The fun-loving, laid-back Kiwi spirit is contagious. We fell in love with this country all over again and have placed New Zealand at the top spot next to Thailand in our hope-to-retire-here wish list. The country has some of the most breathtaking and drastically different landscapes crammed into two small islands. Naturally, locals have a great sense of adventure and embrace active lifestyles. We could have spent months here but only had 2.5 weeks. A few years ago, we explored the South Island with its glaciers, fjords, and penguins, so this time, we headed to the North Island to explore its beaches, caves, geothermal features, and rolling hills.
We started in Auckland as it was the arrival city for our international flight from Tahiti. Although Auckland is the largest city in the country and similar to many large urban areas around the world, it still manages to maintain a distinctly Kiwi vibe. Auckland is known as the “City of Sails” and has more boats per capital than anywhere else in the world. Our tour guide told us that essentially every family has a boat whether it is a basic fishing boat, a sailboat, or a fancy yacht. Enjoying the great outdoors is obviously still important for Kiwis living in the urban sprawl of Auckland. So, of course, we couldn’t come to Auckland and not partake in a sailing excursion, which ended up being one of our favorite activities in town. Jimmy even got to steer the boat.
The city’s skyline is gorgeous from the water. Perhaps, the city isn’t as tall as NYC, but the beautiful blue-green water looks just a wee bit more striking than the Hudson River.
In addition to playing on the water, Auckland offers plenty of hiking and green space for outdoor enthusiasts. The city is built on a volcano field comprised of approximately 50 dormant cones.
We went to the top of one of them, Mount Eden, to check out its crater and the great view of the city and water below.
Outside of Auckland proper, numerous islands linked to the mainland by fast ferries are all waiting to be discovered. The activities are endless from hiking trails up volcanic peaks and through kauri forests, relaxing on white sand beaches, hopping between wine tastings, and shopping at local stands in island villages. We chose Waiheke Island popular for its beautiful vineyards, olive groves, and beaches and recently named the fourth best island in the world by Condé Nast Traveler. The short, 30 min ferry ride from Auckland offers a great opportunity to see some of the other islands in the Hauraki Gulf and sailboats taking advantage of the ocean breeze.
Once on Waiheke, we headed straight for the vineyards since wine tasting while soaking in the views was on the top of our list.
Something magical happens when you walk through vineyards. A sense of calm and peace fills the air, and all cares and worries cease. Well, at least this happens for me, vineyards are definitely my happy place. After our first tasting at Te Motu where we fell in love with the rosé on their secluded garden porch, we walked down the hill to Stonyridge Vineyard.
At first, we were disappointed to see that the tasting area was packed and the restaurant full for lunch. But, then we noticed the green hillside out back lined with picnic blankets and special, low wooden tables. What a marvelous idea!
We were able to savor a magnificent cheese, meat, and vegetable platter while sipping on their signature wines with a view over the olive tree-covered valley.
We could have sat there all day soaking in the brilliant sunshine and clear, blue skies, but the curiosity of what else this top-rated island had to offer propelled us to move on.
Aside from vineyards, a large section of the island is still forested, so we made sure to squeeze in a short hike to take advantage of all the island features. Our hike led us through the kauri forest and to a tiny cascading waterfall.
The hike ended at the highest point on the island…and another wine tasting.
Batch winery is famous for their sparkling rosé, which we thoroughly enjoyed on this hot summer day after an uphill hike. As the sun was starting to set, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have dinner with this spectacular view. I also had been anxiously awaiting my first pavlova, a dessert that I fell in love with the last time we were in New Zealand. Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert with a crisp outside layer, soft inside, and topped with whipped topping and fresh fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, and passion fruit.
At this point, you may be wondering why we titled this blog Road Trip Redemption as it seems that we are primarily using boats in Auckland. Well, from this lofty spot on Waiheke Island, not only is it possible to see the Sky Needle back in Auckland but you can also see the Coromandel Peninsula on the other side of the Hauraki Gulf. Kiwis love road-tripping around their tiny country to explore all that it has to offer. Although we had a rough go on our last road trip through Spain, we just couldn’t come to New Zealand and not join in on the road-tripping frenzy. There is no better way to experience the beauty of this island and the incredible, mind-boggling changes in the landscape. So, we rented a car in Auckland and started our drive through the country with a day trip to the Coromandel Peninsula.
Our first stop was Hot Water Beach. We strolled up to the beach and saw quite an interesting sight…tons of adults “playing” in the sand like a bunch of little kids.
I hadn’t explained the significance of this stop to Jimmy very well, so he was just kind of standing there wondering what all the fuss was about. I told him that the water was supposed to be hot underneath the sand and to start digging.
Standing in ankle deep COLD water, he wasn’t quite sure what was supposed to happen. Here’s the story, two hot spring fissures near each other run underneath the beach and within just two hours of low tide, you can dig in the right spot in the sand to release the hot water to form a hot water spa pool. This is in sharp contrast to the freezing cold waters in the ocean. We had started to dig our hole in between the groups of people, thinking it must be a hot spot, but that happened to be between the two hot spring fissures. We realized this after talking to some people who were lounging in warm pools nearby and touching some of the burning hot water coming up in some of the smaller, abandoned pools. The water can reach temperatures of 147°F, so there is some skill and luck involved with finding the right location. Finally, we found a spot that was ridiculously hot on one side and cool on the other, so we could relax in the middle with perfectly warm water after a bit of digging to create a seat in our “spa pool.”
The most entertaining aspect of this entire activity is watching the tide come in and, one by one, the little pools getting knocked over and filled with ice-cold ocean water. The individuals in the unlucky pools would scream and run away, and that would be the end of it for them. We had a fairly good spot higher up the beach and hung in there with the last couple groups. Here’s a shot of the final two pools standing. Winners.
The highlight of our stop in Coromandel was Cathedral Cove. We really had no idea that the beaches and water surrounding New Zealand’s North Island were so stunning. The hike to the Cathedral Cove beach starts high up on cliffs overlooking the ocean.
Along with dramatic coastal views, the 45 minute hike winds down through peaceful forest filled with pohutukawa trees, which happen to bloom with red flowers right before Christmas and have been nicknamed New Zealand’s Christmas tree. We felt pretty lucky to catch these trees in bloom just a couple weeks before the holiday.
The hike finishes at a brilliant white sand beach beneath an impressive rock archway.
We wandered through the arch, eyes wide with amazement.
The first day of our New Zealand road trip was off to a great start, and I feel like we totally captured the beauty and majesty of Coromandel with this image that is burned in my head.
I could have sat here all day watching the waves come in and take chunks of sand and microscopic pieces of rock out with it. Although it takes thousands of years for some of these rock formations to be carved out from the wind, waves, and rain, even catching a moment in time and appreciating the power of nature is a wonderful thing.
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