Towards the end of my time working for Motutapu Outdoor Centre, my cousin and I started planning a road trip around New Zealand for 6 weeks to see as much as we could possibly see. Our plans were all altered slightly due our time of travelling being winter.
Our trip took us around New Zealand for 6 weeks starting in Auckland and travelling to bottom of the Southland and back. I will post our itinerary each week, starting off with this blog, Week 1!
The map at the bottom of this page highlights the regions in which we travelled each week.
DAY 1
I had slept in an Airbnb in Auckland the previous night, somewhere close to the van rental place where we were picking our van up from. The morning started with an early wake-up, I packed my bag and caught an Uber to Escape Van Rentals to meet Menna! It was so nice to see family after being away for so long. We signed some contracts and forms and got shown the bits n bobs inside the van before starting the road trip – first destination, Coromandel! There was nothing planned for the first day, a day of rest and catching up on jet lag. We found a campsite to park up in Tapu, watched the sunset and made some pasta for our first night together along with a good ol’ natter and catch-up.
DAY 2
We had a lovely and calm morning, allowing Menna to catch up on sleep before continuing our drive along the winding roads of the Coromandel Peninsula. We stopped at multiple viewpoints along the way, taking in the first glimpses of the stunning scenery. We finally reached Coromandel town (after some sketchy roads and driving conditions!) and had a wander around, followed by a sit down in a cafe, a croissant and a chat about our plans for the rest of the week. Weather was rubbish; it was absolutely pelting it down so as little time spent outside as possible was a must. Despite the weather, we made the most of being on the Coromandel Peninsula and made the classic touristy trips to Whangapoua Beach, Chum Beach, Whitiangia and finally Hot Water Beach. No effort was made to dig up any sand to reach the hot water, it was a stop, a short walk, and an attempt to dry off before jumping back in the van to head to the campsite. A campsite in Tairua was found to park up for the night before a long sleep ready for the next day.
DAY 3
Another chilled out start to the morning with a homemade fry-up for breakfast. We left the campsite at roughly 10am and made a move towards Whangamata and Waihi Beach for an explore. The weather had improved a lot so spirits were at a high and the walk along the beach was much longer than the one spent on the beaches the day prior. A quick coffee was had in a cutesy coffee shop on Waihi beach before heading onto Karangahake Gorge. The Gorge follows an old mining railway with historic remains to see along the way. The walks we had planned to do around the Gorge were shut, so alternative plans were made and we ended up turning back on ourselves a few times. It did cost a few dollars for parking, but all the walkways were free of charge to enter so a lot of freedom was given to explore as and when we wanted.
Matamata was our next destination, on our way we passed through Paeroa, the home of L&P – a classic Kiwi drink. There is a huge statue of the bottled Kiwiana drink, an obligatory photo opportunity for us!
We reached another campsite called Brocks Place, we parked up and made pasta for tea whilst watching the sun set. Brocks Place is nestled amongst rolling green mountains, a stunning area to get you feeling like Hobbits in the location where Hobbits actually live!
DAY 4
Early start to watch sunrise at Brocks Place. Hobbiton was booked for 9.30 and made our way down so Menna could reach her slot on time. I had already been, so used the time to chill out in the van and read some of my book with a cup of tea. There are more details about Hobbiton on one of my previous blog posts, The Ultimate 9 Day Road Trip around New Zealand.
Rotorua was the next destination on our itinerary, roughly an hours drive away from Matamata. The drive was stunning, plenty of rolling hills to admire en route. The smell however did become increasingly strong and more potent as we came closer to the town centre. There was a parking space at Kuirau Park, a free geothermal park, and we used the time to have a wander around and stretch of our legs. All the geothermal areas were sectioned off and ranged from tiny holes in the ground to vast areas of geothermal water! Well worth a stop off to visit an unusual phenomenon for free regardless of if you’re visiting a paid park also! Walked around the town centre for a little while before stopping at an artisan cafe for some lunch. I had a veggie stack and some lemonade and after we were refuelled, we made our way to the Government Gardens to explore the town further (for free!). The walk took us for 20 minutes along the lakefront before sitting down and taking in the lush scenery. A quick trip to the supermarket to grab some bits for dinner, a fill up of petrol and a drive to our AirBnb before finally relaxing for the day. Pizzas were the dinner of choice and a last minute decision to grab dessert at the night market was made. The night market was full of delicious smells, lovely vendors and talented musicians, and I couldn’t turn my nose up at a Croffle (a waffle made of croissant batter – it was AMAZING, highly recommend)!
