Emma Keegan
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Hahei ▷
Hot Water Beach
My boyfriend and I visited a few weeks ago and were a little late to getting to beach as it was raining so there were many holes already dug.
Most people could not find water (there wasn't many people due to the weather which was a good thing)
One hole was hot though and we were able to jump in and share which was awesome, then we shared with others as well.
Overall my mind was blown by how the hot water from underneath the sand was possible, but it was a shame about the weather and also that we were late so the water was coming in. My advice is to get there early and make sure you have a shovel. Also there are no showers where we parked so be prepared to be pretty sandy afterwards. :) All in all a pretty good experience.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Te Pā Tū Maori Cultural Experience
Loved this but was a shame about the weather.
Make sure if it is cold that you expect it to be freezing at village. So wear covered shoes and long pants and a jacket.
Was a little wet and windy as we were outside for some demonstrations.
Food was beautiful but be sure you eat something prior to going as it is quite a while before you sit down to eat meal.
Awesome Haka, singing, dancing and explanations of history.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Waiotapu ▷
Kerosene Creek
Amazing place and due to the weather was very quiet.
So nice and warm and refreshing.
There were blackberries in bushes surrounding creek which was cool also.
A great place for a picnic.
Oh and also TAKE OFF YOUR SILVER JEWELLERY due to sulphur it goes black and gross and then needs a lot of silver polish.
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Thames ▷
Dickson Holiday Park
Butterfly House is separate to this Holiday Park even though it is made out to be part of it.
Washing machines worked well but were overprices compared to other establishments stayed at.
General store was very expensive also and understocked.
Facilities are very old and need updating.
But very nice people running park and was not a bad place to stay our first night in New Zealand.
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Tairua ▷
Epic Adventures
A great experience besides the fact it was so choppy and I was sea sick for about 4 hours.
I bounced back though and caught a kingfish and 5.5kg snapper which was a delicious dinner.
Skipper Owen was nice but became a bit grumpy with others when they snapped some of the line off :(
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Waitomo ▷
Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park
Large Holiday Park with lots of guests but quiet place overall to stay.
Friendly staff, nice hot showers, washing facilities, hot spa open till late, BBQs and kitchen area.
Close to caves and amazing restaurant on the hill next door (make sure you book)
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Piha Domain Motor Camp
This park was in a nice location near beach...however...Road to park is crazy winding around and around corners so be careful driving.
On entering park we were given a code of conduct which we found very aggressive. Even in the laundry room we found threats of bad karma if we did not follow rules to a T. We are people that understand the reason for rules and do follow them, but these seemed extreme and we were quite affronted by them, considering we stayed at many parks throughout the North Island during our trip to NZ with code of conduct sheets also with no threats and angry wording.
About the park itself-showers were annoying as they took forever for hot water to come through and you only received a certain amount of time on your access tag.
We were given directions to local RSL as apparently nothing else was open (which was annoying as we would have enjoyed a pizza or something) but they weren't the best and we ended having to drive as we kept getting lost in the dark. Maybe more lighting in the park would also help. RSL was strange with hardly any food off the menu available and doorman making us go ask a stranger to sign us in when we were clearly out of the area (we are from Australia).
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
OGO Rotorua
This was on my list of things to do before I die and it was well worth it.
Amazing loved every second (even though it was pouring with rain)
My boyfriend and I were so impressed that we are investigating if we could start an Ogo business where we live at home.
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Whitianga ▷
Mercury Bay Holiday Park
Stayed the night as had to get up early for fishing and was really close to wharf.
Got in late and had to leave early, so left and was going to return after fishing. Received a polite note on campervan to remind us to come back and pay.
We returned and were aloud to shower and fill up water and dump waste.
Nice people and great location.
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Coromandel Town ▷
The Waterworks
Heaps of fun with interactive things to play with.
Unfortunately some were out of order :(
Would be a great place to take kids.
Adult flying fox is a bit dangerous as I rope burnt my leg on the way down and it immediately came up as a huge bruise on inner thigh *ouch* but other than that its a great place to explore and play.
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Waitomo ▷
Black Water Rafting Labyrinth Tour
Loved this experience.
Well worth the money. Guides were so friendly and funny. Food was nice after the freezing cold water in the caves. Would definitely do it again!!!!
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Whakatane ▷
White Island Tours
Had a good time, a little pricey though.
I have to admit I thought I was going to see burning hot lava :) haha shows how much I know about marine volcanoes lol
An enjoyable boat ride there and information provided was interesting.
A nice walk around island and talk by guides.
Very smelly due to sulphur (stirred up my asthma quite a bit)
A good experience though.
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Whakatane ▷
Thornton Beach Holiday Park
Great new showers!
Lovely place to stay.
Thanks for the great review Emma.
Louise
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Waiteti Trout Stream Holiday Park
AMAZING place!
Best place we stayed in New Zealand and maybe ever!
Location was lovely next to river with trout, yabbies and free use of dinghy and canoes.
Bathroom and kitchen/BBQ areas were clean and inviting.
Owner was so friendly and helpful with directions and vouchers for activities in town. Even called some bookings we had made to help us confirm pickups.
Ducks were allowed to be fed right by lake which made me happy {and the ducks too} Owner was lovely when I brought a duck up with hook stuck in its mouth and he helped me get it out.
If we had more time we would have stayed longer.
Will definitely keep recommending to others and hopefully will come back one day :)
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Christchurch ▷
Affordable Motor Home Rentals
My boyfriend and I rented a 2 berth from Auckland last week for 10 days.
The service from Danny was great as he picked us up from our hotel and dropped us off at train station when we requested with no fuss. The van itself was good as we had no problems with driving or using it at all. However...on the first night we were a little annoyed to find some blood stains on one of the sheets we were meant to be sleeping on and a mass amount of hair through most of the bedding. (these were meant to be clean)
Only reason for lowish rating is due to the inconvenience of having to wash and dry all bedding before being able to sleep that night.