When a clear night fell upon us while camping in our little van, Bongo, in a tiny beach town in The Coromandel, we knew we had to finally give astrophotography a go. There was no wind, the skies were clear,…
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On a mission to see as much as we possibly could on our roadtrip around The Coromandel peninsula, the most popular place to escape to from Auckland city nearby, we planned to drive state highway 25 all around the perimeter,…
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Karangahake Gorge was our first introduction to The Coromandel, a beautiful peninsula near to Auckland and thus popular with city-livers keen to escape into the countryside. There's plenty to do and explore here. Karangahake Gorge is an abandoned gold mine,…
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We had heard only good things from other travelers about trekking up to the summit of Mount Maunganui. We can see why! Not a lot of effort is required for this 30-40 minute trek up the summit via one of…
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Rotorua is well-known as the stinkiest city in New Zealand! This is thanks to the bubbling geothermal activities that call Rotorua home. The city is built around a number of extra-hot mud pools, erupting geysers and sulphuric deposits that all…
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In Rotorua, natural geothermal activity bubbles away all day every day at high temperatures, contributing to the rotten egg sulphur smell that lingers around town! There's plenty of funky places to explore here that contribute to a pretty unique experience…
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Oh, Hobbiton. A place where fantasy blurs with reality and where wonder comes to life. A place where you can run through the Shire just like Bilbo did, yelling "I'm going on an adventure!" and where you really feel like…
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New Zealand is an idyllic travel location - quirky cities, incredible waterfalls, thousands of km of breathtaking hiking trails. And one of the most awesome and convenient ways to get around this two island nation is with your own wheels.…
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The Gisborne Peninsula is a relatively unexplored gem - when comparing to other popular attractions in the country. Understandably so, it's a far drive from most of the typical tourist routes. But for those who do make the effort to…
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What a privilege to be able to say we were the very first people on the planet to watch the sunrise on June 6, 2020. A 6am start saw us walking up 800 steps to the easternmost lighthouse in the…
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We were pleasantly surprised by this hike. Expecting a simple hike with some nice oceanic views, we were actually blown away by the immense beauty that this hike provides. The trail starts by climbing up through private farmland and you're…
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Hawke's Bay is a well-known destination for kiwis to head to for some relaxation time. The region is simply beautiful, tucked on the far east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. At the southern end, you'll find the…
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Napier is the art deco hub of New Zealand sitting on the east coast just about in the middle of the North Island. There's a fun town centre with beautiful trees and a long parade you can walk along next…
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We visited Taupo twice - once in mid-March the day New Zealand went into national lock down against COVID-19, and once again in late May to revisit and pick up where we had left off. In Taupo, you can walk,…
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