Hamilton East, New Zealand Travel Journals & Blogs

ChrisWanderLust Te Araroa 2019/2020
- Nov 28, 2019, 7:00pm · ☁️ 24 °C Altitude: 44 m
  New Zealand Waikato Hamilton City Hamilton West -37.79593, 175.2800237°47’45” S 175°16’48” E
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Day29
Hamilton
November 28, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Hamilton ist eine mittelgroße Stadt etwa 100km südlich von Auckland. Viele Sehenswürdigkeiten gibt es nicht, aber sie liegt auf dem Trail.

Wohnen tue ich übrigens im YWCA (young women christian association) 😉

Und heute habe ich in der I-Sight eine Tour für morgen gebucht: nach Hobbiton 😂 Das musste sein 🤣Read more
Traveler
Hobbiton klingt gut. Viel Spaß 😀
11/28/19Reply
Traveler
Jaaa. Hobbinton ist ein must do 😍 Du wirst es lieben!! Viel Spaß dir 😘
11/28/19Reply
Traveler
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
11/29/19Reply
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Traveler ROADTRIP 2019
- Nov 18, 2019, 11:51am · 🌧 15 °C Altitude: 42 m
  New Zealand Waikato Hamilton City Hamilton East -37.79399, 175.3042137°47’38” S 175°18’15” E
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Day15
Hamilton
November 18, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Cette nuit nous avons très mal dormi à cause de la pluie qui déferlaient sur la carrosserie de la voiture... ☔🚗

Ce matin Dylan était un chercheur de bons prix pour se faire une teinture grise. Après quelques appels, il a trouvé un bon coiffeur. Nous nous y sommes alors rendu et après 2h il est sortit avec ses nouveaux cheveux 💇‍♂️. La couleur se rapproche plus d'un blond que d'un gris, et je dois avouer que je le préférerais toujours avec les cheveux noirs mais il reste quand même bg. 😎

Après avoir miam miam le déjeuner, nous sommes allés dans une piscine publique pour nous doucher 🚿. 4 jours que je ne m'étais pas lavés les cheveux ! J'étais habituée à me les laver tous les 2 jours à Melbourne alors je commençais à ne pas me sentir au top de mon hygiène voyez-vous 🦟(ceci est une mouche déguisée en moustique) (en vrai yavait pas d'emoji mouche donc on improvise) (bref). La douche fut assez froide mais au moins on en est sorti propre et pas trop pauvre (ça nous a coûté seulement 2 dollars chacuns). 💆‍♂️💆‍♀️

Les caprices du ciel nous ont ensuite dirigé vers les magasins. Nous sommes d'abord rentrés dans une boutique de jeux style fête foraine, on adore ce genre d'endroit même si personnellement je ne dépenserais pas un sous dans ce type de jeux. 🙅‍♀️ On a continué notre balade magasinesque dans un centre commercial où on a pu flâner d'une boutique à l'autre (et boire un chocolat chaud pas trop chaud) (oui encoorrreeee). 👫

Après ça, nous avons trouvé une place tranquille près d'un terrain de sport pour dormir. 🌃

