New Zealand North Island

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This geyser at Rotorua erupts nearly 24 hours a day

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New Zealand is a spectacular and unique island nation 1500 km East of Australia.  The North and South islands differ greatly in their appeal.  Big cities, geothermal hot springs and geysers, fruit orchards galore, and rolling grassy plains as far as the eye can see make up the North island.  Meanwhile soaring mountain ranges, bright blue glacial lakes, action sports, sheep, endless empty roads, and more sheep cover the landscape of the South island.

The New Zealand people who are self proclaimed "kiwis," are some of the friendliest people we have met.  We were lucky enough to stay with three different sets of fabulous hosts along the way.  They cooked fresh tasty meals, took us boating, and taught us about kiwi culture.  We now understand how rugby and cricket are played!  We also learned that roundabouts (rotaries) are better than stoplights, wine can be made from kiwi fruit, the hole in the Ozone is real, and Kiwis pay way to much for their food and gas (a 14" pizza cost $32)!

Checking the beans

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Splitting our 13 days between islands was a difficult task because of the breadth and diversity of the country.  In the end we decided to spend our first six days on the North and final 7 days on the South island.

The highlight of the North island was the Hawke Bay region, located on its southeastern coast.  The bay area is NZ's second largest wine region and bright green vineyards are scattered across the countryside.  The area was ripe with orchards providing the locals and tourists alike with farm fresh fruit and vegetables of all varieties.  We chose the active little town of Napier as our exploration base.

From Napier we embarked on a self-guided food and wine tour to sample the local flavor.  We started our journey at 9am and where did we stop first?  Well the chocolate factory of course!  Nothing like started your day with a mint chocolate truffle cup.  From there we picked our own strawberries, strolled through a vineyard, visited a cheese factory, and sipped hot lattes made from freshly roasted coffee beans.  We taste tested every wine at two of the local wineries, Bradshaw Estates and Te Mata Estates.  The last 2 wines at the second winery we visited were particularly  enjoyable!  Both export to the US so if you are looking for a great NZ wine, keep your eyes peeled for these. 

Red Crater (Tongariro)

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We spent a couple of days exploring Auckland, NZ's largest city.  Auckland has some great public domains (parks), unique modern apartment buildings shaped like cruise ships, and a lively waterfront area called the America's Cup Village. 

Next on our stop was the geothermal town of Rotorua.  We basked in the refreshing clouds of sulfur steam billowing from the earth.  From there we drove to Lake Taupo, NZ's largest freshwater lake.  We spent a full day hiking the 17km long Tongariro Crossing which led us through varying landscapes.  We started our hike in the Mangatepopo valley, a glacially carved u-shaped valley which has since been in-filled by lava flows.  We had a few steep climbs over scoria and past the still active Red Crater up to a view of the Emerald Lakes.  The adjoining thermal area leeches minerals into these lakes to cause their unique turquoise coloring.  Our descent was through a shaded tropical rainforest.  It was incredible to be able to see so many differing landscapes and geothermal activity in a one day hike.     

A cowboy in the mist

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Our last stop was the capital city of Wellington.   The Rugby Seven's tournament had just begun and the city was alive with rabid rugby fans dressed in costumes as if it were Halloween.  Our gracious hosts for the evening were Susan, her mumsie and popsie.  They were kind enough to give us a driving tour of the city, cook us a British breakfast of boiled eggs with toast soldiers, and bid us farewell at the Ferry dock.

Onward to the South island!