A Kiwi Adventure - North Island

Who knew there was so much to see and do in Auckland? Certainly not me, that’s for sure! We had a fun packed few days visiting various places of interest, on land and water. A day spent in the Auckland Museum exploring New Zealand’s history, a morning spent on Waitemata Harbour sailing under the Auckland Harbour Bridge (wasn’t brave enough to climb it!) and an afternoon wandering the second-hand stores of Devonport finished off with a trip to the local chocolate shop (£2 per single chocolate, it wasn’t cheap but it was sooo worth it!) and fish and chips on the beach!

Our next adventure was driving! Not too much of an issue as they drive on the same side of the road as us (thankfully!) and there are so few cars on the road… even in the cities! All I can say is I LOVE NEW ZEALAND! Great drive from Auckland to Hahei Beach via Coromandel Forest Park. Beautiful scenery, great weather and open road...... The best combination! Spent a few hours on the beach, even had a little swim in the Pacific. Our cosy accommodation thought of everything, from sachets of washing up liquid to providing fresh milk for your coffee. We picked well because the pub was open that night in Hahei (only opens Thursday and Friday night!) so a couple of bevvies were in order. Evening at the pub trying the local brews enjoyed with fresh wood fired pizza.... Perfect end to a perfect day! This place was a GREAT choice!

Back on the road the next day, final destination Rotorua. But we had a pit stop to make enroute… HOBBITON! Hobbiton did NOT disappoint!! What a fabulous experience. To see where Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit were filmed. To get to go in a Hobbit Hole and to have a drink at the Green Dragon were just dreams come true! It was now time to head to Rotorua.

We had a really chilled out day in Rotorua with a couple of hours at Polynesian Spa in the different temperature pools filled with natural mineral rich water. You get used to the Sulphur smell pretty quickly and don’t notice it after a while! But the evening was what we were looking forward to…. Tamaki Maori Village. Andy had been desperate to learn the Haka and he got his chance that night at Tamaki Maori Village, such a brilliant night! It wasn’t the only thing we learnt through the evening, we were treated to some great entertainment, fabulous food and even the bus ride home was a giggle doing International Karaoke!

Up until this point Andy had done most of the driving (I only drive little cars and this was a beast!) but with a big 4 hours plus drive looming in the next few days it was time for me to bite the bullet and give it a go. So once we arrived in Lake Taupo I took the keys and off I went….. I LOVED IT! Being automatic helped but such a lovely experience to drive over there. Andy was then a bit miffed as he had to beg me for the keys back! He he

We had nothing planned for our day in Lake Taupo and the weather wasn't great for getting out on the Lake so had a chance to really recharge the batteries. I’d picked up a cold on the flight out and had suffered quite badly to this point so took advantage of the lack of plans and poor weather. We were looking forward to heading over to Napier and Hawkes Bay the next day for some wine tasting and 26c temperatures!

We arrived into Napier a bit too early to check into the hotel so decided to go and explore the local area. Loved its Art Deco buildings, such a pretty town. We had been recommended to go up to Bluffs Point where you could see the coastline for miles and, as it was a clear day, they were absolutely right. We watched as the little tug boats went out to greet a tanker coming into port, they looked tiny from where we were. We then headed back into Napier and decided to visit the Aquarium (we were too late for the wine tour - worst luck) so it seemed like a good way to fill a couple of hours. It was great fun, particularly watching one of their divers hand feeding the sharks and other fish and the Penguin exhibit where little Blue Penguins who had been rescued and couldn’t be returned to their natural homes lived.

After a scenic 4-and-a-half-hour drive from Napier, passing through little towns and lots of countryside (and I mean LOTS of countryside, I have never seen so many sheep in my life!) we arrived in Wellington. We took a wrong turn on our way into the city centre but Andy didn't panic and got us to the hotel in one piece.... We had an impromptu, and unplanned, tour of the city which is wonderful (think I prefer it to Auckland!). Love, love, love Wellington! Silly me didn't book long enough to stay there so have to go back. Did the tram up to the Observatory and had amazing views of the city as well as a great couple of hours in the planetarium. Had to have an early night though as we were at the airport for 5am the next morning for our flight to the South Island…..