Originally built on Mana Island near Wellington in 1864, the Cape Egmont lighthouse was moved to the current location 13 years later in 1877, and is now fully automated. It was under refurbishment when I visited. With a population of just 1,440 people, Ōpunake is a sleepy little town in Taranaki, popular with campers (freedom…
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In 1989, this small township declared themselves “independent” from New Zealand in protest of the redrawing of regional council boundaries. Now, every two years in January, Republic Day is celebrated in the township. The next Republic Day will be in January 2023.
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One of the highest falls in the North Island (at 74 metres), the Mount Damper Falls are a long drive on rough roads then a short walk over farmland and through native bush to a pair of viewing platforms. There is no (obvious) way down to the lower part of the falls.
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Waitomo Caves, as the name indicates, is a town built around hundreds of caves that have been explored and turned into tourist attractions. There are three main caves – the Waitomo Glowworm Caves (where no photography is permitted), Ruakuri Cave (which is where these photos are from) and Aranui Cave.
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Near Matamata in the North Island, Hobbiton was the set used for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie series. Since filming completed, the owners of the land have worked with the film studio and rights holders to turn the set into a spectacular tourist destination, and is a must-visit when in New…
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This post is part of a series called South Island Driving Tour No photos from this section of the trip, unfortunately – just the dashcam video.
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This post is part of a series called South Island Driving Tour Now back in the North Island I was now following the path I’d taken down a week before. A stop in Tongariro National Park, then on to Motutere Beach in Lake Taupo before arriving at the motel. Dinner was from Pauly’s Diner, which…
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This post is part of a series called South Island Driving Tour The last day in the South Island, this took me back inland from the west coast through the Buller Gorge, where I spotted a sign saying “Swing Bridge”, so decided to have a look. Buller Gorge Swing Bridge Boasting the longest swing bridge…
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This post is part of a series called South Island Driving Tour Another long but beautiful (and fun!) drive. this took me over to the west coast via Geraldine, Rakaia Gorge, stopping for lunch at Glentunnel, then on to Lake Pearson, through Arthur’s Pass, and finally to Greymouth.
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This post is part of a series called South Island Driving Tour From the longest drive to the shortest, the Wanaka to Lake Tekapo might have been the least driving time but it was one of the most picturesque. I made quite a few stops along the way, but the first was a visit to…
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