April 15, 2026 – Eight days and 890 miles later, we said goodbye to the South Island and touched down in Auckland. A 2.5-hour drive brought us to Tauranga — and a peaceful lakefront apartment that felt like exactly the right place to stop.
April 16, 2026 – Rolled out of our lakefront apartment and straight to a kiwifruit farm — though the harvest was already done and dusted. We still snagged a dozen freebies, unripe but free is free. Okere Falls delivered stunning waterfalls and daredevil rafters for our viewing pleasure, followed by the most obscenely generous plate of ribs I’ve ever faced. Kiwis don’t mess around with portions.
Te Puia was the highlight of the afternoon — a living hub of Māori arts where the next generation learns to carve and weave using centuries-old and modern techniques. The motto on the wall said it best: “Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity.“ And as a bonus, the grounds treated us to a spectacular geyser eruption. Rotorua’s geothermal drama, front and center. Chills — of the non-volcanic kind.
We ended the day in a darkened room cooing over kiwi birds — a 15-month-old chick stole every heart in the room. Honestly, it’s no surprise someone looked at that little fluffball and inspired a stroke of marketing genius: renaming the humble Chinese Gooseberry after this adorable bird (in the late 1950s). Best rebrand ever.
Who doesn’t love a kiwi — bird or fruit?
April 17, 2026 – A day built for simple pleasures – hikes, waterfalls, lake-side stroll and the quiet indulgence of thermal pools.
In Waikite Valley Thermal Pools, we melted into open-air baths warmed to a dreamy 41°C, steam curling lazily into the air as the rest of the world got on without us.
I found myself hoping, perhaps a bit optimistically, that the mineral waters might calm the sandfly bites on my hands—the one small blemish on an otherwise beautiful journey.
