Other sights in New Zealand
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East Coast Museum of Technology & Transport
The East Coast Museum of Technology & Transport is an improbable collation of rusty tractors, lawn mowers, engines, spanners, ploughs, ovens, chainsaws, trucks, pumps, harvesters, motorbikes and so on – a shrine to peoples’ inventive capacity or their ability to horde junk?
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A
Blue Baths
Within the Government gardens are the gorgeous Spanish Mission–style Blue Baths, which opened in 1933 (and, amazingly, were closed from 1982 to 1999). Today you can visit a small museum (open 10am to 5pm) recalling the building’s heyday, with recorded anecdotes and displays in the old changing rooms. If it all makes you feel like taking a dip yourself, the heated pool awaits. Ask about occasional dinner-and-cabaret shows (per person from $125).
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Waipu Museum
The original 934 British settlers came from Scotland via Nova Scotia (Canada) between 1853 and 1860. These dour Scots at least had the good sense to eschew frigid Otago, where so many of their kindred settled, for sunnier northern climes. Their story comes to life through holograms, a short film and interactive displays at the Waipu Museum.
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B
St Faith’s Anglican Church
The historic St Faith’s Anglican Church is intricately decorated with Maori carvings, tukutuku (woven panels), painted scrollwork and stained-glass windows. One window features an image of Christ wearing a Maori cloak as he appears to walk on the waters of Lake Rotorua.
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Butterfly & Orchid Garden
Kids (little or large) with a fairy complex will adore the Butterfly & Orchid Garden, north of town within the Dickson Holiday Park. It’s an enclosed jungle full of hundreds of exotic flappers.
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C
Raglan & District Museum
The small, musty Raglan & District Museum explores the stories of local Maori and Pakeha pioneers through artefacts, photos and newspapers.
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Rangiriri Heritage Centre
As you follow SH1 south you’re retracing the route of the colonial army in the spectacular land grab that was the Waikato War. On 20 November 1863, 1500 British troops (some say it was 850 – either way, there was a lot of ‘em), backed by gunboats and artillery, attacked the substantial fortifications erected by the Maori king’s warriors at Rangiriri. They were repulsed a number of times and lost 49 men, but overnight many of the 500 Maori defenders retreated; the remaining 183 were taken prisoner the next day after the British gained entry to the pa (fortified village) by conveniently misunderstanding a flag of truce. It’s worth stopping at the Rangiriri Heritag…
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Hobbiton Movie Set & Farm Tours
Hobbiton Movie Set & Farm Tours is the country’s top attraction for LOTR -ites, and pretty interesting even if you haven’t seen the movies. Due to copyright, all of the intricately constructed movie sets around the country had to be destroyed, but Hobbiton’s owners successfully negotiated to keep the hobbit holes, albeit without their wonderful exteriors. Still, for the devotee (of which there are many), it’s an opportunity to let your imagination fly. Also on offer is a hands-on Sheep Farm Experience, explaining all things woolly. Free transfers leave from the Matamata i-SITE. Otherwise, head towards Cambridge and turn right into Puketutu Rd and then left into Bu…
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World of WearableArt & Classic Cars Museum
Nelson exudes creativity: it’s hardly surprising that NZ’s most inspiring fashion show was born here. It began humbly in 1987 when creator Suzie Moncrieff held a local off-beat fashion show. The concept was to create a piece of art that could be worn and modelled. The idea caught on, and the World of WearableArt Awards Show became an annual event. Wood, papier mâché, paua shell, earplugs, soft-drink cans, ping-pong balls, foodstuffs and more have been used to create garments; ‘Bizarre Bra’ entries are showstoppers. The awards show has been transplanted to Wellington, but you can ogle entries at Nelson’s World of WearableArt & Classic Cars Museum. High-tech gal…
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Gumdiggers Park
Kauri forests covered this area for over 100,000 years, leaving ancient logs and the much-prized gum (used for making varnish and linoleum) buried beneath. xxx covers a major gumdigging site – the region’s main industry from the 1870s to the 1920s. In 1900, some 7000 gumdiggers (wearing gumboots – the NZ name for Wellingtons) were digging holes all over Northland. Start with the 15-minute video telling the story of the trees, their mysterious destruction and the gum industry. Rope paths head through the bush, leading past reproductions of gumdiggers’ huts, ancient kauri stumps and holes left by the diggers. It was a hard life for the workers, who used jute sacks for their…
