Martinborough is a picturesque vineyard region near Wellington. Coming through the Ngauranga Gorge on a sunny day, you can enjoy some stunning views. Many people come to Martinborough for excellent wine and culinary experiences. Not many of them actually know that you can admire purple fields of fragrant lavender here. In summer the Ranui Essentials…
Coromandel
There is a bit of nostalgia in today’s post as we visited Coromandel peninsula and Tauranga in the summer of 2015. At that time, we were in a fairly decent climbing form and decided to follow the instructions in our climbing guide and explore a hidden gem few kilometers from Rotorua – the Mangorewa Rock….
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is one of the rare areas spared of the tourist madness. That’s one but not the only reason I love it there. It is spectacular. We took an advantage of the long Labour weekend and explored Wairarapa a little bit more. The highlights of our trip were definitely Rimutaka Forest, Putangirua Pinnacles, Cape Palliser…
My favourite facts about New Zealand
Do you love ocean? Move to New Zealand. No part of the country lies more than 140 km from the sea. The Māori name for New Zealand is ‘Aotearoa’ – it means ‘land of the long white cloud.’ There is certainly a lot of beauty hidden under this cloud. The first man to…
Organic Dairy Farm Bentham
When you come to New Zealand on Working Holiday Visa, you most likely end up working in agriculture, either on orchards, vineyards or farms. Most lazy assess, like me, don’t quite enjoy it and just survive it to earn some money. There are, of course, some exceptions – like my friend Honzik. He spent 3…
Northland – where Tasman meets Pacific
After a short break in Auckland, where we enjoyed the hospitality of our friends on the Te Atatu Peninsula, we set off for the last part of our 2015 summer adventure – to explore the northernmost part of New Zealand – Northland. This subtropical area is well-known for its beautiful beaches, dunes and majestic Kauri…
Northland
Te Ara Hikurangi
During the first Christmas we spent in New Zealand, in 2014, we decided to climb the Te Ara Hikurangi mountain in Ngati Porou area. With its 1752 meters, it is the highest mountain of non-volcanic origin in the North Island. Mt Hikurangi is situated on the east coast and thanks to its location, it is…
Lake Waikaremoana
This majestic lake is located in Te Urewera on the North Island, 80 kilometers west-southwest of Gisborne (our base at Christmas 2014). It covers an area of 54 km2 and its Maori name can be translated as “The Sea of Rippling Waters.” The lake is 256 meters deep and that makes it the deepest on…