We spent the night in Wellington (the national capital) at the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, right in the middle of downtown. They use valet parking in the hotel and we were upgraded to a better room. After a very pleasant night, we took in the full breakfast buffet for about $15 NZ each. Pretty standard fare. We had visited the National Museum and the Parliament Building (The Beehive) on our previous visit so did not spend any more time there. We drove north to Napier for the next night. The town is very modern and artsy. It was almost destroyed by an earthquake in the early thirties, and our accommodation was wonderful; third floor overlooking the ocean, with second bedroom, kitchen, hot tub in addition to standard bath and shower, and flat screen TV. The Pebble Beach Motor Inn also has a laundry which is very handy.
We drove north the next day and lunched in Gisborne. My good Kiwi friend, Ron Barlow, who is Sales & Marketing Mgr.-USA for Anzcro-Pacifica, said we had to visit the Gear Meat Pie store in Gisborne, which we dutifully did. Great meat pies and sandwiches. We ate lunch on the beach on the N. side of town. We had a beautiful sunny afternoon, and almost no one on the beach. We spent the rest of the day driving the East cape, which is a lovely drive, but there is very little tourism development in this area. Meaning that motor inns and hotels were almost non-existent. We spent the night near the Oceanside Apts. in Whihau Bay. Don't bother! The place had two rooms, and they referred to a "Kiwi Batch" next door. A real dump of a beachhouse which was misrepresented on their website. I won't bother you with the details, but just never stay there!
The next day we drive to Whakatane, where Ron Barlow's sister lives. The next day we left our accommodation at White Island Rendezvous for the tour out to the only active volcano in New Zealand, White Island. It is about a 2 hour ride out to the island in a 70' boat. You anchor slightly offshore in a wind protected area, and then are taken ashore in a zodiac. You are issued a hard hat and a respirator, because of the volcanic activity and the sulphur fumes you encounter. Guides take you for about a 90 minute tour of the island which is really fascinating and potentially dangerous. Back on the boat for lunch and return to Whakatane. That evening, we were guests of Ron's sister, Leslie and her significant other, Ron, at their home for dinner. Another couple were there who were expats from England. They had lived in S. Africa for a time and we brought a bottle of wine and should have brought a case! They were wonderful hosts and we had a really wonderful evening with them.
The next day we drove to the Coromandel Peninsula which I would recommend to anyone visiting New Zealand. It is simply a lovely and pleasant place to visit for a few days. I would recommend three nights to fully explore the area. We stayed at one of the best B&Bs we have ever visited anywhere in the world: Cotswald Cottage. Google this and you'll see what we mean; a fabulous B&B and Jacqui and Graham are the perfect hosts. We stayed three nights and this is about right to see all the Coramandel has to offer. The accommodations were very nice, and every afternoon when we would stagger back from our forays around the countryside, Jacqui would be there with tea and snacks. The property is just outside the town of Thames, and is quiet and serene yet close to town. They have a solarium which has everything you could think of including a small refrigerator for your wine and some very nice simple touches. A highlight for us was breakfast in the beautiful dining room. They were full all three nights so we had six people for breakfast. We'd go to breakfast at 8 AM and the menu was as extensive as any you would find in a fine restaurant. After breakfast and the dishes were cleared, Jacqui and Graham would join us with their coffee and two mornings we never got up from the table until 10:30! Wonderfully interesting people and fascinating conversation. When we went to depart, Jacqui showed me her kitchen which was commercial quality and very very well done. She and Graham obviously know what they are doing and having come from Britain via Cairo and Thailand to New Zealand, they are fascinating and charming people.
From Cotswald Cottage to Auckland is an easy two hour drive. We turned in the car (the depot was difficult to find and not well signed), and flew home that night.
If you love friendly people, beautiful mountains and scenery, you can't beat New Zealand as a destination.
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