TAUPO

day 09

We ended day 8 in Taupo and stay in Taupo today but end the day in the Tongariro National Park.

An early morning start, as I wanted to checkout a track I saw last evening. It lead me to a couple of lookouts that I could see from the Aratiatia Dam bridge, which is what I was hoping for. And what gorgeous views, from beyond the dam, down the valley past the Aratiatia Power Station. Magnificent! Pity I didn’t get nice light for my photos.

Our first unplanned visit of the day was at the Lava Glass gallery and cafe. For a small fee you can visit the workshop and watch the glassblowers do their magic and visit their private glass garden. Well worth the fee. Just stopping by for a coffee and browsing the gallery is worthwhile.

A second unplanned stop was the Huka Honey Hive. If for nothing else but the honey tasting, this place is worth checking out. There is so much more though. From well-being and beauty products to lollies and ice-cream. And much more. You’ll end up leaving with something, for sure.

Our first planned visit, Huka Falls. Impressive! Not just visually but the noise and velocity of the volume of water travelling beneath you... you can feel it’s power vibrating through your body. Quite an experience. But don’t stop at the bridge and the lookouts. Wander upstream a little and the atmosphere is quite the opposite. Calm, tranquil, peaceful. Beautiful. Worth the stroll.

Next stop was Taupo Bungy, for Paloma wanted an extreme experience. She went with the Cliff Hanger instead of the Bungy but later regretted her choice just a little. The Cliff Hanger wasn’t as extreme as she had thought, even though her cries say otherwise haha she did enjoy it.

After all that adrenaline, it was time for lunch and last minute shopping in town. Then it was direction Tongariro National Park, where we were staying the night. Oh what a scenic drive. Stunning views of Mount Ruapehu and just magnificent as the backdrop to the Chateau Tongariro.

We stayed the night at the Discovery Lodge Tongariro. We’re staying in the area because tomorrow we’ve planned an all day hike. So I hope to see you for day 10 where we walk 19.4 kms. Just to be precise. Goodnight.

p.s. once again a big thanks to Alain for his contribution to these videos.

MUSIC :

Whakaronga by TJ & Huri

Kapioioi by TJ & Huri

FROM WONDERLAND TO TAUPO

As you know from the video, day 8 brings us to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland then onto Taupo.

As I mentioned on my video post, if you’re traveling between Rotorua and Taupo, the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is a must visit. And do take the time to check out Lady Knox Geyser, while you’re there. It doesn’t take long and you’ll also learn about how it was discovered.

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The thermal wonderland truely is a wonderland. And might I add, out of this world. You really have the impression of walking on another planet as you make your way through the park. The steaming holes in the ground, the mud pools and the stunning, vivid colours of the lakes make it equally hard to believe your eyes.

We didn’t do much in Taupo. It was towards the end of the day and shops were starting to close up. We took a short stroll along the shore, a quick visit in the town centre and did some grocery shopping.

We ended up staying at the free parking near the Aratiatia Dam. It’s also where the Huka Falls Cruise departs from on the Waikato River. We were only three camper vans staying the night in this peaceful area.

That’s it for the photos of day 8. Please join me for the next post where we see lava glass, bees, falls, a chateau and cliffhang. Goodnight.

p.s. again, Alain’s contribution was a big help in telling the story.

FROM WONDERLAND TO TAUPO

day 8

We ended day 7 with rain and start day 8 under blue skies. Today we leave Rotorua for Taupo but first we visit a Lady and New Zealand’s wonderland. 

We arrived in Wai-O-Tapu just in time to see the Lady Knox Geyser erupt. It’s quite remarkable they can induce the eruption simply with soap. We got about a ten metre eruption. Impressive! The whole show last only about half an hour from the time you arrive to when you leave. It’s a must see so if you’re ever in the area, don’t even think twice about it. And that’s even more so for the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. Give yourself plenty of time as this can take easily a couple of hours. More if you’re into photography. Not only will the colours astound you but the beauty of the area as well. OK, you’ll have to deal with the smell of sulphur but you quickly get used to it. The mud pools are just as interesting and make you want to jump in. Not a good idea though. And there are plenty of signs to remind you too. Anyway, if you’re traveling between Rotorua and Taupo, Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is on the way and a must visit. I highly recommend it. 

