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| Thursday, 09 September, 2010 |
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Hamilton/Waikato Updated April 2010   Balloons Over Waikato Festival www.balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz Each Autumn Hamilton hosts the Balloons Over Waikato Festival for five days. We visited in 2009 to see the NightGlow display - around 30 inflated balloons glowing in the dark, live music and fire works added to the festive atmosphere on the grounds at the University of Waikato. (Admission to all events is free for spectators). Visit the website and click on "Photo Gallery" to see additional photographs and to find out more about the festival).  Hamilton V8's (16-18 April 2010) www.v8supercar.co.nz An event for the petrol heads - V8 Super Car Circuit, central Hamilton.  Toothbrush Fence, 294 Limeworks Loop Road, Te Pahu, RD5, Hamilton www.tepahu.co.nz To find the toothbrush fence you are going to have to get off the beaten track and onto a narrow, gravel road (you will also need a decent map). To get there you need to follow SH23 towards Raglan, turn off after Whatawhata into Te Pahu Road, then turn into Limeworks Loop Road. Limeworks Loop Road is tar sealed initially but it turns into a gravel road that you need to follow for approximately 2kms until you see the toothbrush fence. Click on the Te Pahu link above to see a newspaper article about the fence as well as photos. For your iPod: The Datsuns formed in Cambridge in the late 1990s and they opened for Metallica on their 2004 Australian tour. The Datsuns drove to fame with hits like .... Stuck Here For Days, Harmonic Generator, In Love, So Long and Eye Of The Needle. Tim and Neil Finn from the well known bands Split Enz and Crowded House were raised in Te Awamutu. Finn fans can visit the "True Colours" exhibition at Te Awamutu Museum, Roche Street - www.teawamutu.co.nz. The Museum "Where History Never Repeats" is open Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm; Saturday 10am - 1pm and Sunday 1pm - 4pm. Admission is free. (Te Awamutu is 30km south of Hamilton). Located 48 kms west of Hamilton, this small beach settlement is full of cafes and art / craft shops. If you’re a surfer you are in for a treat, Manu Bay may have the longest left hand break in the world. You can also surf at nearby Whale Bay - you will need your own transport as both bays are a few kilometres from Raglan centre. If you're a spectator the skill of the surfers who come out in force on the weekends in Raglan make kicking back at the beach more interesting. In summer, Raglan is one of my favourite spots in NZ, it's the sort of place I intend to visit for the day but end up wanting to stay for the weekend.    Getting to Raglan - you can catch a bus from Hamilton to Raglan, click here for details. There is also a shuttle service connecting Auckland, Hamilton and Raglan, click here for details. Rohi Manu Accommodation www.rohimanu.co.nz If you want to splash out and stay in a boutique bach have a look at this site for some options. Rates from $150 per night - minimum night stays apply. Raglan Surfing School & Surf Dames www.raglansurfingschool.co.nz If learning to surf is something you've always wanted to do, consider learning in Raglan. One on one or group surfing lessons are available, packages including accommodation are on offer if you want to stay a few days. Girls should check out Surf Dames - women surfers who offer surf lessons and a women only surf and spa retreat. For other women friendly options around the country visit our Women Travellers section.  If you stand in the main street of Te Kuiti (The Shearing Capital of the World) at the annual "Running of the Sheep" event ewe'll be shearing the road with truck loads of sheep as part of The Great NZ Muster. No bull, just lots of wool.   We went down to Te Kuiti for The Great NZ Muster 2010 and really enjoyed the day out. Sheep Trick (for the day), Echosurge and 878 Records were just some of the great musicians performing on the Festival stage. The Kindy Duck Race was too cute - a couple of hundred yellow plastic ducks floating down the "rapids" under the King Street bridge. Nice work by the Dads who were "duck herders" for the race. Rotary Club members roamed up and down Rora Street selling $2 tickets for "Count Sheep" aka guess how many sheep are running on the day, closest guess wins $1000. There were plenty of food and retail stalls to browse and the chance to watch top shearers at work. Retailers and businesses joined in the festivities and my pick for best sheep related name goes to the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) who were "Gold n Fleece" for the day.   Thanks to the lovely ladies from the Te Kuiti i-SITE who handed us reusable "Great NZ Muster" shopping bags. The number of sheep who sheepishly (at times) made their way down Rora Street was 1079. My guess for "Count Sheep" was 734, a baaaad estimate. (At last years event the sheep were a lot more feisty apparently - some jumping the fence and heading off down side streets, read an article about the event here).  Waitomo Caves are a popular attraction (and deservedly so), 2.5 hours south of Auckland. The caves are a magical underground world well worth the detour. Glide through the glow worm caves on a boat or try black water rafting or abseiling if you're feeling inclined. If you would like to spend the night somewhere unusual in the Waitomo area see the Hamilton / Waikato section of the Unusual Accommodation Guide. Especially interesting is Woodlyn Park at 1177 Waitomo Valley Road, Waitomo. At Woodlyn Park you can sleep onboard The Waitanic or in a Plane Motel. Lord of The Rings fans can bed down in The Hobbit Motels and train enthusiasts can sleep onboard The Waitomo Express.   |
North Island
Auckland Bay of Islands/Northland Coromandel/Tauranga Hamilton/Waikato Hawkes Bay/Gisborne Manawatu/Wanganui New Plymouth/Taranaki Rotorua/Taupo Wellington south island
Blenheim/Picton/Nelson |