Christmas Road Trip

Summer Christmas Kiwi Style

Its the most wonderful time of the year

Strolling through a Summer Wonderland

We have been joined, just in time for Christmas, by two of our frinds from the UK. They have been in NZ since the beginning of December but have now joined us in Wellington. Our plan for the next couple of weeks - hit as many hot spots of the North Island as possible before they have to board a plane and head back to the dreary UK.

20/12/2017: Day 1

Louise and I arrived into Wellington last night and picked up our friends Louise (hene forth known as Ruggers) and Ellie from the Inter Islander Ferry that they had caught from Picton. We stayed last night in the YHA in Wellington. This is our favourite place to stay when we come here as the location is just amazing (right across from Te Papa and down the road from Oriental Bay), and the hostel is pretty good too. Not much planned for the day for us. Ruggers and Ellie are heading to the Weta Workshops and Te Papa for the day and we are heading to Petone to shop (best shopping in Wellngton we think).

Tonight we drive to Ohakune as tomorrow we do the Tongariro Crossing!

21/12/2017: Day 2

Today we conqure the Tongariro Crossing!

We were up super early to meet the Shuttle in National Park at 7am so that we were underway walking just before 8am. The idea is to get you over the hardest part of the climb before the hottest part of the day. We had amazing weather for the day, the days either side of our day they closed the track due to weather but we had ideal weather. Blue skies, light breeze, and not too hot or too cold.

We had a great walk. The Devil’s staircase and the climb to the Red Crater are always tough but the views from the top are always worth it. Walking down to the Blue Lakes for lunch is stunning. though always remember to run on the loose metal as its easier than trying to walk down it. We had such a good day. The only downside was we did not take enough water so were all super dehydrated by the end of the walk. A quick stop was made for drinks and ice blocks on the way home. Followed by a well deserved nap on the couch before dinner.

22/12/2017: Day 3

Our itinerary today is jam packed as we are driving to Rotorua via Taupo and the Huka Falls. We are staying the the YHA in Rotorua for the next couple of nights.

The drive from Ohakune to Taupo is beautiful as you drive along the side of Lake Taupo, looking down from the top of cliffs and driving right on the lake edge. We had a lovely lunch in Taupo before heading around the the Huka Falls. The falls are super impressive but it is best to time your arrivals with the twice daily opening of the damn upriver which really has it roaring.

After the Huka falls we finished our road tripping for the day driving up to Rotorua. We spent a lovely evening going to the Polynesian Spa pools and visiting Rainbow Springs Nature park. The Polynesian Spa is a ritual every time we are in the area, it is so nice to soak in the different pools looking out on Lake Rotorua. There are many different pools of different minerals and temperatures, so good for the body. It is best to go either early in the morning or late at night as it is super busy during the day, and also way too hot to soak in outdoor hot pools in the middle of the day in summer. Our other stop for the eveing was Rainbow Springs Nature Park. If you head to the park around 5pm you can get the night tickets. this means you can have a quick look around at the day time birds before closing and then come back after dark to see the Kiwi! We had a great time, even in the rain, watching the Kiwi run around their enclosures. They were so cute!

Fantastic, although busy, day today. We fit so much in and it was so much fun!

23/12/2017: Day 4

An Unexpected Adventure!

We are heading to one of the parts of the trip that I am most excited for, Hobbiton! Located near Matamata, the set of Hobbiton for Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit series is avaliable to visit year round. Despite being open for a few years now, and not that far from Auckland, Louise and I have never been here before so we are super excited to visit and share the experience with Ruggers and Ellie. We had a great day touring through the village of Hobbit holes, over the hill to the Mill, and across the river. You finish off the tour at the Green Dragon Inn for a beer, cider or ginger beer. The weather was fantastic and we had such a great time.

From Hobbiton we went on another unexpected adventure and drove a road I had never come across before. We crossed the North Island, over the top of Lake Taupo, to Otorohunga and the Waitomo Caves. We are visitng the Waitomo Caves tomorrow and tonight we are staying at the YHA in Waitomo. We definitely should have signed up for a YHA membership in hindsight, we would have saved a bit of money on this trip!

24/12/2017: Day 5

It’s Christmas Eve!

So to celebrate we are going to see nature’s Christmas lights, the Glow Worms of the Waitomo Caves. We got a Combo Pass and went to the Waitomo Caves and the Aranui Caves. The Waitomo Caves are the traditional Glow Worm caves, you work your way through the complex of caves and corridors until you arrive at the most magic finale. You hop in a boat in the pitch black and dead silence and float across the lake with what looks like the night sky reflected all aound you. It is one of the most truly magical experiences you can have in NZ. The second set of caves we went to were the Aranui Caves. These are a series of Caves of talactites, stalagmites, flowstones and decorative formations. It is incredibly beautiful and ancient. They have been there longer than humans have been in NZ.

Then it was time to drive home for Christmas. Shockingly the traffic was very light and we made good time home, arriving home in time for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of Lasagna and Christmas movies.

