whakatane to hawkes bay

...take the scenic route with apex car rentals. Sample extract from "New Zealand Driving Holidays" guidebook Whakatane to Hawkes Bay chapter.

Set amidst jewel-like crater lakes, Rotorua offers stunning, contrasting scenery in an active volcanic wonderland of spouting geysers, bubbling mud pools, fumaroles and natural thermal springs and spas. Further south, NZ ’s largest lake, Lake Taupo, is fed by sparkling ice-melt from the mountains of the Tongariro National Park. It too was formed by volcanic activity - an eruption so large it was recorded by Chinese and Roman writers. The region’s extraordinary landscape and unique range of cultural experiences make it a ‘must-see’ on any NZ itinerary. We spend three days travelling from Whakatane to Napier via Rotorua and Taupo. We explore several thermal parks, soak in hot pools, enjoy a traditional Maori hangi, dine on trout, take a balloon ride over the Huka Falls, and travel the historic Taupo-Napier highway to the Art Deco city of Napier and the gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers.

day three: taupo to napier

Key
- Destinations
- Apex Locations

White Island splutters on the horizon as we bid Whakatane farewell and drive inland on SH30 past Mt Edgecumbe’s tall cinder cone to Lake Rotoma. It’s our first glimpse of the lakes for which Rotorua is renowned.

We stop at Hell’s Gate in Tikitere, home to Rotorua’s most violent thermal activity, which Bob’s keen to see after the excitement of our White Island sojourn. We walk on platforms over a fiery landscape that features not only a mud volcano but also the largest hot water falls in the Southern Hemisphere. Adjacent at the popular Wai Ora Spa we watch women cake themselves with detoxifying mud then soak in warm thermal pools. Bob’s tempted but it’s a bit early in the day for me.

We drive into Rotorua where we visit more thermal activity at Whakarewarewa and watch spellbound as the famous Pohutu geyser erupts in a spray of boiling water. Whakarewarewa is also home to the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute where we see trainee carvers, weavers and greenstone sculptors using traditional techniques to craft a wide range of wares. On Lake Rotorua’s waterfront we lunch in the company of graceful black swans, then stroll through the Edwardian elegance of the Government Gardens past the world-famous Bath House building, which houses a museum, before turning back to the car.

Rotorua is a whirlwind of activity but the real beauty of the region lies in its natural surroundings and it’s easy to find a quiet place away from the crowds.

I take Bob for a drive to Lake Tarawera, stopping briefly at the Blue and Green Lakes to admire their respective colours before continuing on to our destination, which basks under Mt Tarawera’s sultry gaze.

So tranquil are the surroundings, it’s hard to imagine that this sleeping giant was responsible for one of the worst natural disasters in NZ’s history. On the night of June 10th 1886 Mt Tarawera erupted, killing 151 people in the surrounding area and destroying one of Rotorua’s popular attractions, the Pink and White Terraces...

Please click the link to download the full Whakatane to Hawkes Bay scenic drive, courtesy of apex car rentals new zealand... the kiwi way

To read more extracts from our driving holiday's guidebook please click on any of the following links:

• Auckland to Bay of Islands and Northland
• Cape Reinga and the Far North
• Auckland's West Coast Beaches
• Waiheke Island
• Auckland to Whakatane and the Bay of Plenty
• East Cape and Poverty Bay
• Whakatane to Hawkes Bay
• Rotorua - Maori Culture and Adventure Activities
• Hawkes Bay to Wellington
• Wairarapa- The home of Martinborough Wine
• Wellington to New Plymouth
• New Plymouth to Auckland

• Picton to Christchurch
• Akaroa and Banks Peninsula
• Christchurch to Queenstown
• Queenstown fabulous Queenstown
• Christchurch to Dunedin
• Dunedin to Te Anau
• Stewart Island
• Fiordland to Milford Sounds
• Central Otago
• Queenstown to Greymouth
• Greymouth to Nelson
• Murchison
• Nelson to Golden Bay
• Nelson to Picton

purchase nzdh online

If you would like to purchase a copy of this stunning nz pictorial guidebook online please click here (RRP $24.95 plus postage)

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