Veronique Kaplan
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Coromandel Town ▷
Waiau Falls and Kauri Grove Lookout Walk
A steep, short walk, 3 hours, getting to a huge grandfather kauri tree: amazing!
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Waitomo ▷
Waitomo Glowworm Caves
Too commercial!
Yes, the glowworms are plenty and it is a beautiful night, but the guided tours ($50) allows only a few minutes watching them. The rest is stalagtites, very common in Europe........
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Museum of New Zealand
The entrance is free and it is great for kids.
But be careful of the parking wardens around, tickets arrive quickly!
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Te Puia Guided Tour
The entrance fee is outrageous, and it is like turning Maori Culture into a show watched from a zoo!
It is too bad because the geyser valley is beautiful, but the visit is too organised that it spoils the magic of it.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Tarawera ▷
Tarawera Trail
A great hike!
15 km in beautiful native forest to get to a hot spring at the beach on the lake. A reasonable fee for the water taxi to get back, if you do not to walk back.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Golden Bay ▷
Wharariki Beach Walk
Easy to find on the map, look for the 'kiwi beak' shape.
The Farewell Spit, mouth of Golden Bay. It is the most beautiful beach in the world! I also saw baby seals in little swimming holes there.......
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Mt Maunganui ▷
Mount Maunganui Summit Walk
This place is near a beach tourism resort.
Even though it is very busy with tourism, the place remains friendly, offering a large variety of activities and beautiful settings. There is a beach for surfers and another one for grandmothers and in between, a nice dynamic little town with lots of shops and restaurants.