New Zealand: North Island

First of all, New Zealand is gorgeous.  It is by-far the most beautiful country I've been to in all my travels.  We spent two weeks in total exploring New Zealand, one week on each island. So let's start with the North Island.

Wellington

We began our travels on the North Island in Wellington.  Wellington is a great city right on the coast.  If I lived in New Zealand, I would want to live in Wellington.  It wasn't my favorite city, but it's a super chill, cool city that offers bigger city options while feeling small.  It is also the capital of New Zealand.  We arrived late (almost midnight) Monday, April 13, so we went straight to the hotel to get a good night's sleep.  We stayed at the Rydges Hotel.  The hotel was in a great location, had lovely, plush beds and a really helpful staff.  The only con was the breakfast.  It was extremely expensive and not great, in my opinion.  It was a mid-range option and satisfies all our needs while in Wellington.  We spent 2 nights in Wellington, but only one full day exploring the city.  We saw the capital building, also known as the Beehive due to it's unique shape, then headed to old St. Paul's Church.  St. Paul's was built in 1866.  The church has an interesting history with the US and armed forced.  An American flag is displayed inside the church to pay homage to US troops who were stationed in New Zealand.  Every year, the church has a memorial service to honor the fallen US troops on Memorial Day.  We walked through Cuba Street which is a fun street full of stores and great cafes and eateries.  We took the Wellington Cable Car, which has been in service for 110 years, to the lookout point above the city.  It provides a fantastic view of the city and coast.  Lastly, we wandered over the Te Papa Museum which is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand.  It provides some great exhibits on Maori history (the native people of New Zealand), New Zealand history, and New Zealand's natural world (including a huge preserved giant squid).  It was interesting to learn more about the country, specifically the Maori influence on the New Zealand culture.  I particularly enjoyed watching a Maori haka (or "war cry") dance, which is now traditionally performed before rugby games.  Here is a haka performance; it's seriously awesome and so intense.  If I were playing rugby against a team that did this, I'd be pretty intimidated.  They scream and make crazy faces and stick their tongues out.  Seriously, watch the video! 

Beehive

St. Paul's

Had to.  #lawnerd

Supreme Court of New Zealand

 

We finished up our day of exploring with a great dinner at the Ortega Fish Shack.  It's the #1 rating restaurant in Wellington and for good reason.  We had some delicious seafood followed by a coconut panna cotta with lychee sorbet, passionfruit curd and meringue.  Yum!  It has great ambiance and a lovely selection of wine and liquor.  It's a great, sit-down option with local fare.  After eating, my mom headed back to the hotel to rest and I headed to the Welsh Dragon Bar to meet some friends (Dawson, a Marine who was stationed in Phnom Penh for a year and his girlfriend Therese) I had met in Cambodia; after leaving Cambodia, Dawson was stationed in New Zealand.  We enjoyed some local beer and cider and caught up.  We even all matched in plaid which was hilarious.  It was great to end my time in Wellington with some familiar faces and good drinks. 

Team Plaid. 

On Wednesday, April 15, we got up early, met our bus, and headed north towards Rotorua. We opted for the bus because it was (1) cheaper than renting a car, and (2) we both wanted to be able to look at the scenery.  On the way to Rotorua, we passed through Tongariro National Park which features Mount Ngauruhoe (better known as "Mt. Doom" from movie "The Lord of the Rings").  The park itself features stunning and somber scenery.  We also passed through Lake Taupo and the town on its shores.  It was a beautiful little town, and if I ever return to New Zealand, I think I'd love to spend some time there. 

Rotorua

In Rotorua, we experienced our first AirBNB accommodation.  I'd always wanted to try AirBNB, and thought it'd be a great way to get some ideas on what to see since you are staying with a local.  We stayed with an older couple in a little cottage in their backyard.  They were the sweetest hosts in the whole world, even feeding us when we showed up late the first night without having had dinner.  They gave us the rest of their dinner which was some yummy vegetable soup.  If you are ever if Rotorua, I would highly recommend staying with Floss and John in their cute little cottage.  We spent in total 3 nights in Rotorua, exploring the town as well as the surrounding area.

On our first day in Rotorua, we went to one of the famous geo-thermal parks, Waiotapu.  We walked all 3 walking tracks which took us by bubbling mud pools, highlighter-yellow pools, steaming cracks in the ground, and clouds of sulfur.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous for a stroll through the park.  We spend a couple of hours enjoying the sites and the sunshine before heading back into town. 
           

