Article summary: Discover the Best Free (and Cheap) Hot Pools in Taupo and Rotorua! The North Island of New Zealand is chock-full of natural hot springs, thanks to a volcanic landscape that’s created an abundance of geothermal activity. The regions…
The Best Mount Maunganui Walks: How to Hike the Mount
Summary of post: the two best Mount Maunganui walks, and what to know before you go! There’s a lot to see and do in Mount Maunganui, including its gorgeous white sand beach and lovely cafes. One thing you absolutely can’t…
Ultimate Coromandel Road Trip: 17 Epic Stops & Tons of Things to Do in the Coromandel Peninsula
Looking for things to do on your road trip to New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula? You’ve come to the right place! In this guide, you’ll find heaps of awesome places to visit along a Coromandel road trip, including beaches, walks, camping…
7 Free, Fun Things to Do in Rotorua, New Zealand
Trying to find out what you can do in Rotorua for free? If so, the answer is…heaps! In this guide, we’re sharing our favourite free activities in Rotorua, including free hot pools, nature walks, lakes and other outdoor attractions. Rotorua…
A Back-to-Basics Hideaway by the Sea: Maraehako Campground
Over the past few years of living in New Zealand, we’ve been lucky enough to visit some pretty amazing campgrounds. One of the very best camping trips we took this summer was to Maraehako Campground. Located in the Eastern Bay…
Piha Beach: Where Mountains Meet the Sea
Just under an hour from Auckland lies one of the North Island’s most magnificent treasures: Piha Beach. Piha Beach is just one of the many stunning places in the Waitakere Ranges, a subtropical chain of mountains covered in jungly forest…
The Best Things to Do in Napier: a Travel Guide to New Zealand’s Art Deco Capital
Napier, in the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand’s North Island, is a wonderfully pleasant place to visit. While Napier is now a mecca for anyone seeking a bit of the good life, a haunting past precedes the city we…
3 Beautiful Waterfall Walks in Tongariro National Park
With an otherworldly volcanic landscape, epic mountains, lush beech forests, stunning waterfalls, and heaps of great day walks, Tongariro National Park is a must-visit region on New Zealand’s North Island. One of the best ways to experience the natural beauty…
A Fairytale Hike on New Zealand’s North Island: The Te Waihou Walkway (Blue Springs)
In the middle of New Zealand’s North Island you’ll find one of the best easy hikes the country has to offer: the Te Waihou Walkway. The Te Waihou Walkway is an out-and-back hike that leads to Blue Springs, a place…
Hiking in an Enchanted Forest: Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park
In the heart of the North Island stands a forest unlike any other: the Whirinaki Forest. It’s one of the world’s last remaining prehistoric rainforests and it’s the most peaceful, mystical forest we’ve ever set foot in, with tons of…
A Treetop Wonderland in the Coromandel
One winter weekend, Tyson took me away for a night with no indication of where we were going. We hopped in the car from our Auckland apartment on a Saturday morning and hit the road, and it was only when…
These Hidden Coves Near Waihi Beach are Well Worth the Hike
Hidden just around the corner from Waihi Beach are a couple of stunning beach coves – both sheltered by looming pohutukawa trees with pristine sand, clear waters and not a house in sight. Both require a hike to get to…
