#tongariro golf course

[postcard-from-the-past]

Chateau Tongariro Golf Course in New Zealand

New Zealander vintage postcard, mailed to Australia

[polwarth]

view from the golf course (🤮) in Tongariro National Park

[tinytourist]

Mā te Wā (See You Later) New Zealand

What began with just one COVID case on August 18th 2021 became NZ’s longest lockdown, spreading to over 1,000 Kiwis. It has been 53 days since we were in Queenstown and heard the announcement, and Auckland is still in Level 3 lockdown. This cancelled my trips to Abel Tasman, Stewart Island, and a last road trip, but it did not change my plans to go back home. This meant that I had to leave without saying a proper goodbye.

Alecia, Aidan, Greg, and Kaitlin formed my “leaving committee” they all chipped in and got me a beautiful pounamu (greenstone) necklace which is a taonga (treasure) to the Māori people. In addition to that, they sent me off in the best lockdown fashion - by putting together a goodbye video with messages from my friends across NZ. It’s a beautiful memory that I will enjoy being able to watch at my leisure.

In reflecting on these last 19 months, I put together some highlights and notes from my experiences in NZ:

Stats:

Time spent in NZ: 20 months (609 days)

Time spent in lockdown (Levels 3 & 4): 123 days

Steps taken: Over 7.5 million

Miles walked: Over 2,900

Trips taken: Over 33

Locations visited: Over 122

Activities:

Kayaking

Tramping (hiking)

Spelunking for glow worms

Boogie boarding

Camping

Climbing

Rock skipping

Cliff/rock jumping

Mountain biking

Luge-ing

White water rafting

Black water rafting

Frisbee golf

Skiing on a volcano

Wine tasting

Fishing

Boating

High ropes course

Bird watching

High-quality cooking

Stargazing

Backpacking

Road tripping

Highlights:

Favorite North Island Trip: Great Barrier Island

This is a trip that most tourists and kiwis alike never get the chance to do. Great Barrier Island is 100 km away from Auckland and is covered with breathtaking beaches, scenic bushwalks, and top-notch fishing if you’re into that sort of thing.

Favorite South Island  Trip: Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo is a beautiful town at the base of a large lake surrounded by often snow-capped mountains. Trekking around here will give you the quintessential South Island views. The town is an International Dark Sky Reserve, and the Mount John Observatory offers a spectacular stargazing experience.

Favorite Hike: Tongariro Crossing

This was the longest and most crowded hike I went on; however, the wide variety of landscapes and challenging conditions made it the most rewarding.

Favorite Day Trip: Tiritiri Matangi 

It’s just a 75-minute ferry ride from Auckland to this beautiful bird sanctuary. For $10, you can get a guided tour and learn all about the native birdlife and endemic plants. There, you even have the opportunity to see takahē in the wild!

Favorite Park in Auckland: Western Springs Lakeside Park

Western Springs Lakeside Park doubles as a wildlife sanctuary and was walking distance from my house. There, you can see black swans, ducklings, pukekos, shags, geese, eels, and more.

[tehyabrd]

neuseeland entdecken (9)

Popular attractions also include the Wellington Cable Car, the New Zealand Parliament, Zealandia and the Wellington waterfront. The drive across the central plain of the North Island offers fantastic views of the Tongariro National Park. Your room is quiet and comfortably furnished. On the private terrace we could review the day with a glass of wine. On the way you will also pass the small town of Motueka. We recommend stopping there to stock up on food, as there is no supermarket in Marahau itself. The flight time from Germany to New Zealand is about

For those who like it more relaxed and upscale, Queenstown offers excellent gourmet food and wine, spa treatments and golf courses. A half-hour drive from Dunedin takes you to Lake Waihola, a popular destination for picnics, boat trips and water skiing. Continue through the Catlins, where winding roads lead to wild beaches full of fur seals and sea lions, rippling waterfalls, hidden trails and pristine rivers. Rotorua is located right on the Pacific Ring of Fire - no wonder the volcanic activity of the earth can be felt everywhere. Explore the region's geothermal parks and enjoy a relaxing evening in a hot thermal bath. No other coastline south of Hawaii has more breakwaters per kilometer. 365 days a year you can board at Ohawe, Kaupokonui Beach or Kina Road Beach. The surf school with equipment rental at Oakura Beach in New Plymouth is a great place for beginners and professionals alike. From Christchurch one of the most beautiful train rides in the world takes you across the alpine South Island. In the north, the journey leads to the geothermal wonderland of Rotorua, where you can immerse yourself in the fascinating Maori culture.

