Bay of Plenty
"Tickle
The Soil With A Hoe And It Will Laugh A Harvest"
This is one of the garden regions of New Zealand, known especially for its orchards and kiwifruit in particular. That's why George Vesey Stewart, a pioneer entrepreneur seeking to encourage prospective settlers, told them "tickle the soil with a hoe and it will laugh a harvest".
If you're doing a loop from Auckland to Rotorua and back, this makes an interesting, if slightly longer, return route.
Tauranga is a thriving city at the heart of the kiwifruit orchard country.
One of the country's oldest homes, "The Elms", was built between 1838-47 as a mission station by Rev A.N. Brown. It's a particularly elegant example of NZ colonial architecture. Grounds open daily, the house itself is open on Sundays. It's in - surprise, surprise - Mission St, off Cliff Rd.
On the Waihi Rd, SH2, you can turn off to Mills Reef winery at 143 Moffatt Rd, where they make both kiwifruit and a good line of grape wine. Open daily 10-5.
Further along SH2 towards Katikati is Morton Estate Winery, another of the top wineries in the country with a slew of medals to prove it. the vineyard restaurant is also recommended.
The Bay of Plenty is kiwifruit country and you can get a good look at the industry at Kiwifuit Country, near Te Puke on the road to Whakatane and Rotorua.
Adventure Activities
Between Rotorua and Tauranga is Longridge Park where you have a smorgasboard of adrenalin-rush-inducing options. Jet boating for 25km along the Kaituna River, white water rafting on the upper reaches of the Kaituna River including a drop over a heart stopping 7 metre waterfall, reputedly the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world. But it's not all cardiac-arrest action - you can take a tour of a kiwifruit orchard with a chance to stroke a tame eel.
Also operating from Longridge Park are Hill Hoppers, where you can drive a 4wd drive car on a challenging off-road track.
On a bend in the Wairoa River near Bethlehem, on the northern fringe of Tauranga, you can get into kayaking - either on the river or out at sea. Lot's of other adventure activities at Waimarino Adventure Park
Apart from the sun/sand/surf cocktail, the Mount boasts the only natural hot salt-water baths in the Southern Hemisphere. A little pocket of thermal activity heats salt water to 103 deg F, and bubbles it into pools, either public or private.
Great views can be had at the cost of some healthy exercise by walking to the top of the Mount itself. You'll get a great view of the gentle southward curve of Papamoa Beach and beyond.
The 90km drive from Rotorua to Whakatane is one of the most scenically rewarding trips in the central North Island. It skirts Lakes Rotorua, Rotoiti, Rotoehu and Rotoma before climbing the Rotoma Hills. In so doing it follows an ancient Maori portage . . . Hongi's track. It was along this route that the feared warrior chief Hongi dragged his canoes inland from the coast to attack the tribes across the lake in Rotorua.
Whakatane is one of the front runners every year for the most sunshine hours. And it has a superb beach, Ohope, to go with it. It's another pohutakwa fringed beach that looks spectacular around Xmas time. At the western end there's a walking track that give a a magnificent panorama of the coastline and leads down to picturesque Otarawairere Bay.
Another panoramic view of the region is obtained from the Puketapu Lookout, at the junction of Seaview and Hillcrest Rds. It's signposted on the road out of town towards Ohope.
There can't be many towns with a waterfall in the middle of the commercial area . . . but in Mataatua St is the beautiful Wairere Waterfall.
Other attractions is the area: A jet boat ride up the Rangitaiki River. Book at the Visitor Information Centre, 10 Commerce St. Also white water rafting (See section on rafting).
White Island is an active volcano 35km off the coast with boat, helicopter and plane tours available. Book through the VIO. Or try White Island Adventures 07-323-7829. They also do dolphin swimming and viewing tours.
From Whangamata to Whakatane is surfing coast. The beach breaks at Whangamata, Mt Maunganui and Whakatane are regarded as among the best in the country. Tops is probably Puni's Farm on Matakana Island which guards Tauranga Harbour. Although wave size rarely exceeds 8 ft, and the swells can be inconsistent, when they are running you can taste big, empty, crystal clear waves with a perfect wave shape.
| Get
my detailed Travel Guide To Auckland Download a detailed guide on where to stay, where to eat, where to shop in Auckland. Written by a local who eats, lives and shops in his own city every day. Guaranteed to save you money and make your stay a lot more enjoyable, Get more details. |
All you need to know about a visit to the place where God set the contrast and colour and man hasn'nt fiddled with the dials.
What, hopefully, you'll get out of this mish-mash of peripatetic ramblings.
Background bumpf on the country.
Visas, customs, immigration, duty free shopping, and getting away from the airport. Bloody important if you don't want to be arrested on arrival.
Moving on . . . by road or rail, by air or by sea.
"nuff said.
What to see, what to do, and why to go there.
Diving, fishing, golf, rafting, sailing, skiing - and more.
All you need to know about a visit to the place where God set the contrast and colour and man hasn'nt fiddled with the dials.
What, hopefully, you'll get out of this mish-mash of peripatetic ramblings.
Background bumpf on the country.