Category: North Island

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes3 hours after walking into the rafting company at Waitomo we were on our way to Tongariro National Park and the much awaited Tongariro Crossing. The Crossing is one of the most popular day hikes in New Zealand and with good reason, it is stunning. We weren’t able to do it in 2001 (again because…

Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minuteIt would have been hard to leave the Coromandel today but there was some weather coming in and as the clouds gathered it made it easier to say our goodbyes. Another stunningly scenic drive, this time to Waitomo, land of the underwater caves and home to black water rafting. We walked into the rafting company…

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutesLast time we were here it was chucking it down with rain and we didn’t even attempt going beyond the car park at Cathedral Cove. Since then we’ve seen photos and articles and felt cheated that we missed out. But today, 15 years later, the skies are clear and Cathedral Cove gave us a second…

Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minuteI was woken at sunrise by my own drool on the pillow, the sound of crashing waves in the distance and birdsong overhead – this is going to be a good day! We drove for an hour to the trail access for New Chum Beach, allegedly one of the best beaches in NZ. Accessible only…

Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minuteIt was a staggeringly beautiful 2 hour drive from the suburbs of Auckland to the Coromandel Peninsula. Blue skies, green hillsides, live-stock out to pasture and a cacophony of cicadas so loud we actually rolled down the windows to check it was insects and not a problem with the car. After only 30 minutes I…