A country for adventurers

campervan hire New Zealand here.

trip to the highlights of New Zealand

Or you can take the gondola to the top and enjoy the view of the lake and the surrounding mountain ranges. Saying goodbye to this cosy town is not easy, but a great ride towards Te Anau awaits you. First you follow the course of Lake Wakatipu and then turn off towards Te Anau. An impressive rock formation with a small canyon. Or you can start a little earlier and stop on the way to Abel Tasman Park for a short stroll in Nelson. Once you arrive in Marahau, we will accommodate you in comfortable chalets where you can cater for yourself. The accommodation is situated on a hill, which gives you a great view of Sandy Bay.

[wegiveitfivemonths-blog]

Evening. Today was meant to be the Tongariro Crossing, however we were heavily advised against it by a rather abrupt New Zealander. Something about 50mph winds and minus temperatures... So, with a day to kill, we decided to hit the golf course.(Before this we went to the library to charge stuff and abuse the wifi. We then sat and had PB and J sandwiches in the car, an absolute taste sensation by all accounts.) By golf course I of course mean THE CRAZY GOLF COURSE. Some spectacular putting was on display with me and Harriet drawing yet again!! She did concede defeat to me as on one particular hole she decided to hover the putter around my backside which caused a terrific mishit. It took all of my willpower to prevent a Tiger-esque meltdown (there was a small strop). Ryan and I then attempted the Taupo hole-in-one challenge. A three flagged platform 112 yards out on the lake, £10,000 for anyone who could defy the swirling wind and hole one out. The stage was set, the tension palpable and the onlookers (Ally and Harriet) practically salivating with anticipation. We left moral victors and that's all that matters. A scenic drive to MOUNT DOOM followed (it has another name but for the life of me I can't remember it). This forms the focal point of the Tongariro Crossing which we will be starting at approximately 5.45 tomorrow morning. It's supposed to take 9 hours so snacks and sun cream aplenty. About to go and have a shave and am very tempted to get rid of the goatee. With such a strong moustache, I don't want other bits of facial hair ruining its majesty. Pictures may follow if i don't look like a child who's taken to their upper lip with a biro...

[chauffeuredtours]

What we do at Chauffeured Tours New Zealand.

We are 4 & 5 star Tours experiences & Transport from two up to 50 people at a time.  New Zealand being a small place the way we do business in NZ is a more dynamic way in we cater to a bord range of needed and are big on problem-solving to meet clients and guest needs. 

Auckland is a town of 1.7 million in a country with a total of around 5 million population with many of the larger cities on the seaside such as #Auckland #Whangarei #Tuaranga #gisborne #napier #NewPlymouth #Wellington #picton #nelson #Christchurch #Dunedin #invercargill 

With other main cities on the banks of major rivers and clear water lakes such as #laketaupo which is the capital of #troutfishing in the world for good reason.

Hamilton #hamilton with its gardens and Waikato river is the home to one of our agricultural universities and a place of a great deal of farming innovation has happened over the years. New Zealand's largest dairy factory lays on the Hamilton city limits at Te Rapa owned by the worlds large dairy company Fonterra.

Rotorua sometimes called Roto-Vagas #rotorua (the Maori name translated Rua = 2, Roto = lake) Rotorua has a group of lakes here are a few locals secrets and Chauffeured tours can escort you to all of these lakes as this is where we roamed in our youth  

To the East is Tauranga  

#Tauranga is a harbourside city in the #BayofPlenty region on New Zealand's North Island. It hosts historic buildings like the Elms Mission Station, an 1847 Georgian-style home. A bridge over the harbour connects Tauranga to Mount Maunganui, a beach town with hot saltwater pools and an extinct namesake volcano with winding walking paths. Offshore is the active volcano White Island, not accessible as of 2019 when helicopter and boats use to take people to the Island. The Island was named by Captian Cook in 1740 for the white stream that to this day still releases.

Te Puke the world capital of Kiwi Fruit  #Tepuke #kiwifruit #foodproducer #convitahoney Te Puke is a town located 28 kilometres southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty of New Zealand. It is particularly famous for the cultivation of kiwifruit. Te Puke has a population of 7,496 as of the 2013 Census.

#Whakatane  Whakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region in the North Island of New Zealand, 90 km east of Tauranga and 89 km north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatane River. The town developed gradually, and its major expansion dates back to the draining of the neighbouring Rangitāiki Plains in the early 20th century, which brought surrounding farmland into production. A paper mill was established in 1939. Whakatane is a very important place to Maori culture and heritage and the #Tuhoe people and well worth your time to visit. There is also a number of other reason to visit this area Fishing & hunting, Ohope International Golf Course.

#Taupo The Taupo District is a district in New Zealand. It covers 6,350 km² of land, as well as a further 610 km² of the lake area, both in Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake, and also in the smaller Lake Rotoaira. Lake Taupo was the second biggest volcanic eruption in the history of the world and what was left behind has become the trout fishing and fly fishing capital of the world.

