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Waitomo Caves Visitor Centre
The big-three Waitomo Caves are all operated by the same company, based at the spectacular Waitomo Caves Visitor Centre (behind the Glowworm Cave). Various combo deals are available, including a Triple Cave Combo (adult/child $95/42), and other deals incorporate exciting undergroun
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Craters of the Moon
This geothermal area sprang to life as a result of the hydroelectric tinkering that created the power station. When underground water levels fell and pressure shifted, new steam vents and bubbling mud pools sprang up. The perimeter loop walk takes about 45 minutes and affords great
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Wairere Boulders Nature Park
At Wairere, massive basalt rock formations have been eroded into odd fluted shapes by the acidity of ancient kauri forests. Allow an hour for the main loop track, expect a few dips and climbs. An additional track leads through rainforest to a platform at the end of the boulder vall
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Lake Rotokura
Rotokura Ecological Reserve is 14km southeast of Ohakune, at Karioi, just off SH49 (karioi means ‘places to linger’). There are two lakes here: the first is Dry Lake, actually quite wet and perfect for picnicking; the furthest is Rotokura, tapu (sacred) to Māori, so eating, fishing
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MOTAT
This technology boffins paradise is spread over two sites and 19 hectares. In the Great North Rd site look out for former Prime Minister Helen Clark’s Honda 50 motorbike and the pioneer village. The Meola Rd site features the Aviation Display Hall with rare military and commercial
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Mt Pirongia
The main attraction of the 170-sq-km Pirongia Forest Park is Mt Pirongia, its 959m summit clearly visible from much of the Waikato. The mountain is usually climbed from Corcoran Rd (three to five hours, one way) with tracks to other lookout points. Interestingly, NZ’s tallest known
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Wai
Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters) has several interesting geothermal features packed into a small area, including the boiling, multihued Champagne Pool , bubbling mud pool , stunning mineral terraces and Lady Knox Geyser , which spouts off (with a little prompting from an organic soap) pu
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Craigieburn Forest Park
Just off the highway this mountainous area becomes a mecca for ski bunnies in winter, with several fields in its midst. Craigieburn Picnic Area and Campsite (adult/child $6/3) is set in the parks beech-forested lower slopes.From spring through autumn, a track network offers various
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Church of the Good Shepherd
The prime disgorging point for tour buses, this interdenominational lakeside church was built of stone and oak in 1935. A picture window behind the altar gives churchgoers a distractingly divine view of lake and mountain majesty; needless to say, its a firm favourite for weddings.
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Wharariki Beach
Remote, desolate Wharariki Beach is along an unsealed road, then a 20-minute walk from the car park over farmland (part of the DOC-administered Puponga Farm Park). It’s a wild introduction to the West Coast, with mighty dune formations, looming rock islets just offshore and a seal
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Vanished World Centre
Perhaps there wouldnt be quite so many bad dolphin tattoos and dancing penguin films if more people stopped in Duntroon to check out this small but interesting volunteer-run centre. Once you see the 25-million-year-old fossils of shark-toothed dolphins and giant penguins, they sudd
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Mt Ngauruhoe
Northeast of Ruapehu, Mt Ngauruhoe (2287m) is the North Islands youngest volcano. Its first eruptions are thought to have occurred 2500 years ago. Until 1975 Ngauruhoe had erupted at least every nine years, including a 1954 eruption that lasted 11 months and disgorged six million c
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St Paul’s Church
The characterful St Pauls was constructed of Kawakawa stone in 1925, and stands on the site of NZ’s first church, a simple raupo (bulrush) hut erected in 1823. Look for the native birds in the stained glass above the altar – the kotare (kingfisher) represents Jesus (the king plus ‘
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West Coast Wildlife Centre
The purpose of this feel-good attraction is breeding two of the worlds rarest kiwi – the rowi and Haast tokoeka. The entry fee is well worthwhile by the time you’ve viewed the conservation, glacier and heritage displays, and hung out with real, live kiwi in their ferny enclosure. T
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Turangawaewae Marae
Ngaruawahia (population 4940), headquarters of the Māori King movement, is 19km north of Hamilton on SH1. The impressive fences of Turangawaewae Marae maintain the privacy of this important place, but twice a year visitors are welcomed. Regatta Day is held in mid-March, with waka (
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Aratiatia Rapids
Two kilometres off SH5, this was a spectacular part of the Waikato River until the government plonked a hydroelectric dam across the waterway, shutting off the flow. The spectacle hasn’t disappeared completely, with the floodgates opening from October to March at 10am, noon, 2pm an
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Gumdiggers Park
Kauri forests covered this area for 100,000 years, leaving ancient logs and the much-prized gum (used for making varnish and linoleum) buried beneath. Digging it out was the region’s main industry from the 1870s to the 1920s. In 1900 around 7000 gumdiggers were digging holes all ov
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New Zealand Maritime Museum
This museum traces NZ’s seafaring history, from Māori voyaging canoes to the America’s Cup. Recreations include a tilting 19th-century steerage-class cabin and a 1950s beach store and bach (holiday home). Blue Water Black Magic is a tribute to Sir Peter Blake, the Whitbread-Round-t
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Canterbury Museum
Yes, theres a mummy and dinosaur bones, but the highlights of this museum are more local and more recent. The Māori galleries contain some beautiful pounamu (greenstone) pieces, while Christchurch Street is an atmospheric walk through the colonial past. The reproduction of Fred &am
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St Paul’s Cathedral
Even in Presbyterian Dunedin, the established church (aka the Church of England) gets the prime spot on the Octagon. A Romanesque portal leads into the Gothic interior of this beautiful Anglican cathedral, where soaring white Oamaru-stone pillars spread into a vaulted ceiling. The
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