Category: North Island

Two days in Auckland.

Two days in Auckland.

Two days in Auckland, we thought, would be enough. I had a list of the must-try places, plotted out and planned for each meal. However, Auckland has an absolutely buzzing food scene.

It was impossible not to sidetrack to the famous ice cream shop that had somehow eluded my culinary research, or stock up on chocolate filled taiyaki, hot from the press at the City Farmers Market at Britomart. There was nothing we could do – we just kept eating and aimed to hit the gym when we got back.
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A few days in Wellington with orcs, artisanal charcuteries + tamarillo cupcakes.

A few days in Wellington with orcs, artisanal charcuteries + tamarillo cupcakes.

After a day hiking the volcanoes, we trudged back to the campervan and drove four hours down to Wellington. We finally got in late in the evening, and drove the windy, hilly streets to find what could possibly be the coolest hostel I have seen in a while. We parked our little van on the corner, loaded our stuff into our rooms, and hit the streets to look for food.

We walked the entire city, where everyone was out and about, drinking, eating, partying. I’d heard of a New Orleans themed diner at the other end of the city, so we head over to Sweet Mothers Kitchen and got ourselves a booth. We grabbed some po’boys and hush puppies and sat around chatting.
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Texas steakhouse, billiards, pubs + golf on a lake.

Texas steakhouse, billiards, pubs + golf on a lake.

We drove down to Lake Taupo today, the North Island’s adventure sport and ski resort town.

We stopped past a few sights along the way, the main one being Huka Falls. The Waikato River is New Zealand’s longest river. Just before the Huka Falls the river feeds into a shallow ravine of hard volcanic rock. The effect is nature’s large-scale equivalent of a fire hose feeding into a very fine nozzle. – 100% Pure New Zealand

In Taupo, everything is set up for tourists and campervanners, with free campervan parking right along the lake so you can wake up to a view of lakes and mountains. There are showers and EPIC playgrounds, and activities along the lake. We played a game of golf where it is hole-in-one or nothing – you hit the golf ball as hard as you can into the lake, aiming for an island way off in the distance. Namita didn’t quite make it into the water…. hers landed on the beach below. The boys only made it halfway to the island.
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Of mud, ruined swimwear + unattainable hangi.

Of mud, ruined swimwear + unattainable hangi.

Ah Rotorua. You sure smell bad. At the start at least. But you have some damn fine geothermal activity.

We visited Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland today, and saw geothermal pools sculpted from thousands of years of volcanic activity, in dozens of bright colours from the many different mineral deposits. Wai-o-tapu has the largest terraces and is the most diverse volcanic area in the Taupo Volcanic Zone.
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