New Zealand Archives - Traveling U

Hot Water Beach or bust.

Some breathtaking New Zealand scenery along our journeys.

We love tidbits of travel information from locals. We were told of a Hot Water Beach where you can dig your own ‘Hot Tub’ in certain parts of the beach where the volcanic tubes heat the water from underneath but …. you need to wait until low tide, so this only works at certain times of the day… but you need to dig deep, trying not to let the cold ocean water in…. but you have to have something to dig with… we were up for the challenge. We were headed to Matamata so we took a little detour, isn’t that what travel is all about?

WOW!

We stopped in the little town of Tairua close to Hot Water Beach for something very important… food. We not only had food but we had a culinary experience at Manaia! Everything was incredibly fresh, gourmet, and hit just the right spot.

We needed towels for our beach visit so we stopped after lunch at an ‘Opt shop’ (better known to us as a 2nd hand store) which you can find all over Australia and NZ — 4 towels and two bowls later (to dig the sand) — total cost $4.

Dale kept digging by himself while others did the same until they all started working together. That is when it all came together.

We had to keep adding to the edge nearest the water to keep that cold ocean water away but then that was half the fun.

This was the best multi-country community hot tub ever. Our time was spent enjoying conversations with many new friends.

Travel Saving Tips:

1- Ask locals about activities that they enjoy in the area you are visiting. On this particular day, we had the Hot Water Beach recommended to us and we were not disappointed. Better yet it was FREE… a bit off our path but worth a little extra gas.

2- We did not want to pack towels with us to NZ so we bought some at a local ‘Opt Shop’. We bought 4 towels and 2 bowls to dig in the sand (otherwise they charge you to rent one at the beach) … all for $4. Never be afraid to buy items from a 2nd hand stores when you need something that might be only used a time or two, you can’t beat the prices.

Hobbiton… awaiting our next adventure with Bilbo!

“Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank you. Not Today. Good morning! But please come to tea – anytime you like! Why not tomorrow? Good bye!”

-Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit-Unexpected Party)

Unlike Bilbo Baggins we were excited and ready for an adventure!

From the moment we entered Hobbiton our eyes were in constant ‘AWE’ everywhere we turned. The green foliage was so bright it looked as though it was spray painted it on. We were ready to pack our bags and stay for a while… even if we did need to duck a bit.

Any mail today?

Wow! Really the pictures don’t do it justice.

We found the house for us!

Movie sets are typically built for a one time use. Hobbiton was no different. However, as they were dismantling the set after the first Lord of the Rings movie they decided, why not let people come see and feel as if you are part of this incredible world created from the pages of J.R.R. Tolkien. Now that all of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Hobbit’ movies have been filmed here there are even more homes and fresh gardens to enjoy on your visit.

“Cheers” with our freshly made Ginger Ale. Unfortunately Bilbo Baggins was not here to join us for tea.

Relaxing by the fire at The Green Dragon Inn.

“I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: someone has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.”

-Frodo Baggins

We are grateful he saved the Shire for all of us!

No rest for the weary….

Our welcome to New Zealand with a little music in the background… it quite possibly should have made us dance the ‘Haka’ right there in the airport. But of course, Marissa would be incredibly proud of her parents for such a stir — we opted to just walk through.

Joyce decided to join us in New Zealand then Australia for a couple of weeks. Why not? She arrived early one morning and to be helpful we decided to keep her moving during the day to keep her awake but in turn, jet leg was somewhat evaded.

To start off we decided the Auckland three hour walking tour was just the remedy for staying awake. We love the Free tours in many of the cities we have visited and this was no different (although you do leave a tip). They entrench you in grueling and incredible history dubbed with stories and people from over the years. You really get to know the city, where things are and what you want to visit first. We would highly recommend doing this first thing when visiting any city.

The tree Marissa is sitting in is protected in New Zealand and their branches reach to gigantic proportions. You are not allowed to trim or cut them in anyway. It quit possibly would make the base for the most incredible treehouse.

After our walking tour we drove over to the West Coast for a little waterfall walk (Yep, more walking) but on the way we had to stop quit often as there was incredible and perfect photo moments. Dale’s photography radar was going off constantly which translated to many stops along the way, there were a few moments when we thought we might just not make it to the waterfall.

“Kitekite Falls”

Proof we made it!

And Joyce said she has never slept better, go figure!

And Australia makes three!

Our great friends from Chicago came to visit. We started our vacations together in China when they joined a tour we were hosting. The next year we met in Island Park, Idaho for some great snowmobiling with a few families. Now they came to visit us in Australia. We can now say we have vacationed on 3 continents together. We couldn’t wait to see what the next week together would hold.

Keaton and Debbie had arrived early that morning… how do they look so awake and rested after such a long flight? They do have their own secret for that but we will let them share it:) We knew that they needed to stay awake as long as they could and then they would acclimate better to the new time. With that said we planned moving activities, so why not walk to downtown Sydney with the outdoor market, street performers, and lots of fresh air.

Dale and Debbie to see if they could take on a new look…. they opted to not keep these for good. Thank goodness!

This contortionist was not only nibble but she was hilarious. We stood for over 15 min. watching her on the pier by the Sydney Opera House in the distance.

We ended our long day by taking them for a traditional New Zealand meal. The local LDS ward in Sydney was having a family dinner with the big NZ meal cooked underground as it is traditonally done.

This delicious traditional New Zealand meal is called the ‘Hangi’ which means Earth Oven. Historically the Maori’s used this method of cooking meat and vegetables in the ground which gives it a smokey taste. We were lucky enough to experience the full meal cooked just as it was traditionally done. Everything had a wonderfully smokey taste. As they say, “Kaore te kumara e korero motona ake reka”.

Travel Saving Tips:

1- We planned the day of activities with our friends that would not cost anything (while trying to keep them awake and moving all day because they had just flown in that morning – the best way to beat jet lag is to get on the same sleeping schedule of the country you are in). We walked around downtown to some outdoor markets, watched the entertainment on the pier by the Sydney Opera House, & a ‘Hangi’ dinner at our local church. FREE.

2- Keaton is quite the sailor (Yep, at 16) and because ‘Sailing on Sydney Harbor’ was on his bucket list we were able to join. Debbie looked for different offers on various sites such as Groupon, etc… to find the best price to hire out a boat. You can also just google discounts and see what comes up.

Tag: New Zealand

Hot Water Beach or bust.

Hobbiton… awaiting our next adventure with Bilbo!

No rest for the weary….

And Australia makes three!