À demain 💤Read more
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Traveler
Moi aussi je le préfère les cheveux noirs 😂😉 Et ouais les machines à sous une horreur ces trucs là
11/18/19Reply
Traveler
Ahaha les jeunes à la recherche du gris et les vieux à la recherche du noir. Bon moi je ne recherche rien ahaha je laisse faire dame nature 🤣 Mais oui Dylan reste un BG 😉 Heu.... moi les cheveux moins je les lave mieux c'est.... oui flemagite aigüe. Oui d'accord avec Lucie pour les machines à sous
11/18/19Reply
Traveler
Moi je recherche des cheveux ! ahaha Et je ne suis pas bg mais gg (gros gosse) ... ahahah
11/19/19Reply
Traveler
😊😊😊Dylan et ses cheveux il nous fait rire😊😊😊 Ça devait faire du bien une bonne douche et il y avait moins de mouches après ?😁😘
11/20/19Reply
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Traveler ROADTRIP 2019
- Nov 17, 2019 · ⛅ 22 °C Altitude: 50 m
  New Zealand Waikato Hamilton City Hamilton East -37.79317, 175.2946337°47’35” S 175°17’41” E
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Day14
Waitomo Glowworm Caves
November 17, 2019 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
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Hier soir (samedi soir) alors que nous étions en train de regarder un film (oui encore) un sirène d'alerte s'est faite retentir dans toute la petite ville. C'était pas un petit signal de 2 secondes, ça a duré près de 20 secondes je dirais et nous avions vraiment eu peur ! La Nouvelle-Zélande est connue pour toutes ses catastrophes naturelles : c'est avant tout une île super volcanique, et une zone à risque pour les tremblements de terres et les séismes. Cette zone est appelée "la ceinture de feu du Pacifique". Dans le premier camping payant que nous avions fait il y avait même une affiche descriptive des différents signaux d'alertes 😱. Ne voyant aucune panique générale dans la ville s'est petit à petit détendu, nous avions par la suite juste vu un camion pompier passer derrière nous. 🚒

Ce matin nous avons bougé de ville : Direction Waitomo Glowworm Caves. 📍

À 14h15, après une petite sieste, nous sommes allés découvrir une grotte avec un guide. C'était captivant de voir toutes les stalactites au-dessus de nos têtes ! Aussi un peu effrayant, déjà de part l'obscurité du lieu mais aussi en voyant tout ce qui pourrait tomber sur nous 😟. Après la découverte de la grotte à la marche nous avons eu la chance de continuer à l'explorer à la barque. Mais surtout, surtout, surtout, moment magique : nous avons pu voir des dizaines de milliers de vers luisant vert-bleu scintiller partout. C'était incroyable. L'atmosphère était envoûtante, nous pouvions écouter le doux son des gouttes d'eaux de stalactites tomber dans la rivière tout en admirant tous ces petits vers lumineux. 😍🐛

Après cette formidable visite, nous avons repris la route vers le nord. Nous nous sommes rapidement arrêtés chez un marchand de fruits et de légumes où nous avons pu nous ravitailler en fruits. 🍊🍌🍇

McDo a eu aussi droit à notre visite, je ne pouvais rien faire face à l'appel du chocolat chaud à 1 dollar parsemé de chammalow.... ☕

Ensuite, Hamilton, où nous allons dormir ce soir. Nous avons fait les dernières courses de Nouvelle-Zélande avant de trouver un endroit où parker notre voiture pour la nuit. 🌃🚗

La photo que vous voyez de la grotte a été prise sur internet, on ne pouvait pas prendre de photos mais comme ça vous pouvez en avoir une idée 😀.Read more
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Traveler
C'est magnifique !!!!
11/17/19Reply
Traveler
Indiana Jones 😊
11/17/19Reply
Traveler
Waouuuu !!!! L'aventure et la frayeur qui va avec. Et oui la nature est là pour dire qu'elle peut être plus forte que nous et aussi nous montrer qu'elle est plus belle que nous. Ce moment magique de cette belle lumière, voûte étoilée de petits êtres 😍 Et zou un chocolat chaud pas trop chaud 🤣
11/17/19Reply
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Traveler Motorhome Show 22
- Sep 25, 2022, 11:30am · ⛅ 16 °C Altitude: 19 m
  New Zealand Waikato Hamilton City Hamilton East Graham Island -37.806667, 175.30166737°48’24” S 175°18’6” E
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Day3
Hamilton Gardens
September 25 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Apart from being a large park like the esplanade in Palmerston with lakes, bush, playgrounds and different gardens, Hamilton Gardens has a series of enclosed gardens with different cultural themes. If you haven't been here you should come. It's developing all the time.Read more
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Traveler New Zealand
- Mar 13, 2020, 6:00pm · ⛅ 22 °C Altitude: 40 m
  New Zealand Waikato Hamilton City Frankton Junction -37.79821, 175.2780337°47’54” S 175°16’41” E
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Day63
Cambridge and Rugby at Hamilton
March 13, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Road trip! Ashleigh and I hired a car together to go and watch the rugby chiefs against hurricanes. We stopped off in Cambridge a pretty little town. We walked around a river and went out for lunch at the old George pub. Had a burger and a nice chilled kombucha drink. We then went to Hamilton parked near the stadium and walked in to the town. We had a coffee and cake and looked around the shops.

