Category: New Zealand

Street Art in Morrinsville

Street Art in Morrinsville

Morrinsville is located in the Waikato region on New Zealand’s North Island, about half an hour’s drive out of Hamilton on the road to Te Aroha.  It’s a pretty little town, with many places to grab a bite to eat in cafés, hotels and restaurants.  There’s a nice bright playground for the kids in Thomas Park, a Rose Garden, a museum and several fuel stations and supermarkets. There’s also some quirky street art in Morrinsville!    

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Waiuku New Zealand

Waiuku Welcome Mural

Waiuku is a charming little rural town that sits at the southern end of the Āwhitu Peninsula.  The town has several pleasant waterfront parks and recreation areas overlooking the shores of the tidal Waiuku river, which is an estuary that flows out of the Manukau Harbour.  Waiuku is just under an hour’s drive from Auckland.  I had the opportunity to visit this beautiful little town in July.  Being winter, it was cold and wet but I still managed to see some highlights in between the rain showers. 

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Tirau – New Zealand

Tirau information centre

Tirau is a small rural town that sits on a major junction point of the New Zealand state highway network on the North Island.  Apart from being in a suitable location to break up a road trip, this interesting town has a unique character that sets it apart from other places in the world. 

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Whakarewarewa Living Maori Village Rotorua

Whakarewarewa living maori village rotorua

A visit to the Whakarewarewa Living Maori Village Rotorua is a unique experience, combining a glimpse into Māori culture and their history of everyday life in a geothermal area.  Boiling mud, simmering pools of teal blue water, coloured lakes and explosive geysers form the landscape in and around the village, where people have been living for hundreds of years. 

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Redwoods Treewalk Rotorua

Redwoods Treewalk Entry

Take a short 8-minute drive into the Whakarewarewa Redwoods Forest, and experience a walk through hundred-year-old trees.  The Redwoods Treewalk in Rotorua takes about 40 minutes to complete although everyone is welcome to take the walk at their own pace.  You walk through the tranquil forest across swinging wooden bridges suspended between platforms that hang around the tree trunks.  The attraction is open for both day and night walks, and can even be done in wet weather. 

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Hamilton Gardens New Zealand

Hamilton Gardens overlooking the Italian Renaissance Garden

Hamilton is a city in the Waikato region on the North Island of New Zealand.  The Waikato river passes through the middle of the town on its way North.  At the east end of the town, the Hamilton Gardens are bounded by the banks of the river and incorporate a jetty for access to the river cruises.  The award-winning gardens are a public space covering over 58 hectares and are free to enter. 

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Devonport New Zealand in a day trip

Devonport New Zealand

If you would like to spend a few hours in a picturesque seaside village in New Zealand, not too far from the city, then Devonport is the place for you.  Built on the lava flows of a dormant volcano, it is just 12 minutes from Auckland by ferry, yet it is a world away from the hustle and bustle of city life.  Popular cafes and boutique shops fill Victorian buildings, while parks and beaches provide beautiful scenery to be enjoyed.  You can climb to the top of the dormant volcano for some magic views out over the water with the Auckland cityscape as a backdrop. 

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Street Art in Devonport NZ

Street Art in Devonport NZ

Devonport New Zealand is a quaint little village to the North of Auckland.  A short 12-minute ferry trip from Auckland will bring you to the town.  A historic town with a dormant volcano, Victorian-era buildings and beautifully decorated beach style houses.  Street Art was really the last thing I was expecting to find on my visit to Devonport.  Yet, to my surprise, there were many pieces to be found on blank walls, and electricity junction boxes around the town. 

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Ramada Suites Albany New Zealand

Ramada Suites Albany

254 Cornerstone Dr, Albany, New Zealand.  

I thoroughly enjoyed my 5 night stay at the Ramada Suites Albany in New Zealand.  My accommodation was on the third floor in a one bedroom apartment.  Located close to the Northern Motorway, it was a very easy 35 minute drive up from Auckland Airport to the hotel.  Reception staff were very helpful, and parking was readily available at the location. 

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“Do you remember The Shire Mr Frodo?”

Bag End Hobbiton

We had set out on a day trip from Auckland to go and see a thermal village in Rotorua.  It’s a bit of a hike, but there were three of us to share the driving so we took the opportunity.  (We actually hadn’t intended on visiting the Hobbiton Movie set!) About halfway there we ran into some road work and had to go on a detour through the countryside.  As we were driving along we were all thinking to ourselves about how much it looked like the scenery from the Hobbit movie. 

One of us wondered out loud and then we all said we had been thinking the same thing.  A quick search on Google showed that we were, in fact, very close to the Hottiton Movie set!  Since we had no pressing deadlines to meet (the absolute bliss of being on holidays) we changed course and stopped in for a visit at the movie set in Matamata in New Zealand, to see what we could see.

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