Awesome adventures around Aotearoa
Our country may be small but it has plenty of hidden gems, writes Here’s our regional tourism boards’ picks of places to see.
Don’t be a predictable Pete – or Petra – and keep heading to the same old places each year. New Zealand may be small but it has plenty of hidden pockets that adventurous sorts will find are worth rummaging through. One of New Zealand’s most restricted wildlife sanctuaries, this 143-hectare island off the coast of Whakata¯ ne is a microcosm of Aotearoa before humans began to alter it irrevocably.
The pest-free island can only be accessed on a Department of Conservation-approved tour, which has kept visitor numbers low and allowed endangered species such as the little brown kiwi, ka¯ ka¯ riki (New Zealand parakeet), tı¯eke (saddleback) and tuatara to flourish.
The 15- to 20-minute boat trip is an adventure in itself – dolphins often dive alongside tour boats and fur seals sunbathe on the rocky shore year-round.
An eroded volcanic cone, the island is a living mosaic of po¯ hutukawa, ma¯ hoe, ka¯ nuka and some 187 other native plant species – and some pretty spectacular Bay of Plenty-grade beaches. The clincher – it has its own hot-water beach. And unlike at its famous Coromandel cousin, you won’t have to use your spade to fend off hordes of other visitors as well as dig your private swimming pool.
Ghuznee St, another newly transformed precinct, is also worth a gander if you like your shops, restaurants and watering holes independently owned. At first glance, this old gold-mining town can look like just another pleasant-but-dull stonefruit growing centre.
Stick around for a while, however, and you’ll soon discover it’s action-packed.
On characteristically cracking summer days, you’ll find mountainbikers tearing up the Roxburgh Gorge and Clutha gold trails, and swimmers, kayakers and trout fishers on the
30-kilometre-long Lake Roxburgh.
Hikers naturally head for the hills, particularly on the Lake Roxburgh Walkway, which traces a bridle path from the gold rush era. The
10-kilometre return trail – also open to mountainbikers – takes in old mineshafts, cottages and the ruggedly good-looking scenery for which Central Otago is renowned.
If just reading this makes you tired, you might prefer to take a free tour of Wynyard Estate Saffron (there’s not much walking involved, honest) or a dip at popular swimming hole Pinders Pond. Or just settle in for a Sunday live music session at Faigan’s Cafe in the cute wee township of Millers Flat, just across the Blue Bridge. It’s not just the place names that make this extraquiet corner of Kahurangi National Park feel like somewhere you might come across descendants of Frodo or Elrond.
Sculpted by Mother Nature over a million years, this limestone basin – itself some 35 million years old – features caves, a mirror-like lake, and a trio of awe-inspiring natural arches and channels that, if you’re anything like Frodo, just beg to be explored.
It’s well worth joining the DOC-approved O¯ parara¯ Experience to access the Honeycomb Hills, said to contain the most varied collection of partially fossilised bird bones found in
New Zealand. Keep an eye out for moa bones and Powelliphanta – giant carnivorous snails. Forget State Highway 1, or for that matter SH12 and 15. You can’t say you’ve experienced the real Northland until you’ve driven the Secret Coast Route between Helena Bay and Russell.
The regional tourism board recommends starting at The Gallery & Cafe Helena Hill, where you can check out works by more than
150 emerging and established Kiwi artists, stroll through subtropical gardens, and feast on the likes of Israeli eggs and lamb burgers with multimilliondollar ocean views.
Other recommended stops include Mimiwhangata Coastal Reserve; a smattering of broad beaches, sand dunes and coastal forest hidden down a long gravel road; Russell Forest; The Farm – where you can live the rural dream for a day or few complete with horses, motorbikes, boats and surfboards; and the 16km Cape Brett Walk. The secret to getting the most out of the route, the board says, is to drive slowly.
This isn’t the quickest route to and from the Bay of Islands, but it is arguably the best route. Grab an icecream, find yourself a nice po¯ hutukawa to sit under and simply relax.