We headed back to the car before the game. They had shut the car park off but they said if you are already parked here you can stay which was lucky as we were right across from the stadium. We asked if we could go in the fan zone bar and they kindly let us we just had to sign a guest book. We enjoyed a pint with the chief fans. We got given a chief flag. The game was very exciting. It was so close I thought chiefs were going to win but hurricanes scored in the last 30 seconds. Final score 24-27. We drove back to Taupo after the game. Got back about 1am so went straight to bed.Read more
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Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth
- Nov 21, 2020, 4:33pm · ☁️ 19 °C Altitude: 16 m
  New Zealand Waikato Hamilton City Hamilton East Graham Island -37.8071, 175.302837°48’26” S 175°18’10” E
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Nov21
Hamilton Gardens
November 21, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
The Hamilton Gardens were amazing. They display all sorts of different garden styles. Pictures are from the Paradise Collection which included a Chinese, a Renaissance and a Maori Garden and from the Fanatasy collection which included a Picturesque and a Surrealist Garden.Read more
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New Zealand 2019
- Feb 1, 2020, 11:39am · ⛅ 27 °C Altitude: 19 m
  New Zealand Waikato Hamilton City Hamilton East Graham Island -37.80667, 175.3016737°48’24” S 175°18’6” E
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Day8
Hamilton gardens
February 1, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
We had plans to do a lunchtime river cruise with kiwi bbq but Florence had not slept and was miserable and we didn't want to be those people on a boat for 90 minutes, or stress ourselves out worrying about her behaviour. Turns out today, love looks a lot like naps in shady parking lots and reading and writing in silence.Read more
Traveler
Love this
2/6/20Reply
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Ladyandtramp Mexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
- Feb 12, 2020, 10:00am · ☀️ 18 °C Altitude: 58 m
  New Zealand Waikato Hamilton City Hamilton West Lake Rotoroa -37.78825, 175.28036537°47’18” S 175°16’49” E
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Day64
Leaving Thames & Going to Hamilton
February 12, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
So after 5 nights in a typical old-fashioned NZ house, we left our base town of Thames to meet up with our Elora friend, Donna, in the landlocked city of Hamilton.

On the way, we stopped in to the Matatoki Cheese factory to buy an assortment of NZ cheese, and for a delicious coffee. Boy, New Zealanders love their organic coffee and can make a good cuppa of flat whites, as well as delicious scones.

We passed Paeroa, where we bought a can of their famous lemonade called Lemon & Paeroa, or L&P, which is a sweet soft drink manufactured in New Zealand. Created in 1907, it was traditionally made by combining lemon juice with carbonated mineral water from the town of Paeroa, but it is now owned and manufactured by Coca-Cola.

On we went to Morrinsville, where we tried to find Chris kiwi wide brimmed hat. The sun here is so intense, not really super hot, but intense that his baseball cap wasn’t doing a good enough job. No luck, but we went into a bakery to get a sandwich and had a picnic lunch in the park.

Morrinsville has a quirky and colourful ‘herd of cows’ art installation that are located around town. It was fun to see this collection of life-sized cow sculptures which highlighted the history of dairy farming in the town. We thought of the Plunkett family, especially since we saw a variation of their name throughout the area!

Eventually, we arrived at our rendezvous point in the Hamilton Gardens with Donna. Our directions to each were not so clear so we ended up in more or less the same area at the right times but without seeing each other. It was a joyful reunion when we made the connection.