 

We headed back into town to town to ride the Rotorua Gondola (a tram) that goes up to a lookout point and provides great views of the town and lake.  Once up there, we decided the Alpine Luge looked pretty fun, so we bought some tickets and raced down the luge track.  It was pretty fun and random.  After leaving the lookout, we headed downtown for some grub.  We lucked into finding an outdoor Thursday night market with lots of fresh seafood and local fare.  We enjoyed some oyster frites, seafood paella (my favorite!), kettle corn and hot chocolate.  There was live music and twinkling lights strung back and forward between the food vendors.  You could tell it was mostly a local crowd which made it extra special.  I love going places and feeling like a local.   

 

The Friday in Rotorua was possibly one of the best days of the whole trip.  One of the tourist spots I'd been dying to visit while in New Zealand was The Shire, home to Bilbo and Froto Baggins.  I'd heard from fellow travelers and travel bloggers that it was super fun, a must-see for a Lord of the Rings fan.  I love Tolkien, the Hobbit and TLOTR...books and movies alike.  There is just something magical about the adventures the Baggins clan finds themselves in.  The Shire is located about an hours drive from Rotorua, outside of the town of Matamata.  We rented a car and enjoyed the spectacular drive through the country.  The Shire is located on a private-family's farm; this family was approached during a film scouting trip by Director Peter Jackson and crew and agreed to allow production on their land. 

 

Jackson had the set built and the movie was filmed on the farm.  Borrowing from Wikipedia, following the shooting for the Lord of the Rings, the area was returned to its natural state, but even without the set from the movie, people figured out where the location was and the area became a prime tourist location. Later, The Shire was revisited by Jackson for the Hobbit.  The Hobbit was filmed in the exact same location as previously shown in TLOTR, but unlike the previous set,  Hobbitton (as it is seen today on tours) was constructed out of permanent materials so that it will last for several decades.  The family now operates tours through The Shire daily, and it is estimated that they make around 18 million a year.  Crazy!

 

My mom had never watched any of the films, but even she enjoyed walking around the set as it's full of cute, little hobbit holes and lush gardens. The inside of the hobbit holes are not decorated, so it's basically just an entrance, but nonetheless, you can still open the door and step inside.  The tour ends at the Green Dragon Inn where tourist can enjoy 1 of 3 local brews made exclusively for Hobbiton, a ginger beer, cider, and ale.  The cider was delicious!     

The most famous Hobbit hole of all :)



Green Dragon Inn

After leaving Hobbiton, we headed back to Rotorua, stopping a few times along the way.  We stopped in Tirau for some antique shopping and lunch.  Tirau has some weird shaped building including their I-Site (tourist) center which is shaped like a dog.  Very random, but a fun, quirky little town nonetheless.  After Tirau, we stopped at a hiking trail (the Te Waihou Walkway) and walked back to the beautiful, clear waters of the Blue Spring.  It's basically a beautiful stream with crystal clear water and lush plants on the bottom.  It's bright blue and green.  The pictures honestly don't do it justice.  The walk was beautiful as was the reward at the end.  I highly recommend making this short stop if you are coming back heading back to Rotorua. 

Blue Spring

 

 

After our hike, we hightailed it back to Rotorua to make our spa appointment at the world-famous Polynesia Spa.  It was a big of a splurge, but well worth the money.  It was voted as one of the 10 top day spas in the whole world.  Due to the geothermal activity in the area, the spa has mineral pools to soak in (that overlook the lake, swoon) that provide a variety of health benefits.  For years, people have been traveling to Rotorua to enjoy the benefits of these natural springs.    The alkaline pool Whangapipiro (later re-named Rachel Spring) and acidic pool Te Pupunitanga (later called the Priest Spring) have been known and used by Maori for generations. Borrowing from their website, here's how the Spa distinguishes the types of mineral water on site.  "The Priest Spring has the perfect balance of acidity to provide soothing relief for tired muscles, aches and pains. The Priest Spring was named after a Catholic Priest called Father Mahoney who after bathing in the spring claimed to have been cured of his Arthritis.  Historically it was said that those who swam in the Rachel Spring waters will be blessed with ageless beauty - as the alkaline water has a natural antiseptic action due to its sodium silica content. Rachel Springs was named after Madame Rachel of Bond Street born in 1820, who in her time was a cosmetician, con artist and blackmailer who tried to sell for ever beauty products to women."

After soaking in the baths for an hour, we were taken inside for our treatments.  My mom had a mud massage while I opted for the mud facial (in an attempt to get the Cambodian dirt out of my poor pores).  It was so relaxing, definitely the best spa experience of my life.  



Not my own picture, but I didn't take a picture inside the spa.  But these are the mineral pools overlooking the lake.

We were sad to leave Rotorua, but excited to head toward the South Island which is really the gem on New Zealand.  We loved our time in Rotorua, and I'm really glad we spent so many days there.