29 February 2020 - Napier to Gisborne - New Zealand

Happy leapyear day! We had not spent much time in the rest of Napier, so this morning we went exploring was has been called the Art Deco capital of NZ. It was a little bit cloudy and rainy, but the weather eventually cleared.

We also found a nice farmer's market and sampled some of the local foods and produce. I love farmers markets!

Next, we headed north out of town with the goal of driving around the eastern cape, starting at the town of Gisborne. With no further tours scheduled, we were free to go whatever pace we wanted. Along the way, we found another hike/waterfall.

We also stopped in the small town of Wairoa and visited a black sand beach nearby.

The day ended at Makorori Beach. Leveraging our self-contained status on the camper van, we enjoyed a peaceful night at the ocean.

28 February 2020 - Napier - New Zealand

I asked my travel companion if there was anything in NZ she really wanted to experience. Besides the awesome suggestion for whitewater rafting, she said we needed to visit some wineries. While I am not much of a fan of wine, I do like learning about farming and processes. We discovered that here on the North Island there is a whole trail of locations starting on the southeast coast with Napier. The drive was a few hours but very pleasant views of rolling hills and a few waterfalls.

We left early and arrived with plenty of time to take an afternoon wine tour. I do like it when someone else is driving as I can enjoy myself a little bit more. Our first stop was the Pask winery as well as a visit to the unique local vineyards. I learned a great lesson on the difference between wine grapes and table grapes.

Next, we visited Ash Ridge winery for another tasting as well as a nice little meal (all the yummy things you can pair with wine). There was a neat sign post here with distances to other famous wine regions. While there was no love for Temecula, it was fun to see Stelenbosh (Capetown, South Africa) and the distance.

Our final winery of the day was Moana Park, a unique location known for all vegan wines. Now that was a learning experience. I figured that all wines, from grapes, were already vegan, but I didn't realize all the additives that often get added. Popular animal-derived fining agents used in the production of wine include blood and bone marrow, casein (milk protein), chitin (fiber from crustacean shells), egg albumen (derived from egg whites), fish oil, gelatin (protein from boiling animal parts), and isinglass (gelatin from fish bladder membranes). It was refreshing to enjoy such a simplified wine.

We ended the day with a walk to a Mexican Cantina (had to see what a NZ variation was like for a pair of Californians) and then watched the sunset from Perfume Point.

 

Here's the video...

https://youtu.be/fBs76iT6wwQ

27 February 2020 - Lake Taupo and Turangi - New Zealand

We left Matamata and headed for Lake Taupo. On the way we found Haka (foam) Falls. The lake and similarly named town was a nice treat and I wish we could have spent more time exploring. However, we had a goal and an appointment the next day in Turangi, about 40km on the other side of the lake. If you look closely enough, you can see Mt. Ngauruhoe (LotR Mt Doom in Mordor) in the distance.

What was that goal?

We went white-water rafting for the first time in our lives. I was definitely stepping out of my comfort zone for this but decided it was important. The water was cold! Our guide, Jess, taught us the commands and helped our random group of strangers navigate a class 3 rapid. I am hooked and can't wait to go again.

Video:

26 February 2020 - Hobbiton (Matamata) - New Zealand

One of our major goals on this trip is to visit the Hobbiton movie set, featured in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. This movie set exists on someone's private farmland and has an army of gardeners and tour guides delivering the magic daily. 

We walked around the village visiting many of the hobbit holes, Bilbo's house, and finally the Greed Dragon inn. At the inn, we enjoyed a nice adult beverage (i had a hard cider).

I recommend this tour to everyone. My only gripe was that it was really crowded and felt a little rushed. If I get to do this again I will go with dinner at the green dragon evening event.

Here's the video:

25 February 2020 - Athenree to Tauranga to Matamata - New Zealand

The only real thing I scheduled on this trip was our Hobbiton tour on the 26th. I figured we had time today to make the short drive to Tauranga and then on to Matamata. The day started with a coffee and a visit to the nearby Bowenstown Beach.

From here we started our drive to Tauranga. I was not sure what to expect or do here but had the name in my list of recommended places to visit. It turns out this small port city has a number of activities. There is a small seaport (I called it a mini-long beach). There are fantastic shopping and restaurant areas. Finally, there is Mount Maunganui and Beach. This last part is where we spent the majority of the day hiking and wading.

I wish we could have spent another few days here taking in more of the NZ beach city culture. Alas, we had to continue on to Matamata.

24 February 2020 - Whangamata and Athenree - New Zealand

Today was more of a relaxed travel day. I had randomly chosen a hot spring/campground on our route to Tauranga. The day started with a surprise visit from the Camp Cat "Popsie". We also stopped along the way at a roadside farm stand and purchased some fresh apples and prince plumbs.

We stopped briefly in the town of Whangamata (the WH actually has an F sound in the Maori language - so this one sounds like Fang-a-mata). I really loved the beach town we found here!

Finally, we continued on the Athenree to enjoy some hot water springs as well as another nearby beach. We also enjoyed one of the best sunsets of the trip. The colors were amazing.

Video:

23 February 2020 - Hahei, New Zealand

One of the first locations we wanted to visit is called Cathedral Cove. Our campground at Hahei Beach would serve as a nice base of operations (as well as a nice beach to enjoy). This area was a great deal of fun to explore.

We started our day with a hike to the Cathedral Cove, Stingray Bay, and Gemstone Bay.

The total round trip took us about 2 hours of hiking. Ending back at the beach, we enjoyed dinner at a local brewery.

 Here is the video tour...