Top of the World by turutia

Want to explore the North Island of New Zealand in two weeks or less? You may not be able to see all of the splendor that this region has to offer, but follow RealTravelers, turutia for ideas of what you can see in a short amount of time. They started off in Picton to take the ferry over to the North Island, and were soon off to Wellington for a free one hour tour of the Beehive (Capitol Building), Lake Taupo for its beautiful scenery, and Rotorua for its “Thermal Wonderland” and pretty gardens:

“Government Gardens is a large beautiful park in Rotorua with roses and hot springs and a great museum. We sat for a while and watched a bowls tournament that was taking place on the grounds, and found while it may not be the most physically challenging game, it does involve great skill. These ladies were able to make their balls move in ways that seemed to defy the laws of physics.”

We once again did not allow enough time to do Rotorua justice, stay more than 1 day, do a lot of the touristy things (there are heaps of them), put up with the traffic by walking everywhere. (more…)

Then they were off to explore Mt. Maunganui by foot, an activity that was recommended to them at their hotel:

“A tramp up Mt. Manganui is a real highlight of a visit to Tauranga. There are two tracks up the mountain, one labeled as moderate, the other labeled challenging. We took the harder track and while it is steep, it is well maintained with steps. On our return trip we started back down the moderate track and found it steeper and gravelly. Hiking shoes are a good idea, though I did see several young women in jandles making their way up and down. The views along the way and at the top are magnificent.” (more…)

Visit turutia’s travel blog for the rest of their adventures in New Zealand, and for more ideas, be sure to visit:

New Zealand Travel Blogs
New Zealand Travel Ideas
New Zealand Tourism
National Geographic on the North Island