After a short sit in the sun by the lake, we continued on to Anita and Bob’s beautiful Double Bay Villa in Te Miro, near Cambridge. More about the house in another footprint.Read more
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Ladyandtramp Mexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
- Feb 13, 2020, 10:00am · ⛅ 18 °C Altitude: 29 m
  New Zealand Waikato Hamilton City Hamilton East -37.78981, 175.2865637°47’23” S 175°17’12” E
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Day65
Hamilton’s Waikato Museum
February 13, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
We had promised Anita and Bob’s homeschooled grandkids that we would do a little sock puppet show with them on Sunday. We needed a few materials and to buy some food, so we headed into Hamilton.

But Hamilton, NZ, like Hamilton, Ontario, has a beautiful 50 hectares garden in the city centre and on the banks of the Waikato River. We didn’t feel like we had time to do it justice today, so instead we went to the excellent Waikato Museum.

Most of the display areas can be visited for free and the galleries housing Maori treasures were what we wanted to see. Sadly, we were not allowed to take photos in this area, but the whole display was outstanding. The piece de resistance was a magnificently carved 200 year old war canoe that had quite a history.

The museum is positioned on the banks of the Waikato River and it has lovely views from all the windows on that side.

After a late lunch in a Mexican restaurant that served great tacos, we hunted for a big brimmed hat but never found one that looked good or fit Chris. Oh well. Food and puppet making materials though were easy to find.Read more
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Ladyandtramp Mexico & New Zealand - 2019/20
- Feb 14, 2020, 10:00am · ☁️ 17 °C Altitude: 2 m
  New Zealand Waikato Hamilton City Hamilton East Graham Island -37.80582, 175.30468837°48’21” S 175°18’17” E
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Day66
Hamilton Gardens
February 14, 2020 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of us in NZ. And Happy Valentine’s Day to those of you at home!

The weather here continues to be great. Hot, but not humid, so it has been nice. We do have to be super careful as the sun is intense and it is easy to burn here. That’s why we are going to continue searching for a good hat for Chris, or stay out of the sun!

Chris, Donna and I were itching to go back to the Hamilton Gardens, so we made a plan for the day.

1. The Gardens in the morning
2. Hat hunting
3.Kayak ride down the Waikato River with three families at 4:30 p.m.

The gardens in Hamilton are about a 1/2 hour drive from where we are staying and there is no charge for entry. It is a beautiful place. Rather than focusing on plant collections, the emphasis is on different types of garden design.

The people who created the gardens wanted to showcase “the cultural meaning and context of gardens over the past 4,000 years”. It was interesting to see how the culture of a time can be seen through the gardens of the time, or how the attitudes towards nature were viewed.

The first development of the gardens began in the early 1960s at what was then the city's waste disposal site. It had been a The first garden that was built was the Rogers Rose Garden which was opened in 1971. It was an attempt to block highway development over the site. The property is on a lovely piece of land on the banks of the Waitako River. Someone, I am not sure who, had a great vision. Since 1982 many newly developed areas have been opened to the public.

I am not going to list all the enclosed gardens that we went into but some were incredible - Chinese, Indian with a mini Taj Mahal, a herb garden, a Mansfield garden based on the short story ‘The Garden Party’ by NZ writer Katherine Mansfield, and a brand new Surrealist Garden with strange forms.

Diane and Claude, you would love it!!

We stopped for a cup of tea and a scone in the cafe overlooking a peaceful pond before heading into town to check it out and look for a hat.

As we rounded a corner, we bumped into a life-sized statue of the Rocky Horror Picture Show creator and Hamilton native , Richard O’Brien dressed as Riff Raff. We had a Time Warp moment.

No hat to be found but we did enjoy our town walk. The river runs right through town but it is somewhat hidden. Work has been started to make a riverside trail. It was is a good idea, as it is a lovely river.

More about the second part of our day in the next footprint.Read more
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