Alice & Mark Toothacre from San Diego visited the South Island last year with good friends Yvonne & Craig Koehler. The two couples enjoyed their Road Trip so much they decided to return this year to see the North Island, requesting Constance as their guide.
Landing in Wellington they hit the ground running. Known for its coffee culture the first stop upon arrival was the Maranui Cafe at Lyall Bay. Being keen surfers Mark & Craig were interested in checking out the waves and beach.
The rest of the morning was spent taking in the view from Mt Vic & exploring Weta Cave before heading to Brewtown, the mecca of Welly’s craft beer scene, for a wee tipple and a bite to eat.
In the afternoon the friends took a ride on the iconic cable car, a walk down through the botanic gardens and visited Parliament grounds before calling it a day.
Leaving town the next day, the foursome headed over the Remutakas & headed to Cape Palliser, the most South Eastern point of the North Island to climb upto a lighthouse and visit one of the largest NZ fur seal colonies.
This was followed by a delightful lunch at Poppies Winery in Martinborough then a beer stop at the Tui Brewery in Mangatainoka before breaking the journey for a couple of nights in Napier, an Art Deco town in the Hawkes Bay.
Opting for a lazy start the next day to catch up on some zzz’s due to jet lag, the group enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and a stroll around the town before being whisked away by Grape Escape for a half day winery tour.
Reconvening with Constance the day after, the couples continued their trek north to Rotorua via Taupo where they stopped to admire the Huka Falls and sample manuka honey and mead at the Huka Hive.
At Lake Taupo’s waterfront the boys, also keen golfers, got to show off to the girls. Their prowess with a golf club at the “hole in one” challenge was exceptional, winning a few additional balls but not the desired $10k prize.
After lunch on the lakefront, the friends walked around Wai-o-Tapu, a very cool geothermal park before heading out for that evenings cultural show and hangi meal at Te Pa Tu.
It was an early start the next morning for Mark & Craig as they headed to the Rotorua Golf Club, located at the Arikikapakapa reserve. One of NZ’s oldest and most unique golf clubs due to the geothermal activity that has shaped its landscape.
While the boys betted on their golf game (Craig won this round), Alice & Yvonne enjoyed some downtime until their return, when Constance took them to Okere Falls Store for some tasty food and locally crafted beverages.
They walked their lunch off with a small bush walk to the Tutea Falls and caves. This coincided with some exciting action as they watched kayaks and white water rafts “jumping” over these falls on the Kaituna River.
This was topped off with a tree canopy walk in ths Redwood Forest then after dinner at Rotorua’s famed Eat Street, a twilight kayak with Taiao Adventures to see some glow worms. All agreed that this was a highlight of the trip.
Leaving Roto-Vegas, the group, while not booked for a Hobbiton tour, still travelled via The Shire, to take a peek; before going on an adventure through Te Aroha (Constance’s home town) and Paeroa, the home of L&P, NZ’s world famous lemon soda.
The Karangahake Gorge is super scenic and the couples enjoyed the windows walk where they learnt about the regions gold mining history. Lunch was at the Waikino Hotel, also home to he Kaimai Distillery.
Before the rain descended on them the got a quick look at the Martha Mine in Waihi. This was once one of the most important gold & silver mines in the world.
Their visit to Whangamata was a bit damp, which threw a spanner in the works for a potential paddle out to the lagoon at Whenuakura Island aka Donut Island. Instead they pushed on to Whitianga for a two night stay.
The day started out sunny with perfect conditions for their glass-bottomed boat tour to Cathedral Cove. The seascape was incredible with its golden cliffs and the varying shades of blue water at the marine reserve.
Inside one of the caves the friends got to feed the fish, species such as snapper, blue maomao and moki. Mark & Craig even jumped into the water to do a spot of snorkelling.
Once the group had dried off and warmed up, Constance took the group to the Mercury Estate Winery for lunch. They got in a quick visit to Ferry Landing, Shakespeare Cliff and Cooks Beach before the weather deteriorated.
To help pass the time the friends popped into the Purangi Winery, where Danny the host regaled them with stories and they imbibed his fruit wines, spirits and liqueurs.
While the low tide timing was favourable, the rain, unfortunately, had set in which meant that the group decided to forego their visit to Hot Water Beach, where they could have dug a hole in the sand to soaked in hot water.
Their last day with Constance dawned bright and clear. After a final breakfast together the two couples headed to Driving Creek Railway in Coromandel town. They thoroughly enjoyed this quirky experience.
The drive along the Thames Coast en-route to Auckland is quite breathtaking. The group enjoyed a light lunch of mussel chowder and fish & chips at the iconic wharf in Thames before continuing on to the city of sails.
All too quickly it was time for all to say farewell. Constance dropped the friends at the Waiheke Island ferry where they will enjoy a two night stay and some divine wines before they fly out to Fiji for another week of tropical sun & surf.
