Any ideas for trips?

[MotherBear]

Has anyone got some ideas of where to go and what to see on easy day trips on North Island with Hamilton as a starting point? I?m researching what?s available and what?s worth taking in while we?re on our visit in December. I think Auckland deserves some attention as there are quite a few sights and activities, Tauranga and Mt. Maunganui (so that we can go to the beach and wave to the webcam that we so often view [img:0277cce237]http://www.my-smileys.de/smileys2/y_hi_3.gif[/img:0277cce237]), the glow worm caves, maybe we?d even get up to the Coromandel or over to Napier. Not sure how far we could go and get back in one day as the distances don?t look too bad, but the roads won?t be dual carriageways or motorways and speed will, therefore, be reduced. So, I?m really looking for some ?You MUST go there?s or some ?Don?t bother going THERE?s. Don?t know how many of you have been touring on the NI other than maybe Selchie and Sara currently on her scouting mission.

[Glenda]

Hi Mother Bear,

A trip to Rotorua and maybe Taupo goes without saying, I would have thought. :icon_wink:

I would have thought Napier is too far away for a day trip - about five hours? But then, booking a motel for a night or two isn't too expensive.

You may also consider flying out to various areas - this is a lot more common in NZ than the UK and you would be surprised how many towns as well as cities have small airports. We have one here and it is cheaper and easier for hubby to fly Air NZ to Auckland at $92 then it is to drive four hours there and four hours back. Check on www.airnewzealand.co.nz

::):

[netchicken]

I grew up in Hamilton...

Climb Mt Pirongia, its easy and great views - about 2 hours up
More parks around the base worth visiting

Raglan for the beaches and the chip shop
Try the north side of raglan, for awesome dunes down to the sea, ask the farmer to cross his land

Port Waikato, great for the dunes and fishing

Still the hot pools at Waignaro? north of Hamilton.

Great day walks in kaimai ranges, awesome ones in Karanagahape gorge, - get a book on it

... more to come...

[netchicken]

Climb Mangatatautri hill, now a native reserve. Its awesome.

Waitomo caves, great viewing
Kaphia (spelling - little town on coast south of Hamilton)

Hot pools at Matamata

Join the tramping club, heaps of trips and interesting people

[selchie]

Day trips, eh? That's a toughie for me.

Te Aroha is on the way to the Coromandel. A lovely Victorian hot spring resort is up against the mountain. Use of the private tubs was very reasonable. However, I'm not sure if they will be crowded in December. There are also some wetlands with wildlife viewing, if that's your bag. It was pouring rain when we went, but we still had fun slogging through the wet grass to spot new & interesting birds.

Other than the Thames area, I'm not sure how much of the Coromandel you can see in one day. We went up to Coromandel Town and then crossed over to the east side the next day. We spent a couple of hours playing at the Waiau Water Works (partly in the rain), visited a Kauri reserve, and ended up in the Whitianga area for a few days of beachcombing & exploration. Near Whitianga is Hot Water Beach, but for us it was more effort than it was worth to take the waters. Still, it is novel to be at a place where a geothermal spring pops out at a beach.

Isn't Matamata the area where Hobbiton was created for Lord of the Rings? I believe the land owner has kept it up as a tourist attraction. It could give one ideas for building a new home!

If you go to Rotorua, I recommend going to Whakarewarewa, the Maori geothermal village. They offer a good cultural program and more. Although the Tamaki Brothers (outside of town) offers a traditionally prepared hangi dinner, their program is more geared to tourists. And because of health regulations, visitors are not allowed to be in the food prep area. If you have to choose between them, I'd recommend Whakarewarewa.

If you go to Taupo from Rotorua (taking Highway 5), and see a sign for the Honey Hive (or something like that) (and if you love honey), check it out. They have oodles of honey to sample (and buy) made from New Zealand flowers. Our personal favorite is the Manuka. We stumbled across it, and cannot give specifics. It may be at the same turnoff as a visitor center related to the geothermal power stations.

Huka Falls, just north of Taupo are worth a stop, but not a special trip from Hamilton.

There's my lengthy sample.

[Welshgirl]

A visit to 'Castle Taffy & Welshgirl' is a must too - worth coming to Hamilton for purely for the novelty of it :icon_wink:

[MotherBear]

HOW ON EARTH could I have forgotten Rotorua [img:39d4edcb88]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/travesmilies/smilie_peinlich.gif[/img:39d4edcb88] [img:39d4edcb88]http://www.my-smileys.de/smileys2/49_4.gif[/img:39d4edcb88]? Just put it down to the old brain being frazzled [img:39d4edcb88]http://www.my-smileys.de/smileys2/eek4i_2.gif[/img:39d4edcb88] from wading through too many NZ travel books in the last few days, before they had to go back to the library. There?s so much information in there it?s difficult to sort out the good from the bad, hence my query. As there?s so much to see, we didn?t want to waste time on stuff that wasn?t so interesting. I dare say our itinerary will be governed by the weather ? good weather for being out and about e.g. Rotorua, Taupo (is there much to see there apart from the lake?), walking in parks or by rivers, visiting a kauri forest, beaches and even heaving ourselves up Mt. Maunganui and in the bad weather we could do inside visits like the Skytower and Kelly Tarltons Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World plus the Mauri museum etc. in Auckland. Sounds like there?s plenty to do to fill a whole day at least in Auckland. I?ve heard that parking isn?t too great there though and the traffic wardens are red hot. Anyone had experience of the Explorer Bus which does a circuit of many of the sights? It?s a hop-on hop-off tour, which saves having to worry about finding our way around and where to park the car. There?s also the Glenbrook Vintage Steam Railway between Hamilton and Aucks for sitting back, relaxing and watching the scenery go by. I don?t think it?s going to be a case of trying to find enough to fill our time, more like trying to sift through all the options looking for the appropriate ones to make the best of the available time we have.

Glenda, it?s interesting to note that about the domestic flights around NZ. It will probably be too much for us to take in this time round, but great to have the option of flying cheaply if you don?t have the time or inclination to drive.

Of course, we can always shelter from the rain Chez Taffy et Welshgirl and I can partake of some R&R.
[img:39d4edcb88]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/travesmilies/haushalt/smilie_buegeln.gif[/img:39d4edcb88] [img:39d4edcb88]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/travesmilies/smilie_koch1.gif[/img:39d4edcb88] [img:39d4edcb88]http://www.my-smileys.de/smileys2/smilie_3.gif[/img:39d4edcb88] [img:39d4edcb88]http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/travesmilies/haushalt/smilie_staubsauger1.gif[/img:39d4edcb88] [img:39d4edcb88]http://www.my-smileys.de/smileys2/smilie_hausputz.gif[/img:39d4edcb88]

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this.

[boorer]

Taupo has Huka Jet, yummy Prawn River for lunch /dinner of prawns (caution, the Prawn River burger is NOT made of meat.......). Taupo bungy (eeek, just watched the teen brigade), hot pools, etc. South of Taupo are volcanoes, Ruapehu etc.

Lots of different volcanic/geyser etc sites between Rotorua and Taupo. Lady Knox geyser is a bit naff, as they deliberately set it off each day, but it is fun!

Matamata does have Hobbiton, and if you're at all a LOTR fan it's definitely worth it.