reviewed
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Maungatautari Ecological Island
Can a landlocked volcano become an island paradise? Inspired by the success of pest eradication and native species reintroduction in the Hauraki Gulf, a community trust has erected 47km of pest-proof fence around the triple peaks of Maungatautari (797m) to create the impressive Maungatautari Ecological Island. This atoll of rainforest dominates the skyline between Te Awamutu and Karapiro and is now home to its first kiwi chicks in 100 years. The shortest route to the peak (an hour and 40 minutes) is from the northern side while the entire north–south walk will take around six hours. Take Maungatautari Rd then Hicks Rd if coming from Karapiro, or Arapuni Rd then Tari Rd fr…
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D
Hamilton Gardens
Stretching over 50 hectares of riverbank southeast of the centre, Hamilton Gardens incorporates a large park, cafe, restaurant and extravagantly themed enclosed gardens. The Paradise Garden Collection has separate Italian Renaissance, Chinese, Japanese, English, American and Indian gardens complete with colonnades, pagodas, dovecotes, raked sand and a mini Taj Mahal. Equally interesting is the Productive Garden Collection with its model family-sized sustainable garden, a fragrant herb garden and the precolonisation Maori Te Parapara garden. Look out for the impressive Nga Uri O Hinetuparimaunga (Earth Blanket) sculpture at the main roadside gates.
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Founders Heritage Park
Founders Heritage Park, near the waterfront 1km from the city centre, houses a replica historic village with a bakery, chocolatier, museums, and more importantly Founders Brewery & Café, NZ’s first certified organic brewery. Take a tour, or sip the finished product over a cafe lunch: Tall Blonde, Red Head, Long Black, Generation Ale and Fair Maiden brews. If you’re only visiting the brewery there’s no admission charge to the park. Also on-site is a weekly farmers market.
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Ruapekapeka Pa Historic Reserve
In the months that followed the New Zealand Wars, British troops (united with Hokianga Ngapuhi) fought Ngapuhi chief Hone Heke and his chief Kawiti in several battles. During this time the modern pa was born, effectively the world’s first sophisticated system of trench warfare. It’s worth stopping at the Ruapekapeka Pa Historic Reserve, off SH1 south of Kawakawa, to see how impressive these fortifications were. Here you can wander the site of the last battle of the Northland War, brought to life through detailed information boards. Eventually Heke, Kawiti and George Grey (the new governor) made their peace, with no side the clear winner.
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Kauri Museum
Matakohe’s a sweet village on one of the Kaipara’s many inlets. Apart from its rural charms, the reason for visiting is the superb Kauri Museum. The giant cross-sections of trees are astounding in themselves, but the entire industry is brought to light through life-sized reproductions of a pioneer sawmill, boarding house, gumdigger’s hut and Victorian home – along with photos, artefacts, and fabulous furniture and marquetry. The Gum Room holds a weird and wonderful collection of kauri gum, the amber substance that can be carved, sculpted and polished to a jewel-like quality. The museum shop stocks mementoes crafted from kauri wood and gum.
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Hell’s Gate
Known as Tikitere to Maori, Hell’s Gate is 16km northeast of Rotorua on the road to Whakatane (SH30). Tikitere is an abbreviation of Taku tiki i tere nei (My youngest daughter has floated away), remembering the tragedy of a young girl jumping into a thermal pool. The English name originates from a 1934 visit by George Bernard Shaw. The impressive geothermal reserve covers 10 hectares, with a 2.5km walking track to the various attractions, including the largest hot thermal waterfall in the southern hemisphere. Here you can also see a master woodcarver at work, and learn about flax weaving and other Maori traditions.
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Ruakuri Cave
Culturally significant Ruakuri Cave has an impressive 15m-high spiral staircase, removing the need to trample through the Maori burial site at the cave entrance (as tourists did for 84 years). Tours lead through 1.6km of the 7.5km system, taking in vast caverns with glowworms, subterranean streams and waterfalls, and intricate limestone structures. For as long as this cave has been open to the public, people have described it as spiritual – some claim it’s haunted. It’s customary to wash your hands when leaving to remove the tapu. Tours depart from the Legendary Black Water Rafting Company.
