We've just returned from an amazing family holiday to Rotorua with our two youngest girls.
Both Symon and I remember our parents taking us to Rotorua for holidays when we were young, but neither of us have visited Rotorua since.
While we are on our extended holiday/sabbatical, and because we wanted to visit a Pastor friend in Hamilton, we decided to turn our trip into a mini family getaway.
Our Roadtrip from Whangarei started with the classic stop off at Puhoi for their amazingly cheap and giant icecreams. The girls loved it.
We decided to stop in Cambridge for lunch (loved visiting "Paddock" for lunch - so good 👌) and had a little explore around the shops while there.
From there we headed off to Rotorua while listening to the classic and one of the best podcasts for long road trips called "Lore", after having already nearly exhausted our 80's music playlist.
Finally we arrived in Rotorua and first on the list once we'd checked into our hotel and explored the town and had dinner was the Redwoods Tree Walk!
This amazing adventure is a must see. You can either walk above the trees during the day or night. We chose the night option and it was sooooo good! The photos don't do justice (you can't capture the amazing lights on a phone camera) but if you're in the area, definitely put this on your to do list.
Check out their website here.
Day 2 included visiting Whakarewarewa Living Maori Village and Thermal Reserve. Both Symon and I remembered visiting here as children, and it was just as stunning years later.
It's so hard to comprehend the bubbling mud and steaming pools as you walk through the tracks. Also the fact that the village is a "living village" with families still living there amongst the pools and geysers.
The location is stunning and we had out breath taken away more than once.
The rest of the day was spent exploring Rotorua town Centre, eating and also taking the Gondola ride (multiple times) to view the city from high up.
Day 3 was home time, but we left with full hearts after having so many great adventures. We swung by Hamilton and spent some time there before heading back to Whangarei.
Favourite food places we highly recommend checking out are Pig & Whistle for that classic English pub meal (their chicken tacos and ribs are amazing along with their burgers).
Also Sobar & Cafe have the coolest Kumera fries and wedges and are located in the middle of Rotorua's "Eat Street" which gives it such a fun vibe for dining out, especially at night.
Lastly, while you're there, make sure you grab an ice cream or sorbet from the famous Lady Jane's Ice Cream Parlour. I loved their vanilla coconut sorbet 👌🍦.
So appreciative for this special family time and for our beautiful country of New Zealand.
For more Roadtrip adventures, visit here.