The journey south

After leaving the Waipoua Kauri Forest I travelled cross country to Thames on the Coromandel Peninsula from where I visited Hot Water Beach, so called because of the hot water which rises through the sand an hour either side of low tide.

A familiar sight driving in New Zealand.

From here I continued my journey south to Rotorua aka ‘Sulphur City’ on account of the sulphur-rich air. The city is best known for its geothermal activity, and features geysers and hot mud pools.

Hot mud pools in Rotorua.

I paid a visit to Te Puia - the Māori Arts & Crafts Institute where I watched a traditional Maori cultural performance which included a scary-assed haka.





Whilst in town I visited the Polynesian Spa and soaked in hot mineral bathing pools which ranged in temperature from 36ºC to 43ºC and overlooked the shores of Sulphur Bay, Lake Rotorua – bliss!

I left Rotorua and continued south along the Thermal Explorer Highway to Taupo, a small town on the shores of Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. My arrival in Taupo coincided with the start of the first Ashes test in Brisbane and so for the next few days, aside from a brief visit to Napier, Art Deco capital on account of pretty much the whole city being rebuilt following a 1931 earthquake, I did little else other than watch the cricket.

Building detail in Napier.

From Taupo I headed south along State Highway 1 and the picturesque Desert Road. Around five-and-a-half hours later I arrived in the country’s capital of Wellington from where I would take the Interislander Ferry to Picton at the northern tip of the southern island.

Interislander Ferry.

The view on leaving Wellington.