The Maori Carvings on Lake Taupo are one of the area’s most famous attractions, before I even left Miami I knew this was something I wanted to see.
Finding the 30 foot high cliff-side carving was a little more difficult than I had imagined. There were plenty of kayaking tours that would provide a guide all [...]
I went to the New Zealand Body Art Festival in February, but since I was busy enjoying New Zealand’s summer I didn’t get around to sorting the pictures until now. The pictures are so amazing I had to share them.
The best time to go to the Festival is during the competition. I had thought that [...]
The Kaimanawa Forest is a little known nature park full of surprising sights. I’m amazed this forest is just minutes away from the famous Tongoriro National Park yet very few people have heard of it. The park has amazing walks, multi-day hikes, small waterfalls and fantastic gorges.
We went to see the Pillars of Hercules and [...]
There are a few different walks in the Kaimanawa Forest. I mentioned the Urchin Track and Summit in yesterday’s blog post and there are two other neat sites to see in the park, Tree Trunk Gorge and the Pillars of Hercules.
Tree Trunk Gorge
Heading south on Desert Road the Kaimanawa Forest is on the left and [...]
The Urchin Track and Summit is located in the Kaimanawa Forest and leads to the Waipakihi Valley, where you can continue your hike for a loop around the small mountain range staying at the 4 huts in the area.
When we started the Urchin Track we were just looking for a fun day hike. We had [...]
No trip to Taupo can be complete without stopping by The Honey Hive. This sweet spot is conveniently located just north of the town near Huka Falls. We’ve been to the hive twice – we went the second time to show my visiting brother-in-law and try the honey ice cream.
After being greeted by the friendly [...]
This geothermal park has a long story behind it. It reminds me a little of the line ‘if you build it, they will come’. Obviously the geothermal aspect of the park was already there, but a nice boardwalk and a huge parking lot were constructed to attract tourist. Tourist came, and tourist were robbed. The [...]
Next to Lake Taupo, just a few minutes drive from Turangi, is a very easy walk through the woods. The walk is shaded nearly the whole way and the gentle breeze from the wake keeps you cool as you stroll around the winding path listening to bird calls and admiring the foliage.
There are no [...]
As I slid down the white rock grasping for anything to hold on to, I thought, if I don’t slow down I might actually die. It seems like something you would read in a fiction book or see in a movie. Being from Florida, where the highest point you reach above sea level is in [...]
My favorite kayak trip was to Motutaiko Island in Lake Taupo.
I think we went to Motutaiko Island three times. The first time we attempted the trip we didn’t make it. It doesn’t look too far from our launch point on the east side of the lake, but it took over an hour to kayak to [...]
Today Paul decided to get his fishing license, so we decided to start the day at the Tongariro National Trout Centre to learn a little about the fish were were going to catch. The trout center seems to be set up to be more of a children’s attraction than an educational center, but we enjoyed [...]
We kayaked to a waterfall yesterday! There is something special about viewing a waterfall only accessible by boat. I guess you could hike through the native forest to see the falls, but there are no paths and it might be private property or sacred to the Maori people. Also, the view from the lake was [...]
We were in Taupo for about a month before we made it to one of the area’s main attractions, Huka Falls. Although it isn’t as tall as Taranaki Falls or Tawhai Falls, which are just south of Lake Taupo, Huka Falls is just as impressive due to the force and amount of water flowing over [...]
Quick Trip to the Thermal Springs: Tokaanu Thermal Pools
We strive to get out of the house a little each day, even if it is just for a walk around the neighborhood. We spent the morning researching and buying helmets and life jackets for kayaking, so we didn’t want to spend lots of time researching a [...]
On the same day we visited Tawhai Falls we saw the Taranaki Falls. This waterfall was much higher and you could even hike behind it, so you could view the world from the other side of a waterfall!
The Taranaki Falls is located on a 2 hour hike in Tongariro National Park. It is off Highway [...]