Archive for the 'North Island' Category
Glow worms, kayaking and one wild and crazy guy!
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 19, 2009 at 2:28 pm
One of the liveliest characters I met at TRENZ was Blair from Waimarino, an outdoor adventure/soft adventure tour company that specializes in kayaking. Along with Blair’s enthusiasm for kayaking (check out some his personal adventure pictures on our Flickr page – he PROMISES that you don’t have to do that!), the company is most famous for its glow worm kayaking tour.
Located in the Bay of Plenty, Waimarino’s Glow Worm Kayaking tour is a soft adventure that allows first time kayakers to safely enjoy an incredible experience. Individuals or groups start off by paddling across Lake McLaren in late afternoon, stopping on the shore for a lovely picnic of wine, cheese and crackers as the sun sets. Sitting there in the beauty of New Zealand nature, with a nice glass of locally produced wine in one hand and some delicious cheese in the other – you realize that this is more than just a trip up the river.
Entering the canyon, there are millions of glow worms glittering through the darkness, like stars in the sky. They are twinkling everywhere. As you gently paddle through the silence of the evening, it’s hard to tell where the glow worms end and the night sky and stars begin. This really is a must do when you visit New Zealand.
For the upcoming season, Waimarino has added a luxury component to the Glow Worm Kayaking soft adventure. With this new package you can choose to stay in Qualmark 4 Star plus accommodation and winery.
Also launched at TRENZ, Waimarino now offers a multi-day kayaking wilderness adventure tour, which takes you deep into Te Urewera National Park. You will experience the warmth of the Tuhoe People (Children of the Mist) during a marae stay enroute. The native forest envelopes you as in your kayak, you meander down the twists and turns of the river, taking in the ever-changing and awe-inspiring landscape.
Kayak fishing is also now available and, according to Blair, it is the world’s fastest growing sport. In your kayak, you can fish for fresh and salt-water species, including New Zealand’s world famous rainbow and brown trout. (I heard through several people while I was in NZ that the only way you can taste these delicious fish is if you catch them yourself. You apparently can’t buy trout in NZ grocery stores. Now, I am not sure if they were pulling my leg or not, but I thought that was a pretty interesting little tidbit and would love for a Kiwi to comment and tell us if that’s true or if they were just having fun at my expense!!)
Freedom Sea Kayaking allows you to explore the expansive Tauranga Harbour at your own pace. If luck is on your side, you just might be guided around by dolphins!
Check out Blair’s website and the photos on Flickr – including Blair’s own personal photos of stuff that I can tell you right now, I will NEVER do. The glow worms and the multi-day kayaking sound pretty good – hurling myself in a kayak over Haka Falls like Blair, not so much!
Hawke’s Bay
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 10, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Some quick facts and figures about Hawke’s Bay that might be of interest:
- It is New Zealand’s oldest wine growing region and home to New Zealand’s oldest winery, Mission Estate Winery.
- It produces 80% of New Zealand’s red wine.
- There are over 720 vineyards in the region, with 42 cellar doors open for wine sampling.
- It has the largest farmer’s market in New Zealand, held every Sunday all year-round.
- There are over 2200 hours of sunshine annually.
- There are 17 golf courses in the region.
- It is home to a world-class concentration of Art Deco and Spanish Mission architecture.
- It has the largest and most accessible mainland Gannet colony in the world.
- Lake Waikaremoana Walk is ranked in New Zealand’s top 10 walks.
- Hawke’s Bay’s coastline resembles a fishhook. According to Maori legend, Maui, Hawaii pulled Hawke’s Bay from the sea. With this good fortune, the region has continued to flourish ever since. Come and enjoy the fresh burst of spring, the long hot lazy days of summer, the golden hues of harvest or the crisp air and blue skies of winter at Hawke’s Bay.
Wine, golf, beautiful scenery and welcoming people – what’s not to love? For more information check out their website at www.hawkesbaynz.com.
Funny name, special place
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 10, 2009 at 5:19 pm
For a non-Kiwi, it might seem that many places in New Zealand have hard-to-pronounce names for places. Once you get past worrying about sounding silly (let’s face it, we’re tourists – we all sound silly at some point!) or mangling the name and offending someone by accident, you start to see the history, the romance and the adventure in the names. This is especially true when you ask what they mean. Everyone I have asked seems pleased to share a little bit of the history of New Zealand and the Maori culture with me. It’s very interesting and lets me feel a little more connected to the “youngest country on earth.”
I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with the team from Te Kahui Tupua, which encompasses the three regions of Rangitkei, Wanganui and Ruapehu. I now have another note on my wish list of places to see in New Zealand. This region sounds amazing. Check out their website.
This is the land of the Sacred Peaks and it is a little off the beaten path. Not so far off that it’s not accessible, but off the main highway on the North Island. The words that are being used to market this area are fabulous and they give you a sense of what it would be like right away:
Majesty
Exhilaration
Enchantment
Legacy
Expression
There are many things you can do in this area – from whitewater rafting to jetboating to walking in the forest and enjoying the sounds of nature. This area isn’t as well known or as visited as some of the areas. If you are interested in doing something a little different, in taking the road less travelled, in discovering something special – this is a region to visit. The website will give you a sense of the magic that I believe lives here.
Tongariro Lodge
Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 9, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Well, yet another place to put on my wish list for my next trip to New Zealand. Tongariro Lodge on the North Island looks incredible. And the great thing about it is – you can do anything and everything or absolutely nothing here.
It has just celebrated its 26th year as one of the world’s great trout fishing lodges and offers guests a unique and special experience. The lodge is set on 22 acres of beautiful park-like grounds. There are private chalet accommodations, great food and wine. (I saw their menu and wine list and it looks exceptional.)
Here you can go trout fishing with world famous resident guides, you can golf (there are six courses within an hour’s drive including the Jack Nicklaus designed Kinloch Club and Wairakei International Golf Course), you can walk the Tongariro Crossing—one of New Zealand’s most popular one-day walks—you can take guided walks or heli-hikes through private wilderness (the team at Tongariro Lodge have agreements for use of some spectacular private areas – places where not everyone gets to go), you can whitewater raft, or for those looking to take it a bit easy – relax in the lodge’s beautiful lounge with a good book and a glass of wine in front of the roaring fireplace or indulge in a hot spa and massage with the holistic masseuse at the Lodge.
I don’t know about you, but it sounds like my kind of place. I have been promised photos from the team at the lodge. As soon as they come in, I will upload them. But for now, check out the website at www.tongarirolodge.co.nz.
