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After turning my camper van in I headed over to a Bed and Breakfast in the Ponsonby area of Auckland that I had booked. My plan was to stay in Auckland for a few days and explore the city before heading to Napier, where I was going to stay for the holidays. Ponsonby, located just outside the city center proper, was an area thriving with bars, boutique stores and restaurants so I… Read More
Mt. Taranaki, a dormant stratovolcano and the second highest point on the North Island, sits towering over the town of New Plymouth, my next destination. I decided to take the longer route, directly south from Tongariro to the coast then along the coast up to New Plymouth, so that I could see more of the countryside. I made one stop at the very southern end of Tongariro National Park to see Mangawhero… Read More
The Tongariro National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Tongariro Crossing has been named the best one-day hike in New Zealand and among the top ten in the world. Experiencing this hike was on the top of my list when I was planning my trip to New Zealand. It is a challenging 12-mile hike that weaves its way through the volcanic landscape surrounding Mts. Ngauruhoe, Tongariro, and Ruapehu. (By… Read More
Before I hit the road for Lake Taupo, I had one remaining stop in Rotorua. Apparently about 100 years or so ago, some redwood tree saplings were brought over from California and planted near Rotorua, with the intent to harvest them later for lumber. The redwoods, which adapted well to the New Zealand climate, are still there, quite large, and part of a protected forest near the city. Several walking and mountain… Read More
The drive from Hahia to Rotorua was long, in New Zealand terms, at 220km and three hours. I broke it up at Paeroa, however, stopping to visit Helen (who I met in Cromwell-see that blog post) for an hour. She had asked if I could stay to dinner, but I declined, knowing I would get into Rotorua too late to check in at the campground. Leaving Paeroa, however, I did make one… Read More
The drive to Coromandel, the eastern peninsula on the North island, took me through Auckland, and inevitably, Auckland traffic. And it was raining. I was happy to finally get through the city and turn east away from the city. My first stop on the peninsula was near the northern part of the west coast and the town of Coromandel (same name as the peninsula….). The road hugged the coast line on one… Read More
I am back in camper van mode, but on the North Island. Since I rented the exact make/model of the camper van that I had in the South Island, it was a bit like coming home- I had my storage and logistics system already established and was familiar with all of the equipment. I planned my vehicle pickup to avoid rush hour as I headed out of Auckland to explore the northern… Read More
After a wonderful relaxing ten day stay at Carol and James Airbnb in Arthurs Point I headed over for a three day stay in Cromwell. Cromwell is only about an 45 minutes from Queenstown but the geography is completely different. Unlike Queenstown, which is surrounded by tall, steep, snow-capped mountains, Cromwell, another wine growing region, has a topography that reminds me a bit of Southern California– tall, bare, rocky hills surrounded by… Read More
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