A lonely lighthouse and a gnarled, twisted pohutukawa tree on a windswept cliff top on the northern tip of New Zealand have a special place in the Kiwi psyche. Like Land’s End in Britain, this ultimate extremity of our dramatic landscape holds great historic and spiritual significance.
The Bay of Islands, New Zealand’s finest maritime park and the birthplace of our nation, owes its existence to the great melt that ended the last Ice Age. The rising sea drowned many river valleys leaving 144 ridge tops exposed as islands in a harbour of breathtaking beauty.
Come with us on a discovery tour of New Zealand’s often unseen but worthwhile destinations, travelling from North Island to South Island. On the way we will feature interesting towns and local activities for you to enjoy.
If you’re looking for a destination central to many interesting locations but with a slightly rural atmosphere, Hamilton could be the place for you. Situated in the North Island, a two hour drive south of Auckland, Hamilton caters to the whole Waikato region.
The East Cape offers a slow, peaceful existence to those who reside there, and an equally relaxed, enchanting place for its visitors. With few harbours and a mountainous, wild bush interior, the Cape has been isolated for many years until the road network was completed.
If total isolation and total wilderness excites you, the Chatham Islands may just be the destination you have been searching for. Located east of the South Island, the ‘Chathams’, as they are affectionately known, is approximately a 1 hour flight from Wellington or Christchurch!
This laid-back sun-drenched eastern corner of the Bay of Plenty has golden sand beaches for those who want to laze and swim. It also has action aplenty for adrenalin-junkies and adventurers. This is a town that is small in numbers but big in attitude.
'The Mount' rises abruptly at the entrance to Tauranga Harbour. It is an extinct volcanic cone that towers over the idyllic Ocean Beach, a summer mecca for thousands of sun, sea, surf and sand worshippers.
Sun and fun aplenty, all year round, is the main feature of the beautiful Bay of Plenty. You will never be lost for things to do here.
What could be better than a long expanse of sun-baked golden sand, lapped by the gentle Pacific Ocean, less than 2 hour's drive from Auckland city?
Tauranga means 'safe anchorage' in Maori. The city nestles beside a sweeping harbour of great beauty, backed by the green verdure of the Kaimai Range.