25/12/2017: Day 6

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We got to share with Ruggers and Ellie a proper New Zealand Summer Christmas! I think it was a bit strange for them for it to be so warm for Christmas Day but we love it. We started the day with breakfast in the garden, followed by presents and a swim down at Stanley Bay Beach. Then it was time for a traditional Kiwi Christmas Lunch of Ham, Potato Salad, Veggie Salad, all followed by Pavlova with Strawberries, Kiwi Fruit and Cream. We got them some Kiwi Christmas supplies for Christmas, beach towels, sun block and jandles!

We had a lovely day and in the evening Ruggers and Ellie were able to Skype their families back home for their Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

26/12/2017: Day 7

We are escaping the chaos that is Auckland on Boxing day and heading to Tiritiri Matangi to show off our beautiful bird life to Ruggers and Ellie.

Tiritiri Matangi is an hour and a half ferry ride from Auckland, located off the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. It is New Zealand’s first and most successful predator free island. All mammalian predators were eradicated and a number of threatened and endangered bird and reptile species have been successfully introduced, including the flightless takahe, one of the world’s rarest species, and the tuatara. There are few places in New Zealand where you can readily see and walk amongst so many rare species. It is amazing to visit and see so much bird life in one location. It gives an idea as to what New Zealand would have been like before it was settled, forrest cleared for farming and predators introduced.

It is a beautiful day out and one that I recommend to anyone travelling to Auckland. Though in true New Zealand December weather, even though it was hot and sunny yesterday, today it rained.

27/12/2017: Day 8

This morning we stared our drive to Paihia at the top of the Noth Island where we will be spending the rest of the week. Of course in the Davidson household no drive north would ever be proper without a stop at our favourite beach in the world, Tawharanui. For a lot of our childhood this was the beach that we made the anual boxing day pilgimage to. Today we are stopping on the way through to Paihia, to break up the Journey a bit and to show off our beautiful white sand beaches. We had a lovely day of swimming, relaxing and reading our books and magazines.

Then it was time to start driving north again. We made it to Paihia just before dinner. We are once again staying in the YHA here. It is a bit basic but we have our own room and bathroom so should do us just fine for the next few nights.

28/12/2017: Day 9

This morning was our first morning in Paihia so we were on a mission for good coffee. We are in luck, we have for El Cafe just down the road from the YHA that do an excellent flat white.

Today is a quieter day for us while we are in Paihia, we are heading to Russell on the ferry. Russell is one of the oldest towns in New Zealand, the town’s original street plan and names from 1843 are still intact and feature some of New Zealand’s oldest and most significant historic buildings.

We had a lovely morning in the town ship before heading back to Paihia in the afternoon where we went for a swim and then wondered around the seaside at sunset. Early night for us tonight as tomorrow we are up super early for our trip to 90 mile beach and Cape Reinga.

29/12/2017: Day 10

Part of the joy of showing someone else your country is getting to do things that you haven’t done since you were a kid. Today this meant jumping on an Explore Bus to go for a tour up to 90 Mile Beach (not actually 90 miles) and Cape Reianga (which is actually the top of New Zealand).

The bus took us to 90 Mile Beach first, and drove along it as the beach is considered a highway in New Zealand. We got to go sand dune boarding, some of us more adventurous than others, and were able to witness first hand some local business. There is a guy on the exit from the beach, which is a very soft sand old river bed, who warns two wheel drives and other vehicles about entering. The warning is free, the tow out with his tractor will cost you $50.

The tour gave us an awesome BBQ lunch and then we arrived at Cape Reianga. From the very top of New Zealand you can see where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean collide and create a cool collision of currents/colours on the water. There is also the typical sign post which points to multiple locations around the world (a must do for a touristy photo).

The drive back to Paihia was very quiet as well all took a well deserved nap.

30/12/2017: Day 11

It’s New Years Eve Eve, and the last day in the beautiful Bay of Islands. Much like the previous day we had booked ourselves onto a tour, this time out to the Hole in the Rock with the Explore Group. We were actually able to book the 90 Mile/Cape Reianga and Hole in the Rock tour as a package so we saved some money doing it that way.

The ferry took us out to the Hole in the Rock first, via a few pretty islands to have a look. Although the tour does not guarantee seeing dolphins (you need to book yourself onto a dolphin watching tour to have a much higher chance) we did indeed see dolphins! After the Hole in the Rock, which we unfortunately couldn’t go through as the swell was too much, we had a cruise around the Bay of Islands and finished at Urupukapuka Island where we got a complementary lunch and a 360 view of the Bay of Islands from the top of the hill.

31/12/2017: Day 12

Happy New Year!

Rather than stay in the Bay of Islands for New Years Eve with all of the 18 year olds from Auckland, we decided to return to the City of Sails. It was a quiet drive back as we’d chosen an odd day to travel. It was also a good opportunity to show Ruggers and Ellie another iconic NZ landmark; Tane Mahuta, the King of the Forest.

Back in Auckland it was a quiet New Years Eve playing board games and hanging out, and then a cruisey couple of days around Auckland before Ruggers and Ellie returned to the UK on the 2nd.

Goodbye our friends. It has been amazing having you in New Zealand and sharing your Christmas Holiday with you! We cannot wait until we see you upon our return to the UK.