S01-E06.1

North Island of New Zealand - The Adventure Continues

We are back and catching you up on all the things that we did, saw, and ate on the North Island of New Zealand. New Zealand has so much to offer that we needed to split this up into 2 different episodes otherwise you would have been listening to us for 1.5 hours and no one wants that! Episodes 6.1 and 6.2 were recorded at the same time on our last full day in Queenstown before we headed back over to Australia for a good chunk of time.

After the farm, we took the Intercity bus from Huntly (we have been saying Handley…whoops) to Rotorua - which was a quick 2/2.5 hr drive. Rotorua is a very touristy town with lots to offer - adventure sports, helicopter rides, hiking (or tramping), geothermal activities, and all sorts of tours. Our tour / things to do recommendations for Rotorua:

  • The Real Rotorua - Glow Worm Tour with Stephen: LINK

  • The Polynesian Spa - get a massage or just soak in one of the 28 pools. Highly recommend the Delux Lake Spa (area with a cold plunge ‘pool’, great views) and the Pavilion Pools (if you are looking for an area that will not have children under 12): LINK

Places to eat / drink:

  • Urbano Bistro - healthy options: LINK

  • Super Casual Bar & Eatery - good for a quick lunch

  • Pig & Whistle - classic British pub chain with a New Zealand twist: LINK

Where we stayed:

  • Millennium Hotel Rotorua: LINK

After spending two nights in Rotorua, we took a quick Uber to the airport to catch an hour-long New Zealand Air flight to Wellington. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and much more a city destination than the nature and outdoor activities that are the reason you go to Rotorua.

We had a couple of really good meals in Wellington - there were a lot of great-looking restaurants in the city, but having only a short time we did not have time to try much, but I think you could eat very well in Wellington.

Recommendations:

  • Chow - great for lunch: LINK

  • Coene’s Bar & Eatery - amazing green-lipped mussels (on the left): LINK

  • Egmont St Eatery - amazing, fresh, seasonal menu (and orange wine!): LINK

  • Night Flower - cocktail bar with big vinyl collection: LINK

Cocktail bar recommendations that we did not make it to:

  • Crumpet

  • The Puffin

  • Hawthorne Lounge (we tried but could not get it - but they’re open till 3 AM)

If you listened to this episode you will know that we were both pretty sick while we were in Wellington on top of the weather not being great. There was a lot more that we could have done and seen, but we did what we could given the circumstances.

Things that we did and saw:

  • Te Papa Museum: LINK

  • Sunday Harbourside Market (farmers market): LINK