It was a great time visiting this cave in NZ. 1.5 hours drive from Auckland. The weather was great…read morenot too hot just overcast. The entrance was beautifully designed with wood and asymmetrical form. Loved the architect who did this. There were scheduled tours so advise to get tickets early. The cave was well preserved. Our guide was very knowledgeable. The limestone formation has its own origin . No photo, video . Very restricted because they considerate it sacred. There were snacks and coffee shops. Souvenirs and digital photos can be purchased

I had no idea what a glow worm was or that there even was such a thing before this tour and now I'm…read morequite knowledgeable about them. There are no photos allowed on the tour which is actually great because the more your eyes adjust to the darkness, the more glow worms you see. We were allowed to take a photo as we were exiting our boat ride. Our tour guide was knowledgeable about the cave and its history. In fact, he is a descendant of the family that owns it. The highlight was the short boat ride along the river that formed the cave. That is where the glowworms really shine like stars. So cool.

OMG! We stopped her after seeing the "photo interest" road sign while driving from Taupo to…read moreWaitomo. It was a spur of the moment decision. What a spectacular spot! I'm not sure I've ever been somewhere this unique. We ended up walking quite a ways on the Te Waihou Walkway along the beautiful Blue Spring. It was otherworldly in how crystal clear the waters were. Underwater vegetation was plentiful and swaying with the current. This is absolutely worth your stop. The hike is longer than you think it is, but completely worth it. We also encountered lots of interesting birds. This is easily one of the most naturally beautiful places I've ever been on Earth -- solely rivaled perhaps in my travels only by some alpine springs I've hiked along in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks in the USA. I have never seen water this clear and underwater colors this vibrant from the surface.

This place was beautiful! I ran across it while researching places to go in New Zealand. By the…read moretime we got here, I forgot what this place was. We decided to spend 30 minutes here. As it turns out, this was not enough time. This is worth spending at least an hour here if not more. It will take you 10 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the main viewpoint. As you walk down the path, you'll catch glimpses of a stream. But this is no ordinary stream - it has crystal clear water and beautiful plants growing in the stream. The blue of the water combined with the green of the plants create a beautiful combination that looks like something out of a Monet painting. From the main viewing stand, if you look across the stream, there's a nook, and the water there is a beautiful azure color, darker than the rest of the water. Beyond the viewing stand, the path continues, but this is as far as we got. I think the trail goes another 4-5 kilometers. If you are in the area, definitely check this out. It's a great detour when driving between Rotorua and the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, or to Hobbiton. Just plan to spend more time here than we did.

We stopped by Hamilton Gardens on our drive back from Hobbiton to Auckland and really enjoyed the…read morevisit. The gardens are no longer free, they charge $20 admission but it's worth visiting. There are a number of different gardens to walk through (e.g., Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Egyptian, etc) with a lot of thought put behind the design to pay homage to the different artistic styles and evolution of gardens. You really get to immerse yourself into different cultures and expression of art in the garden form through time. I loved the gardens so much I ended up buying the book and have been learning more about the history and development of the gardens (fun fact: it used to be a garbage dump). By the far the best gardens I've visited.

The Hamilton Gardens was our stopover on our way back to the AKL airport from Rotorua. It was our…read morelast bit of sightseeing before flying over to Australia. Parking was free but did take awhile to find an open spot considering it was a weekday. At the garden entrance we found out that admission was still free for anyone showing up instead of just for local Hamilton residents. That was a nice savings of $20NZD pp but not sure how much longer that exception will last. There were 17 different gardens to explore, all different and a joy to wander through. Our top favorites were the following: Mansfield Gardens - According to the signage, the garden may have been influenced by a novel written by Katherine Mansfield. It included a home, grass tennis court, outdoor piano and more. Chinese Scholar's Garden with the pathways lined with towering bamboo. Italian Renaissance Garden with its villa facade, fruit trees and statues. Te Parapara Garden for inclusion of Maori culture and traditions. We spent almost 2 hours here and we all agreed this was a must see when in Hamilton.

