from a pick-up site just out of the city — which was good because we did not have to drive through downtown. Ian quickly adjusted to driving on the left and Sunshine navigated. We stopped Read more…
The flight to Auckland had many empty seats, so we sat across three rows. Although the food was standard airplane fare, the movies made the time pass quickly. We lost a day when we crossed the date line, but made up some time by going through immigration quickly! The Read more…