Christmas in summer – I was always wondering how this will feel before went to Newzealand. And I can tell you it‘s awkward, even we tried to create some christmas vibe with traditional food, christmas movies and some gifts. However we enjoyed our free time and used those days to discover the middle of New Zealand’s Northisland.
First stop: Mount Maunganui
With our luggage and a good podcast the first hours of driving were actually quite fun and it‘s just awesome to drive thorugh this beautiful landscape. Our first stop was a place at the westcoast, called Tauranga. When we arrived I was kind of disappointed to be honestly. Due to the rain the city seemed to be gray and kind of hopeless… So I better recommend to visit Mount Maunganui, a place not far away and which has a absolutely lovely atmosphere. I guess there is nothing better than walking along the beach promenade with an icecream while enjoying the view of the ocean and the Mount Maunganui at the same time.Unfortunately we didn‘t make it to climb up the mountain, which promises awesome views. But we wanted to continue our way to Taupo enjoying and visiting all the exciting stops along the way.
Have a break at Kaiate Falls
The route towards Taupo doesn‘t only offer great stops but beautiful views over a stunning landscape. We stopped at several water falls, whereof Kaiate Falls catched me totally. When you enter the resort, you got catched by this beautiful view over the wood with the Mount Maunganui in the background. While standing there and enjoying this view, your ears will notice roaring water in a long distance. Once you are following a small green and shady path, you will reach the water pools, where people jump with lianas to the water while the waterfall also find it’s way to the pool. This place is magic.
Explore the Redwoods near Rotorua
The next stop during our drive to Taupo were the redwoods in Rotorua. Even the word wood doesn‘t sound spectaculous, these trees are just amazing. You will feel a lot of hamony and silence while walking through giant green trees. The light in this wood creates a very special and beautiful atmophere.
Enjoy Taupo and it’s surroundings
When you arrive in Taupo, first thing to do os to enjoy the view over the nice sea. The city itself doesn‘t offer much to see, but a lot of restaurants and cafes makes it charming. However ist a great place to stay due to the good location considering the attractions around.
Daytrip to Napier
Sometimes you need the chase the sun, when the weather doesntä suits you. And this is actually possible, when you visit the ciry Napier at the west coast, which promises mediterrian temperatures and a lot of sunny days. And so we spent a sunny day in the beautiful artdeco city Napier. You will notice very quickly the special style of the city, which is alrady notable by looking at the street signs. When Napier has been almost totally destryed in 1931 due to an earthquake, the city has been rebuild. As money and ressources were scarce, colours has been punched and cheap concrete slab was used resulting in beautiful pastel colored and ornamented facades.Only meters from the city centre, you will reach the miles long beach which is characteized by it’s little black stones. This cute place is really special and I can highly recommend a visit.
Tongariro National Park
Taupo is especially known for the Tongariro National Park, who is just 30 min away by car. The vulcanic mountains offer fantastic trails and awesome views. Unfortunately the weather was really bad the days we were around and so we decided to walk at least for one hour along the starting point. But I can tell even the short walk along green palms and other fascinating plants, makes you feel as in a kind of jungle. Absolutely great!
As you can see, the north island offers plenty of beautiful spots and ist impressive which variety this country offers. I hope, you got some nice impressions and maybe some inspiration for your next trip. 😊
♥ The end ♥