#Turangi Turangi is one of the playground areas for kiwis and international travellers to New Zealand. This is where the Queen mother (England) use to come to fly fish for Rainbow trout, there is even a trout pool named after her as it was a favoured place she fished.  

Turangi is a small town on the west bank of the Tongariro River, 50 kilometres south-west of Taupo on the North Island Volcanic Plateau of New Zealand known for the Tongariro crossing, ski field and Sir Edmund Hillary outdoor center. The town was built to accommodate the workers associated with the Tongariro hydro-electric power development project and their families. 

If your needing tours or upmarket transportation give us a call on +64 276 093 396 or  email: book@chauffeuredtours.co.nz

http://chauffeuredtoursnz.com 

[rentersblog]

How Renters can buy their own home  - its affordable with a cunning plan

How Renters can buy their own home  - its affordable with a cunning plan.

It is  totally possible for Renters to buy their own home within 2 years

but you'll  need a plan,

and be willing to move to a location with cheaper rents. ( so that you can save) such areas usually have the affordable houses too.

Save save save!

You have to get somewhere so you can Save!

So perhaps get a job with accommodation included.  For example, Farmworkers often get free accommodation as do Kiwifruit pickers so keep an open mind and look around.

so if you are able to move location, then think about moving to rural NZ and get a lifestyle change

do it for 2 years to save hard and get your deposit together.

Affordable House

A House recently sold in Shannon for $205k

https://www.trademe.co.nz/property/residential-property-for-sale/auction-1651853263.htm?rsqid=3765fcc3916240969fb3bf411e3f1e80

Where's Shannon? Its a sleepy village/town in the middle between Levin and Palmerston North, its a quaint village with all you need for an easy and affordable lifestyle.

it's cheap living, no parking meters no traffic lights,  and it does have schools. pubs sports ground, golf club. etc.

It may seem remote but in reality, it’s  not far from anywhere:

only 16km ( 15mins) from Levin, ( the nearest town centre)

only 30km ( 27mins) to Palmerston North,

20km ( 25mins ) to the beach. and no parking problems when you get there.

110km ( 90mins to Wellington city) during off-peak times of course,

and trains the capital connection commuter train stops at Shannon so you could do a daily commute to Wellington city centre?

If you need a job in a major centre, there are two nearby (  Levin and Palmerston North ) remember rural commute times are a breeze ( no traffic snarls) or rush hour. and it always takes the same time every day.

cheap living so you can save.

At a quick glance, average rents for a 3 bedroom house  in Shannon seem to be around $200/week

So for a dual income household, you can certainly afford to save. hard If you buckle down and save hard and tighten the belt you could build up your $30k deposit. 

To buy a local home you’d need as combined nett income of $40k.

To buy a $150k house you only need to save  $30k deposit but could maybe get away with as little as $15k  as you could get 5k each from a  first home buyers grant, It pays to talk to a mortgage broker. As they may know of other options

And if you got a mortgage approved and bought a home for $150k

your weekly mortgage repayments at (4.50%)  would be about  $660 per month and never worry about a Landlord again. but you must remember to allow for other expenses like  Insurance and rates. but rural living can be cheaper than a city because you won't be paying city prices for services like Doctors and Dentists.

Where else is cheap living?

The West Coast ( Greymouth) is certainly cheap but jobs may not be so plentiful.

Murupara  a forestry village, ( 60km from Rotorua  or 78Km from Whakatane

Invercargill, Southland is also affordable.

Or Lake-side towns for adventure lifestyle living.

Turangi,  ( 50km south of Taupo) ( 40mins to the ski field on Mount Ruapehu) and based on the shore of Lake

 Taupo,& Tongariro river.

Mangakino lake-side  village ( 50km, 46mins north of Taupo)

We've analysed the Rental Bond data to find the places with the average cheapest rents see my Blog Post " Where are the cheapest places to rent in NZ  it turns out that Manawatu-Wanganui region has the cheapest average rent and that is the region that includes Shannon & Levin.

so the big question is; Are you prepared to make a lifestyle choice and move to a provincial town?

If you make the big move and rent for a couple of years you can try before you buy and see if you like living there. worst case scenario if you buy a house and then decide that you don’t like living there you can always sell your house ( for a profit) or rent it out and become a Landlord.

Help Us to Help others, if you found this useful, please share.

or if you want to follow us see  our Facebook page

Regards

Harvey, Founder, Rentwiz.nz

[domonthego]

Taupo is a popular holiday destination for New Zealanders and served as our next stop on our Kiwi road trip. Taupo is located on Australasia’s largest lake Lake Taupo, which was formed by a mega volcanic eruption over 20,000 years ago. If you have been doing a bit of travel research on Taupo already, then you know the explosion was massive enough to be noticed in both China and Europe. Imagine the travel delays you would encounter if we had an eruption like that today? Fun fact – the caldera is now full of water (lots of it) and this lakeside town draws in tons of tourists every year.