Taupo isn’t too far from the wonderland. We didn’t do much apart from having a coffee and wander around town a little before doing grocery shopping for the next few days. We’d decided to stay at a free campsite for the night that was just at the entrance to the city but it was packed so we went a little farther to a parking next to the Aratiatia Dam on the Waikato River. A beautiful area and it’s where the Huka Falls Cruise takes off from. We got a couple of photos

Manu prepared a delicious dinner, mussels in white wine with wedges. We went with wedges for a change from the usual fries we would have back home. I tried to record it but quickly realised I wasn’t doing it justice. Sorry. I mean if that was a restaurant advertisement, I wouldn’t go there. But I can say that it was deliciously. Thank you Manu.

Time to go to bed my friends as day 8 comes to an end. Join me for the next video where we see how lava glass is made, cliffhang, visit bees, falls and drive by a chateau. Goodnight.

p.s. must not forget to thank Alain for his contribution to these videos.

MUSIC

Anei Ra Ouverture And Aria from Patea Maori Club

ROTORUA

day 7

Day 7 presents us with a full day of visits. Day 6 was easy going, which helped us recover from a lot of driving and walking of the pass couple of days.

An early start for me this morning, as I was hoping to capture sunrise. It was very cloudy but I got a break in the clouds just long enough to capture golden hour. The composition wasn’t great but glad I got something. It was overcast for the next few hours. I found myself on a sulphur plateau on Lake Rotorua near Puaranga Stream. There were thousands of seagulls, very protective of their environment. I had a few flying very close around me, screaming or what those birds do. It reminded me of a Hitchcock movie. There’s a path that leads into the bushes among the sulphur. It’s a nice walk and I got a couple of photos.

Our first visit of the day was Kuirau Park & Mud Pools. A beautiful area with ponds, hot waters, mud pools and flowers. There’s an area where you can dip your feet in hot water, which the girls took advantage of. 

Next, we took the Skyline to the Volcanic Hills Wine Tasting Room. Before the tasting we visited the Jelly Belly store, bought some lollies and ate some very bizarre tasting Jelly Bellies. Then Alain and I did a luge race before we stopped for lunch. Alain went back to do more luge afterwards while his wife, Manu, and I went wine tasting. A wonderful room with amazing views. And so is the wine. I didn’t know New Zealand had so many wineries and good wines. Our hostess was lovely, taking the time to chat with us yet giving us time to savour the wine. Very nice experience.

At the end of the afternoon, we visited the Ohinemutu Maori Village. Beautiful buildings with amazing carvings for decorations. We were the only ones there and it didn’t take long to visit. Worth the stop.

The Cosy Cottage Thermal Holiday Park is where we stayed for the night. We needed to secure a spot for the night as we intended to visit the Redwoods Tree Walk. Unfortunately, the weather turned grey and it rained heavy pretty much all night.

That’s it for day 7 my friends. Thank you for watching and, please, come back for the next video where we visit a wonderland and head to Taupo. Goodnight.

p.s.   a big thanks to Alain and Manu for the use of some of their photos and videos.

MUSIC :

Pokarekare Ana by Ukulele Mike Lynch

Pokarekare Ana from polkadotpants

AGRODOME

Photos from the Day 06 video are here with a few extras thrown in.

For the boys, our first morning in Rotorua started with a visit to the Agrodome. The girls spent the day shopping. We spent pretty much all morning here. We did the Farm Show and the Farm Tour. Both excellent and worth doing. They do have two other tours but we didn’t do those. Agrodome is well worth a visit for young and old but kids will especially love it for the hands-on experience with the animals. 

There aren’t a lot of photos from the afternoon as we joined the girls for a stroll and shopping. Nearing evening we made our way towards Lake Rotorua and and got to see swans and cygnets near the shore. On the way down here we discovered Eat Street. We came back here for dinner at Mac’s Steakhouse. Very nice food and the staff were excellent. We had a good laugh with them. We stayed at a free camper-van parking area that night, just opposite the Polynesian Spa.

Well that’s it for this quick post. I hope to see you for the next video, which should be out in the next two, three days.

p.s.   a big thanks to Alain for the use of some of his videos and photos.

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ROTORUA - AGRODOME

day 6

Welcome back for day 6 of our little trip around the North Island of New Zealand. Today we leave The Coromandel for Rotorua. This video is the first of the two and half days we stayed here.

