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| Front
| Wellington
| Napier
| Taupo
| Rotorua
| Whitianga
| Auckland
| All-in-one |
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- Duration: 7 nights, from 5-12 December 2005. It was in effect a 6-days holiday since we arrived after midnight on the first day and took an early morning flight out on the last. - Itinerary: Wellington (1) - Napier (2) - Taupo - Rotorua (2) - Whitianga (1) - Auckland (1). It was a south-to-north trip along the North Island. - Transportation: Rental car. Excellent driving conditions. Road signs were clear and destinations easy to find. - Weather: Late spring to early summer, but unlike the South Island, weather conditions in the North Island during this time of the year were generally fine and stable. - Reference sites: We didn't use any one site extensively. Instead, we googled and located the bits of information we needed. Two good starting points: Tourism New Zealand; AA New Zealand Travel Guide.
Let's start the photo journey! Wellington Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and the starting point of our tour of the North Island. We took an evening flight out of Brisbane. Because of flying time (3.5 hours) and time-zone difference (3 hours), we arrived at the airport after midnight and managed to get to the hotel well after 1am. We were given a 16th (top) floor room at the hotel. We thought we were VIPs, but the wind throughout the night was quite something. Wellington is obviously not called the windy city for nothing! But we managed to sleep well regardless.  Heavy rain greeted us in the morning, forcing us to waste some precious time at the MacDonalds (we were to get the rental car and drove out of the city after lunch) before heading to the waterfront.  Te Papa Museum (right) was used by us as a rain shelter. Later, when it was apparent that rain had stopped, we went out again.   The Town Hall/Civic Square area.   All in all, a brief stop at Wellington. But the lunch we had there, at a Japanese restaurant called Kazu, was outstanding.    Napier Napier is renowned as a wine producing region, which means nothing to us since we don't drink. It also draws considerable number of tourists because of the concentration of Art Deco buildings there. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931. When the city was being rebuilt, the then most fashionable architectural style - Art Deco - was used. So within the city centre, there were dozen of buildings with Art Deco and Spanish Mission style. Personally I find Art Deco rather bad taste, but it is still interesting to see such a big cluster of buildings of this style. Art Deco street scenes    Art Deco exteriors          Art Deco interiors and decorations          It was quite relaxing walking along the Marine Parade at the seashore.    Somewhere along the Parade, we noticed several little birds having a party, bathing in a shallow pool of water. We dared not walk close nor did we have the video cam ready. So we just used my camera to capture the precious moments.  On our last day in Napier, I began to feel a pain in my left ankle. It got worse and worse in the evening. After a sleepless night, the pain got so bad that I thought I had a fractured bone somewhere ... Taupo Taupo occupies a central position in the North Island. Its main tourist attraction is Lake Taupo, which was created by the largest volcanic eruption of the past 5,000 years ("it was so big records say the sun went hazy in China"). I couldn't walk because of the severe pain in my left ankle, and I thought the trip could be over. Our original plan was to have a full day of activities in Taupo before staying overnight in Rotorua, which was an hour's drive away. I asked Cindy to drive from Napier to Taupo and rescheduled all activities that involved walking to the next day. The mighty Huka Fall    The Aratiatia dam. Water is released at scheduled times each day.     But as mysteriously as how the pain came in the first place, it also went gradually but inexplicably. I walked for hours next day visiting two major geothermal activities sites, one in Rotorua and one in Taupo. No pain whatsoever! The one we went to in Taupo is the Orakei Korako Cave and Thermal Park, aka The Hidden Valley.   Didn't that thermal pool look like Africa?   The "Golden Fleece Terrace".    Thermal pools and steam everywhere.    Looking up from the Ruatapu Cave.    Rotorua There are so much geothermal activities in Rotorua, the heartland of Maori culture in New Zealand, the odour of sulphur permeates the air. It is therefore no surprise that hot spring bath is popular here. After we arrived at Rotorua just after lunch, my ankle was already feeling better. After a short walk, we came across the Polynesian Spa and decided to give it a try. What better thing to do for a "disabled" man like me - no walking required! Cindy later insisted that it was the hot spring bath that cured my ankle. God knows. Me in a private pool on the left and the Priest Spa overlooking Lake Rotorua on the right.   Seagulls also loved the warm geothermal water by the Lake shore.    Rotorua Museum in the Government Gardens.    Other photos taken at or near the Government Gardens.           Don't ask me what it is. I have no idea.   Last but not least, the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. The Lady Knox Geyser erupts daily at a set time, induced by the addition of soap flakes into the vent to reduce surface tension.                Whitianga Whitianga (left) and the neighbouring Hahei (right) are beach towns in the Coromandel region.   A major attraction there is the Cathedral Cove, which is accessible by foot, taking 30-40 minutes each way. Walking there, enjoying the scenery, was half the fun.     We called it the Lion Rock.   Put it simply, the Cathedral Cove is a big hole in a big rock by the beach.      People having fun at the beach.    Om my way back, I took these two pictures.   A few more photos of Whitianga.    Auckland Auckland was our last, and brief, stop of this trip.      We took a short ferry ride to Devenport, walked up the hill, and had a magnificient view of Auckland city.      The modern Hilton Hotel at the harbour front.    Our apartment hotel, a converted heritage building.    |
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| Front
| Wellington
| Napier
| Taupo
| Rotorua
| Whitianga
| Auckland
| All-in-one |
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Alternatively, follow the links below for the full set of photos (but no commentaries) from this trip:
We toured the South Island at more or less the same time in 2004:
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A brief description of our self-drive trip to the North Island of New Zealand:
- Bookings: We flied