One of the things we have found we must do before arriving in a new destination is to do some research to find out what points of interest there. We have in the past, found out too late that there was something of interest that we would like to see only to realise we haven't allowed enough time. Some times we have friends that tell us of good places to visit but otherwise we rely mostly on a couple of good books that we were given as Christmas presents. They are proving invaluable (but only if we do the research before hand) so thank you Julianne and Glenda.
The 'A Driving Guide' has excellent maps as well as many places of interest along the way.
The 'Excellent Short Walks in the North Island' is just that. Walks up to 2 hours which is just perfect for us. So now there is no excuse to find a good walk or visit places of interest along the way.
So some place we have visited recently after consulting our books:
Lake Waikaremoana
We did a day trip to Lake Waikaremoana while we were in Wairoa. Rather than dragging the bus into the area, we detached the car and away we went. It was an hour's drive to the lake and then another 20 minutes to the visitor's centre at Aniwaniwa. This lake is set in the heart of the Te Urewera National Park and there is definitely plenty to do and see. There were several short walks listed so we did two -
Papakorita Falls (easy 10 minutes) and Lou's Lookout ( Medium 45 minute return.)
Link to the Lake Waikaremoana
Morere Springs.
This little gem was not far from Mahia Peninsula. We left Mahia quite early (by our standards!) and got to the Springs just after 9am. While we were waiting for it to open at 10 we had our breakfast.
When we went in, we were the only people there so there was no need to pay extra for the private pools. The reception staff we were very friendly and suggested that for first time visitors that we go up to the Nikau Plunge pools which we did. We spent a very relaxing hour and a half in the two warm pools, and avoided the cold one. The area is surrounded in bush, mostly nikaus, that was full of bird life. There were also some walking tracks so we chose to walk the 20 minute loop one, before returning to the bus and our journey to Gisborne.
Link to further information: Morere Springs
Eastwoodhill Arboretum
This place is a 35km drive from Gisborne and has according to our books, 'the most impressive collection of Northern Hemisphere trees in NZ'. Of course winter is not the best time to visit a place like this but we felt that it would be well worth a wander around and we weren't disappointed. Once again we had the place to ourselves and we spent a good hour or more exploring the different tracks that are all marked with different coloured leaves.
Further information can be found at: Eastwoodhill Arboretum
The 'A Driving Guide' has excellent maps as well as many places of interest along the way.
The 'Excellent Short Walks in the North Island' is just that. Walks up to 2 hours which is just perfect for us. So now there is no excuse to find a good walk or visit places of interest along the way.
So some place we have visited recently after consulting our books:
Lake Waikaremoana
We did a day trip to Lake Waikaremoana while we were in Wairoa. Rather than dragging the bus into the area, we detached the car and away we went. It was an hour's drive to the lake and then another 20 minutes to the visitor's centre at Aniwaniwa. This lake is set in the heart of the Te Urewera National Park and there is definitely plenty to do and see. There were several short walks listed so we did two -
Papakorita Falls (easy 10 minutes) and Lou's Lookout ( Medium 45 minute return.)
Link to the Lake Waikaremoana
 |
| Papakorita Falls |
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| Lou's Lookout |
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| Looking from the road up towards Lou's Lookout. |
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| Lunch at a picnic table in the camping ground. |
Morere Springs.
This little gem was not far from Mahia Peninsula. We left Mahia quite early (by our standards!) and got to the Springs just after 9am. While we were waiting for it to open at 10 we had our breakfast.
When we went in, we were the only people there so there was no need to pay extra for the private pools. The reception staff we were very friendly and suggested that for first time visitors that we go up to the Nikau Plunge pools which we did. We spent a very relaxing hour and a half in the two warm pools, and avoided the cold one. The area is surrounded in bush, mostly nikaus, that was full of bird life. There were also some walking tracks so we chose to walk the 20 minute loop one, before returning to the bus and our journey to Gisborne.
Link to further information: Morere Springs
Eastwoodhill Arboretum
This place is a 35km drive from Gisborne and has according to our books, 'the most impressive collection of Northern Hemisphere trees in NZ'. Of course winter is not the best time to visit a place like this but we felt that it would be well worth a wander around and we weren't disappointed. Once again we had the place to ourselves and we spent a good hour or more exploring the different tracks that are all marked with different coloured leaves.
Further information can be found at: Eastwoodhill Arboretum
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| The Winter Sweet in full flower. |
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