DAY 5
Another slow start to the morning with some chocolate Shreddies for breakfast at the AirBnb. Bags were packed and the drive to Rainbow Mountain, also known as Maunga Kakaramea (translates to ‘Mountain of the Red Ochre’), started. We parked in a small car park just off the side of Highway 5 (opposite Lake Ngahewa) and started the strenuous trek to the summit of 743m known as Te Tihi o Ruru (translates to Owls Perch). It took just over an hour to summit, and the hike was well worth it. Geothermal activity was bubbling across the side of the mountain as we walked up, with noticeboards explaining how and why as we went. The paths were bright red – this is due to the red ochre pigment found when digging into the mountain. Wear shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty if you decide to walk! We had lunch on the summit and after taking in the incredible views, started on our way back down.
Next up was Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Park (meaning Sacred Waters), this time a geothermal park that had a paid entry of $45pp. The park allows you to roam around the park in whichever order you fancy and spend as little or as much time in it as you’d like. We spent roughly an hour before heading back because of the rain, but I think an hour was more than enough as we still were able to see everything we wanted. This park, compared to Kuriau Park, was a lot bigger and had a LOT more geothermal activity on the grounds. It once again had a huge range of activity – from tiny, bubbling pockets, mud volcanoes, to huge neon green lakes!
Finishing our driving for the day led us to Taupo. Like every new place we visit, we had a walk around the centre of the town, including a quick visit to one of the ‘Top 10 Coolest McDonalds’ in the World’, before settling down in a cafe for a coffee. The campsite that we picked for the evening was our very first Freedom Camp! (Whakaipo Bay Amenity Area). This meant that it wasn’t a campsite with facilities, simply an area where vans were able to park for the night for free. No heating, no water, no electricity, but mind-blowing views! We pulled the chairs out, started making some fajitas, played a few games of cards and watched the sun set over the mountains.
DAY 6
An early start followed by a cup of tea and a sit down watching the sun rise. Our first destination for the day was a short visit to Huka Falls, a series of crystal blue waterfalls on the Waikato River. The colour is created by the clear water reflecting in the blue light and the air bubbles. The biggest waterfall in the series is an astonishing 11m high, and a huge volume of water runs through a tiny gap making it such an incredible waterfall to visit. The visit to Huka Falls was followed by a trip to Otumheke Stream to bathe in some natural thermal pools. The safest part of the stream to enter was in the middle of a park, Spa Thermal Park, with clear signs about where you are able to enter. Not many people were swimming in these pools in the middle of winter which did mean that we got some funny looks but that didn’t stop us! The pools weren’t hot, lukewarm instead but definitely something different which we would never be able to experience at home!
Onto Taupo town to quickly pick up some lunch before driving 1.5 hours further South along the edge of Lake Taupo to Whakapapa Village. Whakapapa Village is home to the Sky Waka, a gondola which took us up the side of Mount Ruapehu to reach a cafe giving us views over the whole of the Tongariro National Park. It’s the longest gondola in NZ, but also the highest cafe and restaurant. We paid $49 to use the gondola, but unfortunately didn’t get to spend much time up here as the last gondola back down was earlier than expected. The views were unmatched and I would take another trip up if I was able to. Tongariro National Park is full of iconic mountains, Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt Doom from Lord of the Rings) being one of many, and you have an exceptional viewpoint of the range during the 12 minute ride on the gondola.
We planned on staying at the same camping spot as last night back in Taupo but because it was so late, we checked into a last minute site elsewhere just outside of town and grabbed a bag of chips to munch on before heading to sleep.
DAY 7
As we were near Taupo town centre, we made a quick trip to grab some gas cans, hot water bottles and petrol before continuing our road trip down to the South of the North Island. It was a 2 hour drive from Taupo to Napier, and once in Napier, we had to do all we could to shelter from the rain. A pretty miserable day so after parking up, we found an information centre to get a small map of the city. Napier is best known for its Art Deco buildings built in the 1930’s. A lot of the structures in Napier are a mixture of modern and historic architecture due to the earthquake which destroyed many of their buildings in 1931: most were rebuilt with modern materials whilst keeping the Art Deco element alive.
We found another lush place for a cuppa and a slice of pizza for lunch before strolling down along the seafront, it went on for so long! Despite the rain we made the most of Napier and its gorgeous architecture. The campsite was a 20 minute drive further South from Napier – we parked up, played cards and settled for the night with a hot chocolate and some pasta. This time however, the campsite was a parking space on somebodies driveway, The Raspberry Patch Driveway, but still had top class facilities and a visit from a friendly chocolate lab puppy was a bonus!
Week 2 of this epic road trip is coming the same time next Sunday!