Taranaki

 Loved Taranaki!! A region of New Zealand slightly off the tourist track- but it so shouldn't be. I guess it is out on its own and for that reason it gets missed off but it is also 'a place like no other' and should be on more lists to see and do.  Taranaki is steeped in history as we learnt at the Puke Ariki museum, gallery and information centre in New Plymouth. A huge dairy farming community brings you endless paddocks of cows and farmland nestled in between the rugged coast pounded by the Tasman Sea and the snow- topped mountain, the dormant volcano Mt Egmont/Taranaki. Great surf, walks, hikes,bike tracks and beaches make Taranki an awesome place to visit, or even stay long term as many people do including many Brits who have come back after discovering Taranaki while travelling around the country and settled here.

During our visit, we stayed with a family friend who lives in the small lovely village of Oakura just outside of New Plymouth in the heart of Taranaki. We were made so welcome and right at home. A short walk down to the end of the road and you get to Oakura the beach, an awesome huge expanse of volcanic black sand. We borrowed their mountain bikes on the second day and rode the Coastal Walkway which takes you from the Port in New Plymouth all the way to Bell Block Beach right along the coastline. It is 12.7 km one way and pretty flat so it makes for a nice meander rather than a hard hike! The coastline is beautiful. Later that afternoon we were lucky enough to try Paddle boarding- i have seen so many people doing it and wanted to try it. Heather, our friend we were staying with had a board and paddle so she took us down to one of the river mouths by the sea and we gave it a go! It was fairly easy, a lot easier than surfing! Great fun though and i will definitely be giving it another go! The river was the perfect place to try it as its so calm, maybe il try it in the sea one day and catch some surf... hmmm! That evening we had a cracking BBQ in true New Zealand style and later went for an evening stroll and took in the beautiful scenery.

Along the Coastal Walkway

Can just see the mountain in the background! 

Oakura Beach

Oakura Beach 

The following day consisted of a nice walk along the beach and trip up to the Mt Egmont/Taranaki visitor centre. It was a pleasant drive through native forest and taking you to an altitude of 946 meters. From here there were fantastic views to the west over New Plymouth and around. Lots of choices of walks up here from 4 minutes to 10 hours. (We did the short one this time!)

That evening we had a tasty dinner from the local Holy Guacamole caravan that sits on the sea front. the Pulled Pork Burrito was delicious!!

Our last day was spent exploring some of the other highlights of the area including the Egmont Lighthouse and a short hike up the very very steep Paritutu. Paritutu and the Sugar Loaf Islands are just off the coast of New Plymouth and are remnants of a large volcano that was active nearly two million years ago. It was so so steep but awesome views too!

That evening we took a stroll around Pukekura Park. It is a Garden of National Significance just near the heart of New Plymouth. Between 14th December and 24th January the park hosts the Festival of Lights transforming the park into a 'illuminated wonderland'. Very unique and a great evening.

Sorry to say goodbye to Taranaki but who knows we might be back!

View of the rugged West coast on a cloudy day!

 Egmont Lighthouse 

Steep climb up Paratutu

Sugar Loaf Islands

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!