Arriving in Rotorua, Alain and I dropped the girls at a shopping mall before heading to the Agrodome. They have four experiences you can choose from or you can do all of them if you have the time. Alain and I did two, the Farm Show and the Farm Tour. Before the show started, we were treated to a sheep gathering performance outside. The show itself is entertaining, has a bit of humour, is educational and has hands-on experiences. It is very interesting. I didn’t know there were 17 different types of sheep in the world. The tour is also great because you, not only, visit the farm but you also get to mingle with some animals and feed them. Oh and you get a little tasting of their homegrown kiwifruit juice. Delicious.

After the Agrodome we joined the girls for some shopping and just walk around a little. We ended up wandering down to Rotorua Lake where we saw swans and their cygnets. A beautiful area. Coming down here, we walked through Eat Street where we had a delicious dinner at Mac’s Steakhouse. And I have to give a shoutout to the waiters and waitresses who were just fantastic.

Tonight we stay at a free camper-van parking area near the the Polynesian Spa. Though there were a number of camper-vans, it was very quiet. So I bade you goodnight my friends and invite you to the next video, where we dip our feet in hot water, race, wine taste and visit a small Maori village. Goodnight.

p.s. yes, I’m sure you know by now but I without his photos and videos my story wouldn’t be coherent. Thanks Alain.

MUSIC :

Steel Guitar Rag by Les Thomas and The Countrymen

PAIHIA

day 3

Good morning and welcome back for this third video in a long series. I must warn though the quality of this video is… not great. Not as bad as day 1 but not as good as day 2 either. I tried to do slow-motion videos but I just couldn’t stop the focus from jumping around. So you may feel a little queasy sometimes. You’ve been warned.

Picking up from where we left off on the last video, where we decided to camp on a free site which led us to a town called Kaikohe. A town about 45 minutes west of Kerikeri. Today, we were heading to Paihia but I wanted to visit Kaikohe before doing so. I got up early and headed for Broadway, the main road. I bought a cup of coffee to accompany me on my little visit. A charming town and lot bigger than I thought. I saw these beautiful murals in a small alley. There are only a couple in the video but there were a lot more. I had a very nice conversation with a couple of retirees. A Maori woman and a Kiwi man, friends enjoying each other’s company, watching people walking by. They were sitting on a bench and said hello as I walked by. I said hello back and before we knew it, 15 minutes had gone by. Wonderful people and great conversation.

Once brekky was over, it was time to hit the road. We had one stop before Paihia and that was Haruru Falls. Not the largest of falls but worth a visit as the surroundings are beautiful and calm. You can kayak your way up to the falls and have a picnic, if you wish. A lovely little spot and worth a stop over.

We had booked a small cruise/ferry to Motukokako Island from Paihia. We were going to see the famous Hole In The Rock and with a little chance go through it. The return trip takes about 3 hours so we had lunch before the 12:30 departure. On the way up to and back from Motukokako Island, the boat stopped off at Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island. A gorgeous little bay with a restaurant. Plenty to do on this little island. As you arrive at The Hole In The Rock, on your left side you can see Cape Brett’s hut and lighthouse. Then you notice the huge rock formation, Motukokako Island. It’s a tight squeeze but once up close and personal to The Hole In The Rock, the skipper will direct the boat through it. Unfortunate, the waters were choppy that day and thus weren’t able to experience that. Unlucky us. The return to Paihia is the same trip in reverse. So we headed back to Otehei Bay and just before arriving in Paihia, we noticed four dolphins afar. Not sure if they were playing or fishing. Lucky us.

Back on land we headed straight for St. Paul’s Anglican Church, just across the road from the beach. I’m not a believer but the stone building is just amazing. I had to photograph it.

Anyway, it was late afternoon and we had about three hours before sunset. We were having problems with our camper-van thus decided to make our way back towards Auckland and stop somewhere halfway down. We were heading to The Coromandel the next day anyway so the extra couple hours would be used to stop at the Camper-van Hire to get some help. We pulled up for the night at the Sheep World Caravan & Camping Park. A wonderful, funny and straight-talking old man was there to welcome us. Very helpful too. I didn’t film anything once there because of the problems with the camper-van and we were just tired from the long day. I got the last photo from my friend Alain. The quaint, little common-lounge. You could even exchange books. What a wonderful idea.

Well that’s it for now and thank you for watching. The next video has animals and… what problems? Goodnight.

Oh before I go, I want to thank my friend Alain for letting me use a couple of his photos in this video. Thanks mate.

SONGS

Tangaroa Whakamautai by Maisey Rika

Uruwhetu - Tiaho Mai Ra