New Zealand is known for its juxtaposition of wildly divergent landscapes but in this region it’s the sociological contours that are most pronounced. From the remote villages of East Cape to Havelock North’s prosperous, wine-stained streets, the East Coast condenses a wide range of authentic Kiwi experiences that anyone with a passion for culture will [...]
Thames dates from a time when gold-digging had a much different connotation to what it does today. Dinky 19th-century wooden buildings still dominate the town centre, but grizzly prospectors have been replaced by alternative lifestylers. If you’re a vegetarian eco-warrior you’ll feel right at home. It’s a good base for tramping or canyoning in the [...]
Shrouded in mist, mysticism and virgin forest, Te Urewera National Park is the North Island’s largest, encompassing 212, 673 hectares cut with lakes and rivers. The highlight is Lake Waikaremoana (Sea of Rippling Waters), a deep crucible of water encircled by the Lake Waikaremoana Track, one of NZ’s Great Walks. Rugged bluffs drop away to [...]
Cute little Te Kuiti nestles in a valley between picturesque hills. It doesn’t so much have a gimmick as an odd claim to fame: welcome to the shearing capital of the world! You won’t have any doubt as to the veracity of that statement if you’re here for the Great New Zealand Muster (late March/early [...]
Te Awamutu (which means ‘The River Cut Short’; the Waikato beyond this point was unsuitable for large canoes) is a service town for dairy farmers. It’s got a pleasant main street and a decent museum, but unless you’re a Finn fan you’ll probably be content to stop here on your way somewhere else. It does, [...]
Te Aroha has a good vibe. You could even say that it’s got ‘the love’, which is the literal meaning of the name. Nestled at the foot of bush-clad 952m-high Mt Te Aroha, it’s a good base for bushwalking or ‘taking the waters’ in the therapeutic hot springs.
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Peaceful, lakeside Te Anau township is a good base for trekkers and visitors travelling to Milford Sound, and an ideal place to recharge your batteries. The tourism industry has ensured there’s always plenty to do here. Alternatively, on a sunny day it’s a beautiful place to just sit around and do very little at all.
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Tauranga has been booming since the 1990s and remains one of NZ’s fastest-growing cities. The increasingly busy port serves the land for miles around, but it’s the migrants (many from Auckland) and holidaymakers who have seen the old workhorse reborn as a show pony. Restaurants and bars line the revamped waterfront, fancy hotels rise high, [...]
Don’t think for a minute that this plateau is some boring old elevated flat landmass (which is what the dictionary will tell you), because this place rocks. For a starter, it ain’t flat. In the middle of the plateau and the heart of Tongariro National Park are the three massive peaks of Tongariro, Ruapehu and [...]
The increasingly exciting town of Taupo now rivals Rotorua as the North Island’s adrenaline capital, with an abundance of skydiving, jetboating and bungy jumping to get your blood pumping. There’s lots of fun to be had in the town itself, more on its fringes, and still more just a little further afield, such as the [...]