We are on our Way
26 de maio de 2017, Austrália ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Leaving Camperdown Castle this afternoon for New Zealand to visit Melissa and Luke in Auckland and travel around the North Island.
Melissa and Luke's Apartment
26 de maio de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Unpacked and settled into Melissa and Luke's lovely apartment which is an Art Deco building and overlooks Mission Bay. Friday night dinner tradition for the Wilson's is Nachos at their favouriteLeia mais
Out and About
27 de maio de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Saturday morning in Mission Bay, it is a lovely area to walk around with great cafes and some lovely homes.
After our walk a short drive to One Tree Hill. Incredible views and a lovely parkLeia mais
Piha Beach
28 de maio de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Today Luke and Melissa drove us to a black sandy beach called Piha Beach which is the most famous beach in New Zealand. The black sand is caused by a volcanic eruption at Taupo a long time ago whichLeia mais
Driving to Matamata
29 de maio de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
We are leaving Melissa and Luke's today and sightseeing different area's of the North Island.
It is very easy driving around in NZ, the scenery is lovely and some very cool cafe's.
We are now atLeia mais
Matamata and Morrinsville
30 de maio de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ 14 °C
In the morning we looked around Matamata and drove to Morrinsville where they have collection of life-size cow sculptures throughout the town showcasing the history and heritage of Morrinsville. TheLeia mais
Hobbiton for the Day
30 de maio de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Late afternoon we drove to Hobbiton where the hobbits live from the movie "Lord of the rings". Hobbition is incredible, very pretty and very well maintained.
The tour took 5 hours which includedLeia mais
Hobbiton Night Walk
30 de maio de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ 11 °C
We then headed to the Green Lantern for drinks by the fire, followed by an amazing dinner. The tables were loaded with quite a feast followed by dessert.
The evening finished with a night timeLeia mais
Otorohanga Kiwi House
31 de maio de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Leaving Matamata this morning off to our next stop, Waitomo Caves. On the way we visited Otorohanga which is a little quaint township, we walked around and come across the Edmund Hillary Walk and thenLeia mais
Waitomo Caves
1 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
We have been quite adventurous and went Black Water tubing in the glow worm caves. The tour took 2 hours of climbing over rocks in the dark and floating in inner tubes in the cold water through theLeia mais
Mangapohue
1 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia
In the afternoon we drove to Mangapohue and walked along a wooden pathway to a Natural Bridge.
"Kaimanawa Lodge" Turangi
2 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ 16 °C
Arrived in Turangi for a week, we will be doing day trips using Turangi as our base. We are staying at Kaimanawa Lodge which is one of Classic Holidays Resorts. Not a bad place to stay, the mangersLeia mais
Trout Hatchery and Thermal Springs
3 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
Today we visited the Trout Hatchery and walked along the river and watched a few people trout fishing. We also found a trail which had Natural Thermal hot springs.
Flight over the Volcano's
4 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ☀️ -2 °C
Today was incredible, we took a 40 min flight over the 3 local Volcano's. They are stunning.
Hight Tea at Chateau Tongariro
4 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ 6 °C
We then drove up to the snow fields not much snow but still interesting and finished the day with a High Tea at Boutique Hotel called Chateau Tongariro.
At home in Turangi
5 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C
Today was wet so we stayed in and watched TV and edited photo's and planned the sightseeing for the next couple of days.
Huka Falls
6 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ 9 °C
Today we drove to Taupo, it is bigger than Turangi but has all the usual shops. After walking around for a while we visited Huka Falls and Honey.
Huka Falls are the largest falls on the WaikatoLeia mais
Cruise on Lake Taupo
6 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
After lunch we went on a 2 hour cruise on Lake Taupo to view the most important tourist attraction in the area, The Maori Rock Carving (it was only carved 40 years ago). It was interesting and theLeia mais
Tongariro River Walk
7 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C
Today we went for what the locals call tramping. We walked along the street and then passed over a suspension bridge and continued hiking north along the riverside until we finally reached the top ofLeia mais
Tokaanu Wharf
8 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
Today was a little cold and windy so we did not do much. We went for a short drive to see a local historical landmark,Tokaanu Wharf.
Aratiatia Rapids
9 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ 10 °C
Today we left Turangi for Auckland. We drove via Taupo and Hamilton. In Taupo we visited The Aratiatia Rapids. The flood gates are opened a few times a day to release the water upstream.
Hamilton Gardens
9 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ 11 °C
We then drove to Hamilton Gardens. The gardens are incredible with themed feature gardens covering many different cultures over the ages.
Let's have a Party
10 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
In the morning we went for a short walk along the waterfront and the remainder of the day was spent preparing for Melissa's Birthday Party. In the evening we had a Mexican Fiesta Birthday party andLeia mais
Matakana
11 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Today Luke and Melissa drove us to Matakana and Warkworth which are only a few hours out of Auckland. They are little historical townships and they both had very nice river walks.
Auckland War Memorial Museum
12 de junho de 2017, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
We visited the museum in the morning and saw a cultural show which was quite good. We then walked through the museum for 3 hours looking at many different exhibitions. After lunch at the museum weLeia mais