122 kms south of Auckland Route
One goes through hamilton, a major New Zealand city. A pleasant place
but not really to be recommended for a tourist to visit other than to
perhaps shop and enjoy the cafes.
Hamilton is the traveling hub though as one passes through the upper
central portion of the country. Route One continues south while Route 3
heads southwest to New Plymoth. Off Route One to the southeast Route 5
takes off east to Rotorua and one can join up to Route 29 to Tauranga.
For one of the major attractions in New
Zealand south of Hamilton an hour turn
to the Waitomo Caves area.
Take a boat ride or a raft trip in the caves. Stop by Woodlyn Park for
the 1:30 show, a true Kiwi experience. You might want to drive your own
jet boat or even stay the night in a train or perhaps an airplane or
even a hobbit hole. Whatever the area has a lot to
offer the traveler. You might even want to stop and watch them shear an
Angora rabbit!(what!)
For those who
enjoy a walk here in the Waitomo
area you can go on the Dundle Hill Walk, a two day medium level walk
through the picturesque countryside. It is a 27 km walk with a
new 32 bunk Kayes Cabin about half way along.
Check out their
website: Dundle Hill Walk.
Please have a
look at these other websites
also:
Billy Black's
Woodlyn Park
Waitomo
Caves
Black
Water Rafting
Waitomo
Museum of Caves
Waitomo Adventures
Now
let's go on south..................oops wait a minute!
Let's
not overlook a place just 30+ minutes out of
Hamilton (take Route 23 west)
approx 50kms - less than an hour's drive) worth visiting
for those with time, Raglan. A small wonderful community built on a
surfing laid back lifestyle but now boasts quite a town of interest.
Great place to park up and stroll around.
The best way to really enjoy Raglan is to stay at the Raglan Kopua
Holiday Park just a very short scenic walk across the footbridge to the
centre of Raglan situated right on the Raglan Harbour.
Have a look at their web page:
Raglan Kopua Holiday Park
Enjoy this area as there is definitely
several wonderful attractions in the area.
