Another beautiful day started with a 2 hour drive to Waitomo for the Glowworm Caves. The name Waitomo is a concatenation of two Maori words, wai meaning water and tomo meaning hole or shaft, so quite appropriate. The rock here is limestone. For those that don't know, limestone was formed under the sea from the shells and bones of long dead sea creatures. The weight of the water compacted it all into rock. Then the tectonic plates got in on the act and moved the...

Today was a beautifully bright and sunny day. I was really lucky with the motel room in Rotodua I had last night. Not only did it have a fantastic spa bath, but a skylight above the bed, so I could stare at the stars before going to sleep. Just a short 1.5km drive from the motel is Te Puia, The New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. But it's best known for its thermal pools, mud pools and geysers, particularly the Pohutu Geyser, which can reach heights of...

Wow, last night was windier than a field of cows...and I am referring to the weather! Speaking of which, today was another day that started with showers but brightened up by the time I reached my first destination, the Hobbiton film set. It being Waitingi Day, and the last holiday weekend of the summer, it was very busy, but they are well set up for dealing with high numbers. The 2 hour tour started with a 10 minute coach ride to the set, with commentary provid...

Today JB got well filthy in the Coromandels. As I left Papakura, in complete contrast to when I arrived, the sun was shining. However, as I headed for the Coromandel Peninsula, the clouds and showers returned. Thankfully, they were shortlived and the sun shone for the rest of the day. The peninsula is across the Hauraki Gulf from Auckland and on the east side the beaches are lapped by the Pacific. It is dominated by the Coromandel Ranges, a group of mountains t...

Today dawned overcast and a bit damp. It continued showery so today was a good day for being under cover. Just as well then that I already planned to be under tree canopies followed by a long drive. Leaving the Bay of Islands, I headed west to the Waima Forest.  Here I embarked upon the Waiotemarama Loop Track. Now if, like me, you assumed a loop track is a circuit then you'd be wrong. This is a 3km track, which follows the Waiotemarama Gorge to a stunning 20...