Tongariro Crossing, Taupo

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is heralded the best one day trek in the country. It is also said by some to be amongst one of the best single day treks in the world. The 19.4 km takes you across various types of active volcanic terrain, it was tough but awesome! An early start was required which was 6.30am for us to get to the transfer point from the remote camp site we had camped in overnight. We weren't entirely sure where we were going and had to find the transfer car park so by the time we were on the move it was 9.30am.  It started off flat for about the first 4km (great!) and then it gets to the start of the steep trek up to the highest point. Km's of steps, slopes, rocky paths, all in the sweltering sunshine! The views of the turquoise blue pools once you get to the highest point are amazing and nothing like you've seen before. To get down to the pools involved a steep downhill trek and then it flattened out a bit! The downhill came not long after for about the last 8km or so. Without a doubt one of the best things i have done. We completed it in just over 6 hours which going by other peoples times, is pretty good!

Back on the road... Rotorua

We have had a cracking Christmas and New Year in Auckland with a lovely family who we have a family connection with from home. I have to admit i did feel homesick once it got to Christmas Eve but i soon snapped out of it and enjoyed the sun on Christmas Day rather than spend my time thinking how strange it all felt! Singing along to Shakin' Stevens and Slade just didn't seem right in roaring sunshine!!
On New Year's Day we drove to Rotorua, 'the adventure capital of New Zealand' and home to the rather fragrant geothermal activity. We had tickets to see the Kiwi band Fat Freddy's Drop on the 2nd so we went a day early to get a feel for the place. First of all you are struck by the stink of the Geothermal activity which does actually smell like rotten eggs! There was even steam coming up out of the pavement through the storm drains! Kuirau Park is just outside the centre of the town. It has geothermal lakes and ponds and boiling mud pools. It absolutely stinks especially if you are downwind of the steam and a breeze comes along! We also visited Wai O Tapu which is a 'geothermal wonderland' on the way out of Rotorua. A huge expanse of active and very colourful geothermal land. A track is mapped out for you to follow and take in the unusual scenery. It was hot already but the amount of steam is incredible and you find yourself sweltering even more! On the adventure front we did the Zydro Zorb which involved rolling down a hill in a huge inflatable hamster-like ball with the added bonus of water inside so you get soaked at the same time! Was so much fun, just over too quick! After that we took the Skyline Gondola up to the top and had 5 goes each on the Luge which was not as tame as i was expecting! Three different tracks to choose from, scenic, intermediate and advanced - i didn't even get to the advanced because the intermediate was too advanced for me! There were children zooming past me so fast i was expecting them to take off! Once at the bottom you just hopped onto the chair lift back to the top and did it all over again! There is photo evidence of both of these but unfortunately not to on this computer!   

Rotorua Museum, housed in the old Bath House 

Kuirau Park

Boiling Mud Pool, Kuirau Park

Kuirau Park

Wai O Tapu 

Wai O Tapu

Wai O Tapu 

Wai O Tapu

Wai O Tapu

Coramandel Peninsula

After a great trip around the Northland we still had plenty of time to do some more exploring before heading back to Auckland for Christmas.
So, off we headed to the Coramandel Peninsula. Very pretty with lots of the Pohutukawa trees lining the road, the kiwis refer to these as their 'Christmas Trees' because when they flower the flowers are red and they do this around Christmas time!

We stayed at a holiday park in Thames after almost a full day of driving. We try our best to avoid Holiday Parks as they are expensive but sometimes you don't have a choice! Having a hot shower and kitchen facilities is always a treat too.  Thames is a fairly old mining town. We didn't hang about here the next morning and headed up to Hot Water Beach. Popular for the fascinating hot water pools that can be found in a certain spot on this beach. When we got there there was already haudes of people digging holes to try and find the hot water, some were even already in their personally dug out hot pools! We hired a shovel which seemed to be the thing to do and got to it! We were soon let into a secret that there's only a certain, quite small spot that the hot water can be found. This sadly meant all these people digging around us were not going to have much luck if they kept digging all day! We jumped into the spot once it was freed up and oh my the water was literally boiling- you couldn't even stand in it! We dug out a little pool to paddle is as once its surfaced for while it does cool down. It was quite funny to watch the new people come over to have a look and end up hopping away with burning feet! 

Cathedral Cove was next on our list,  a must see if you visit the Coramandel. Its name comes from the dramatic formation of the famous cove shape in the rock. It is a secluded beach that has been preserved as area of natural beauty and has not been commercialised at all- there are not even any bins or picnic benches. You have to walk down a narrow path or kayak to it, you cannot drive. It was a cloudy breezy day when were there but it was still stunning with its white sand and clear waters. We walked a lovely half hour walk along the coast to it from Hahei Beach stopping at two other quiet idyllic bays along the way. 

Cape Reinga

This is one of the highlights so far, a clear, warm and breezy day at the most northern point of the country. The Cape Reinga lighthouse looks over where two oceans meet, the Tasman Sea and the the Pacific Ocean. With it being 100km from the nearest town of Kaitaia the drive up to the cape is along windy roads with fantastic mountain and coastal views. Check it out in the photos below!!

Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Waitangi, Bay of Islands

A spot considered sacred by the Maori, and New Zealand's most historic site. This is where the treaty document was signed between the British Crown and the Maori chiefs in 1840. Within the grounds lies the Treaty house, the Meeting House, the War Canoe, the Flagstaff and Hobsons Beach. 

It is a must see if you are in this part of the country. We booked onto a cultural show which was a fascinating insight into Maori life. The show included traditional dancing and singing as well as informative speeches about their ways of life. It ended with the Haka which i think everyone was waiting to see! 

 

War Canoe 

Hobsons Beach- the landing site of Captain William Hobson who was the British representative that negotiated with the Maori for the signing of the Treaty.

The Flagstaff marking the spot of the signing of the Treaty.

Maori Meeting House

The Maori chief checking were not a threat! 

Russell & Paihia

Russell

Russell

Russell

Russell is so cute! Beautiful little fishing village. It was the first permanent European settlement and seaport of New Zealand. Back then it used to be full of drunks and fighting and no one wanted to go there! Now it gets a lot of visitors off the ferries from Paihia which is just across the water and the rest of the country!
We had some seriously tasty fresh Fish (Tarakihi) and Chips by the water and then made our way to Paihia by car ferry.

Found a nice, small campervan site in Paihia and settled for the evening with some barbecued chicken the the lovely Sauvignon!
Paihia is a very touristy town right on the beach looking out to the islands. The next day we took a boat trip out to get a proper look.
The 4 hour trip with the company Explore was brilliant, well worth the money. It included a very informative commentary too about the history of the islands.

A pod of Bottlenose dolphins swam by our boat!