Our travel itinerary included a whole month in this beautiful country. This is what we did in the first week after flying into New Zealand.
If you haven’t already, please check out my Auckland post about what we got up to in our limited time in this city. We arrived at 5am and left Auckland the following morning.
Coromandel Peninsula
Hahei
We picked up our rental car in Auckland and set off towards the Coromandel Peninsula. On a side note, we picked a Hybrid car to hopefully be more fuel efficient for our trip and it took us a minute to get used to driving an automatic car instead of a manual. We also had to adjust to the indicator being on the other side of the steering wheel. Fortunately, New Zealand is actually really easy to drive around and the roads are usually not crowded.
The road from Auckland to Hot Water Beach starts off passing through lots of farmland, however once we got closer we hit some of the mountain roads. These were a lot more interesting to drive and offered some spectacular views.
We checked into our room in Hot Water Beach where we had booked an en-suite room on Air BnB. This room had a spectacular view of the beach.
We dropped off our bags and then headed slightly up the coast to a town called Hahei. We knew the weather was supposed to be worse the next day so we wanted to enjoy the coast in the sunshine.
At Hahei we found a stunning sandy beach (it also has an awesome rope swing). From there we walked the path along the coast up to Cathedral Cove. The path is a bit steep at times but a relatively easy trek. There are a couple of optional extra paths down to the bays on the route which of course we had to explore as well.
Hot Water Beach
The following day we woke up early for low tide. The reason for it being called Hot Water Beach is because there are geothermal pools under the sand that creat hot patches. During the two hours either side of low tide, the tide is far enough out that you can enjoy the hot patches by digging your own hot water pool.
We got down to the beach in the early morning and dug the perfect hot water pool. The temperature was exactly right and we enjoyed sitting in our DIY spa. THEN the sea came in and out pool was filled with cold sea water instead. Our second attempt at digging a pool was not quite as good and the water was a bit too hot in places.
We left the beach when it started raining and unfortunately the rain lasted quite a while. We still managed to explore a nearby town, get some food shopping and do the cliff walk (although Hot Water Beach is not big at all).
Matamata
We said goodbye to Hot Water Beach the next morning. Our first stop was at a nearby town called Tairua where we did the hike up Mt Paku. This was a fairly steep but short walk that gives you views of the town and coast. We also had bright blue skies which made it look even more stunning.
We got back in the car and headed towards Matamata. Just outside of Matamata we stopped for a walk to see Wairere falls. I expected a short walk to see a waterfall but I was very wrong.
Wairere falls was a 45 minute hike up to the lookout point and a further 45 minutes up to the top. What can I say, it was breathtaking. I have never seen a water like that or as close. Most definitely worth the walk and I would recommend for sure. It is not an easy route as it was quite steep and muddy but if you have good walking shoes and enough stamina it will be fine.
Hobbiton
The next day we got up super excited and went to the Hobbiton cafe/check in at 9:30am.
Keith is a big LOTR fan so he was very giddy. It wasn’t long after we checked in that we were on a coach and heading into the site. Hobbiton is located at the Alexander farm and they still have lots of animals there including sheep. During our visit, it was lambing season which meant it was extra cute to see all the little lambs on the hillside.
Hobbiton itself was fantastic, luckily the sun was shining throughout and the sky was blue which made the rolling hills look even more idyllic.
Tauranga
In the afternoon, we drove from Hobbiton to Tauranga. Tauranga is the only place in New Zealand that I have seen actual traffic!
We headed towards the beach and then hiked up ‘The Mount’ or Maunganui. This was a fun walk in the sun and gave immense views across the coast. There are multiple paths up so we managed to do a nice loop back down to the beach which we explore after.
Whakatane
We left Tauranga the next day and went on towards Whakatane which is also on the coast.
On the way we stopped at Kaiate falls for a walk down and back up the waterfall. Very short walk but a nice place to stop nonetheless.
We then went to Okere falls and walked to Tutea falls waterfall and cave and then along to the Trout Pool falls. Very nice walk and it was quiet and relaxing. The water was clear and beautiful.
In the afternoon, we arrived in Whakatane. Keith had family friends in the area and we stayed with them for four nights. Walter and Lesley were so welcoming and great hosts to us.
We thought we were going to be a little unfortunate with the weather as we had four days of rain on the forecast. With thanks to our wonderful hosts and a little extra effort from the sunshine, we had a fantastic few days. Whakatane is a lovely town and even has it’s own little Wairere falls too!
We saw beaches, lakes, multiple Pa sites and the stunning Tarawera falls (permit required for access as it is located in the Forestry). The water was so clear and oh so beautiful.
We also did a day trip to Whanaroa Bay and we had sunshine all day. This was a lovely beach with lots of rocks to explore and we even took the kayaks out to see more of the coastline. Savi (Sauvignon) the golden retriever loves to ride in the back of the truck.
One week gone already in New Zealand..
Our first week in New Zealand was amazing and so much fun. Lots of waterfalls, beaches and meeting lovely people.
I can’t write every detail on these posts about what we did in a whole week but I hope this summary has been enlightening.