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‘Friends of the Hill’ Museum
North along SH67, the road is pressed against the rocky shoreline by verdant hills. The first town beyond Westport is Waimangaroa, where there’s a turn-off to Denniston, 9km inland and 600m above sea level. Denniston was once NZ’s largest coal producer, with 1500 residents in 1911. An information kiosk and the ‘Friends of the Hill’ museum here bring to life the harsh conditions experienced by the miners and their families. Four kilometres north of Waimangaroa is the Britannia Track (four hours return), winding towards the Britannia Battery’s gold-mining detritus.
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Turangawaewae Marae
Ngaruawahia (population 4940), 19km north of Hamilton on SH1, is the headquarters of the Maori King movement. The impressive fences of Turangawaewae Marae maintain the privacy of this important place, but twice a year visitors are welcomed. Ask at the post office (3 Jesmond St) for directions. Regatta Day is held in mid-March, with waka races and all manner of Maori cultural activities. For a week from 15 August the marae is open to celebrate Koroneihana, the anniversary of the coronation of the current king, Tuheitia. Call ahead to find out about the opening day’s flag-raising ceremony and history tours.
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Visitors Centre
In an old limestone quarry near the waterfront, Oamaru’s blue-penguin colony sees little blue penguins surfing in and wading ashore at the visitors centre. The penguins arrive just before dark (around 5.30pm in midwinter and 9.30pm midsummer) and it takes them about an hour to all come ashore. You’ll see the most penguins (up to 150) in November and December; in the cold months from March to August there may be only 30 to 50 birds. Optimum viewing times for each night are posted at the Oamaru i-SITE. Use of camera flashes is prohibited. It can be cool, so dress warmly.
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Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre
Blenheim’s ‘big attraction’ has always been its wineries, but the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre has blown the wine out of the water. Aided by the creative geniuses that brought us Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson, Wingnut Films and Weta Workshop), this amazing collection of original and replica Great War aircraft is brought to life with a series of dioramas depicting dramatic wartime scenes such as the death of Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. Remarkable memorabilia and photographic displays deepen the experience. It’s powerful stuff. There is a cafe and shop on-site.
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Wai-O-Tapu
South of Rotorua, Wai-O-Tapu, meaning ‘Sacred Waters’, is one of the most famous of the thermal reserves. It has many interesting features packed into a small area, including the boiling, multi-hued Champagne Pool, bubbling mud pool, stunning mineral terraces and the Lady Knox Geyser, which spouts off (with a little prompting from an organic soap) punctually at 10.15am and gushes up to 20m for about an hour. A fairly commercial attraction, it has a large shopping area and cafe, which makes for a reasonable pit stop.
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Anderson Park Art Gallery
In a 1925 Georgian-style manor, this gallery contains works from many NZ artists. There are beautiful, original antique furnishings, block prints, pottery, sculptures, grand landscapes, Greek-mythic Maori village scenes, and portraits. Visit the tearoom to partake of a very civilised (free) cup of tea. Outside, 24 hectares of landscaped gardens are a lovely place to linger, with trees and trails, a children’s playground and a wharepuni (sleeping house). The gallery is 7km north of the city centre; follow North Rd then turn right into McIvor Rd.
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Kiwi Encounter
The highlight of the Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park is Kiwi Encounter, home to NZ’s largest kiwi recovery program − a nationally significant nonprofit conservation project. It offers visitors a rare peek into the lives of not only these greatly endangered birds, but the people trying to save them from extinction. Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster on the excellent 45-minute tours that have you tiptoeing through the actual incubator and hatchery areas. A combo Kiwi Encounter/Wildlife Park ticket costs adult/child/family $42/23/110.
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Butcher’s Pool
A 30km detour from Orakei Korako will take you to Butcher’s Pool, a bedecked but otherwise purely natural thermal spring in the middle of a farmer’s paddock. Alongside is a small parking area and changing sheds. To get there, turn left onto SH5 at Mihi (follow the signs to Rotorua). After 4km look out for Homestead Rd on your right. Follow it to the end, turn left and look for a row of trees lining a gravel driveway off to your right about 300m away (the signpost can be difficult to spot as it’s pointing from the other side of the road).
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