Spent a great day here at the Southern Enclosure with the whole family (hubby, boys 7 and 4). I've…read moreheard a lot about this place, but it's taken us a while to finally make the short trek down from Hamilton. When you arrive, there is a car park and visitor centre. Pay for your tickets at the visitor centre. They have some souvenirs and a small cafe there as well. There are toilets near the visitor centre. They have passes for adults, children, a family pass, yearly pass and various options for guided tours. We opted for the self-guided experience (though, I might have chosen the guide if I went without the kiddos). We also had a coupon from the Entertainment Book (buy one get one adult entry). Mostly, this is a great bush walk and place to see native birds. Bring some binoculars if you have them. The pathways are all gravel or raised wooden walkways. We stuck to the Rata path on this occasion, which had some up and downhill parts, but nothing exceptionally strenuous. We packed about 3 bottles of water and brought our own snacks, which was good since the boys expended a lot of energy running around on the trails. I definitely recommend the viewing tower. It was there that we were visited by a kaka. It just landed on the railing of the tower and walked up and down, checking us out, before flying away. There was another toilet along the way. I just constantly encourage everyone to go when there is one, and we didn't run into any troubles by doing this. I also recommend going to the pond. My boys loved looking at the numerous crayfish scuttling along the ground of the pond - water was so clear you could see right to the bottom.

Beautiful walk, if you are out on the road to Whatawhata or Raglan. It's a short walk around the…read moremain track, but worth a visit to take in the regional tree varieties, even in winter. Redwoods, oaks, flowering trees, along with a China section and bamboo forest, just to name a few, reflect a global arboretum collection. Free entry. Modest but clean facilities. UV purified well water available (nonflouridated). Lots of chickens (which little ones seem to love ). Nice trails (~90 minute including return).

I drove down to Hamilton for two of the Black Caps games against India earlier on this year and I…read morewas really impressed with the car parking facilities. There were several car parking areas set-up to accommodate for the influx of Black Cap supporters to the stadium. On both occasions, I paid a mere $5 to park my car in an area that was only a stones throw away from Seddon Park. The park itself has a village green sort of feel to it. The treeline along the embankment offers some shade but I prefer the seated stands. Plenty of food and drink options on site. I can't comment on the toilet facilities as I haven't used them - I don't like public toilets! Getting back to the cricket, the Black Caps are due to take on Sri Lanka for a five-day Test match from 18-22 December, then Pakistan for a T20 international on 17 January in 2016 and Australia for an ODI during the Waitangi weekend. Bring it on!

A nice collection of tree species, with a global presentation from redwoods to China…read more Paths are mostly gravel, so not great for strollers. Picnic tables and serene beauty. Lots of chickens and roosters to entertain the little ones

Free outdoor and natural hot springs to enjoy. Go to the Spa Thermal Park to get access to the…read moreOtumuheke thermal stream that feeds into the Waikato river. From here, you can also do an easy hike to Huka Falls (50 mins one-way) or Aratiatia Rapids (2 hrs one-way). There's a car park at the intersection of Spa Road and County Avenue, but to get closer to the thermal stream, you can continue down County Ave to the end and park at the car park inside the park. From there, you'll do a short 10 minute walk down to the thermal stream. You'll see a bridge with the main pools near the river. This is where most people will be, but if you up a little further uphill, you'll hit a second bridge where it's more private. This area is fenced off though, so it's probably not encouraged to bathe in this part of the stream, although a lot of people still do. The water is pretty hot, so make sure to bring a towel, water to stay hydrated, and a change of clothes for afterwards. Note that there are toilets at the car park, but no changing facilities near the thermal stream itself. Even if you aren't interested in visiting the thermal stream, Spa Thermal Park is well worth a visit to see the stunning scenery of being high up a hill looking down on a large, curved river.

Tons of people, but don't let that discourage you! It's a must-visit free natural hot stream with a…read morebeautiful view/swim of the river. The park's been beautifully designed for enjoying the stream, which is a nice hot 38-39C right under the bridge, and pools down to cooler temperatures further down. It's a great place to relax in a natural setting and meet some people!

I came here with my 3-year-old son, husband, and newborn for a play date with my son's little…read morefriend from his daycare center. We weren't sure what to expect from the experience, but arrived early in the morning (right around opening time) and we all had a blast! Just to be warned, when you are driving to the farm park, the road gets smaller and smaller and you start to wonder if you are going in the right direction. You are. Occasionally, there are additional signs along the road that let you know you are still heading in the right direction. To start out, each family purchased some animal food, which came with a scoop for feeding the bigger animals. Included in the menagerie were: chickens, ducks, pheasants, cows, goats, emu, llamas, ponies, alpacas and sheep. The young ones loved feeding the animals and the grown-ups thought it was pretty cool, too. What I really loved (besides the animals) was that there were several play areas scattered around that gave the boys tons of opportunity to get out their energy and use their imaginations. For example, there was a "construction pit," with dirt, built in diggers and the like. There was a large sculpture of a helicopter that they could sit inside. There was also a large sculpture airplane. We brought a picnic lunch and ate on the tables outside the back of the office area. There were lovely views of the surrounding area. I would highly, highly recommend this place if you have small children - it was a great day out.

Great park! Lots of room to roam, grassy areas, playgrounds and clean toilets! On the water too!read more