Summer in Taupo offers plenty of fishing and water sports on the lake, while winter will have you switching your adventure activities to the ski slopes of Mount Ruapehu. We had the opportunity to visit just before the peak summer season. When we weren’t enjoying the lake we were exploring the many activities available in the Wairaikei Tourist Park.

During out stay we booked a room at the kitschy Wellesley Hotel On The Lake. The accommodation was cheap as chips and located within a short drive from everything we did during our weekend lake retreat. The nautical, fishing décor made it a perfect place to properly enjoy true road trip vibes.

Here is a snapshot at how we spent our time in Taupo.

// LAKE TAUPO

Getting on the lake is a must-do when in this beautiful town. Not only does it get you out on this natural, volcanic wonder but it also allows you to check out the beautiful houses that are bank side and enjoy the surrounding mountains.

When planning our time on the lake we were keen to look for options to get to the famous Maori Rock Carvings at Mine Bay. The 14-meter carving of the Maori ancestral high-priest Ngatoroirangi was completed in 1980 and helps preserve the local Maori culture. The Maori people believed that Lake Taupo was the pulsating heart of Maui’s fish – New Zealand’s North Island. The most popular way to get a view of the face and other surrounding carvings is by taking a scenic cruise across the lake. At time of publishing there are three main cruise companies that offer trips out on the water. You just need to choose the type of boating experience you want – steamboat, catamaran or sailboat.

We opted to join Sail Barbary to enjoy the waters aboard one of their two beautiful sailboats. We choose them as they take smaller groups out on the water and have the ability to get the closest to the rock carvings. The team was very friendly and gave us insight into the rich culture and history of Taupo’s local Maori tribe – the Ngati Tuwharetoa.

The rock carvings were fantastic. As you look at this piece of art you begin to notice the smaller carvings surrounding the tattooed face. The Sail Barabary team explained that they depict the ancestors and guardians of the local Maori tribe. Super cool stuff.

//Wairaikei Tourist Park

There is no missing the numerous signs of fun things to do in Taupo as you enter the city. What you will find is that most of those activities take place within the Wairakei Tourist Park. When we were not on the lake, we were out and about exploring the various options that tend to keep tourists busy during their time here. The park uniquely offers a combo of adrenaline activities with nature and active geothermal sights.

Our first stop was checking out the Waikato River plummeting through Huka Falls. There is a great viewing bridge just off the parking lot. It’s at this chasm where a typically 100-meter wide river quickly slims down to 15-meters and aggressively fights its way through a gorge. Looking for a more adventurous way to see the falls? Check out one of the jet boats that zips around and almost gets you underneath.

We opted to enjoy a stroll on one of the great walkways alongside the river to Spa Park. We walked through the lush forests and were treated to lovely views of the Waikato River and surrounding valleys. If splashing about in natural hot springs is your thing, be sure to pack a swimsuit. There are a few options to hop in the water along the way – including the Otumuheke Stream.

Wanting to explore the geothermal activity in a different way, we made our way to the Craters of the Moon geothermal area.

This park lets you wale a 45-minute trail on the largest geothermal field of New Zealand. Meandering along the main pathway lets you to check out multiple volcanic craters and walk through steam pumping from the ground below.

While it felt very safe walking on the wooden boardwalk, I couldn’t help but think about the craziness that was going on meters below us as. It made for a fun day out for sure.

A short drive from Taupo is also Mt. Tongariro National Park – home to the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, one of New Zealand’s most popular day hikes. If you are planning on tackling this bad boy, be sure to plan in advance for a permit and allow for flexibility due to weather. Our crossing day was cancelled due to extreme winds – which you will find is quite common. Giving yourself a cushion of a day or two might help ensure you do not leave disappointed.

There is plenty to do in Taupo even if you are not interested in geology or water sports. Taupo has plenty of cycle trails, golf courses, health spas and fun options for the kids – including the much visited Huka Honey Hive and Huka Prawn Farm.

ENJOY TAUPO? FOR MORE HIGHLIGHTS ON OUR TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND BE SURE TO CHECK OUT DESTINATIONS // NEW ZEALAND.

Taupo is a popular holiday destination for those visiting New Zealand as it combines adrenaline activities with nature & VERY active geothermal sights. This North Island vacation destination is located on Australasia’s largest lake Lake Taupo, which was formed by a mega volcanic eruption over 20,000 years ago. Too cool not to make it a pit stop on our Kiwi Road Trip. Here is a snap shot of Taupo and our geothermal adventures there. #Taupo #NewZealand #TravelBlog Taupo is a popular holiday destination for New Zealanders and served as our next stop on our Kiwi road trip.