Christina’s Journey Journal

Tag: New Zealand

  • Rotorua —> Tongariro, New Zealand 🇳🇿 – Day 5 (March 20, 2026): Chasing Steam, Waterfalls, and a Perfect Slice

    Rotorua —> Tongariro, New Zealand 🇳🇿 – Day 5 (March 20, 2026): Chasing Steam, Waterfalls, and a Perfect Slice

    Today was one of those days where New Zealand just keeps showing off and it’s just fine with us!

    After a gorgeous sunrise over Rotoua Lake that we could see from our hotel window, we made our way to Wai-O-Tapu Wonderland, which is on the ancestral land of the Ngāti Tahu – Ngāti Whaoa iwi (tribe). Neon pools, bubbling mud, steam rising out of nowhere…it’s wild, colorful, and smells exactly like you’d expect (hello, sulfur).

    The Artist’s Palette
    Champagne Pool
    The largest hot spring in NZ. This isn’t one you want to bathe in as it’s 165 degrees Fahrenheit! It’s made up of minerals like gold, silver, mercury, sulfur, arsenic, thallium, and antimony. How’s that for a geothermal cocktail?
    The bubbles are caused by carbon dioxide and produce a champagne-like effect. That’s a 700 year old vintage!
    Roto Karikitea – a much cooler 57 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s formed by the run off water from temhe Champagne Pool. It gets its color from the deposit of minerals suspended in the water and refracting the sunlight. It’s very acidic with a Ph of 2!
    Rua Pumahu

    Then we made sure to time it just right for the Lady Knox Geyser show, which erupts every day at 10:15 am. And yes, it’s triggered by eco-friendly soap (you heard that right), but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. A guide shared the history with the gathered crowd, and sang a beautiful Māori song as the geyser shot skyward right on cue, about 65 feet.

    The story goes that this geyser was discovered by prisoners in 1901 when they went to wash their clothes. They added soap to the water and all of a sudden, it triggered an eruption! They uncovered that adding soap reduced water surface tension.
    Lady Knox is named after the daughter of the 15th governor of New Zealand.
    Made in New Zealand 🍫

    ‼️ Food alerts – I had the best gluten free chicken bagel sandwich I have ever had at the Visitor Center Cafe. In addition, we finally tried Whittaker’s famous Peanut Slab bar. For all you chocolate fans—so good!

    We continued our drive and traded geothermal energy for raw power at Huka Falls. And no, we did NOT raft over these falls! We hiked for a short 15 minutes and heard them before we saw them. The electric blue color is unreal! It comes from really clear water packed with tiny air bubbles created as the Waikato River is forced through a narrow gorge. The bubbles scatter the light in a way that gives the water that signature aqua color before it explodes out into a rush of whitewater. It’s loud, intense, and you can feel the force of it.

    Next stop: Taupō.

    Lake Taupo

    And Lake Taupō is massive—like, “are we sure this is a lake?” massive because it felt more like an ocean! It’s the largest lake in New Zealand, over 238 square miles, which is 25% larger than Lake Tahoe in the U.S. We walked along the water, and grabbed a slice—the dessert, not the New York kind. 


    Traditionally eaten during an afternoon break, New Zealand slices are café-style treats. They typically have a buttery shortcake base with an assortment of toppings like chocolate, caramel, pistachios, etc. the 3 above are all Gluten Free❤️

    Oh, and check out this airplane that is attached to the Taupō McDonald’s! Don’t know why but there’s a sign that they were voted the coolest McDonald’s in the world! 🌎

    Then it was back on the road toward Tongariro. The drive itself felt like part of the experience—lots and lots of rolling hills, wide open landscapes, and views that never end. Every view is a photo opp!

    Radiates Pine Trees, they’re missing their pants!

    We pulled into Tongariro around 4:00, and it was exactly what we needed. Cozy, simple, and quietly charming.

    The star of the show was…well, the stars! 🌟 I could see the Milky Way with my visible eye. Minimal light pollution and the right season (March-September) helped. I count my lucky stars!

    Speechless

    Tomorrow’s the big one. Stay tuned!

  • Auckland, New Zealand 🇳🇿 – Day 2 (March 17, 2026) – From Hobbit Holes to Underground Stars, “I’m going on an adventure!”

    Auckland, New Zealand 🇳🇿 – Day 2 (March 17, 2026) – From Hobbit Holes to Underground Stars, “I’m going on an adventure!”

    The magic of Middle-earth 🧙

    There are places you visit on a trip, and then there are places where the line between reality and a story simply disappears.

    Hobbiton, nestled amongst the rolling green hills outside the small farming town of Matamata, is one of those places.

    For a few hours, we weren’t just looking at a movie set—we were wandering through the Shire itself. And somehow, it felt completely real.

    ☘️💚☘️

    Today we visited the top tourist attraction in New Zealand—The Hobbiton Movie Set. We heard the story of how the Hobbiton came to be and the amazing work that’s gone into preserving this magical place.

    In 1998, location scouts for director Peter Jackson were searching New Zealand for a “shire” that could be used in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

    From a helicopter, they spotted a farm that had all 3 main requirements: a sheep farm with rolling green hills, a lake, and no main road. That farm belonged to the Alexander family. A deal was made.

    Construction began shortly after where 44 hobbit holes were built into the hillsides, along with gardens, fences, and pathways.

    When the films became a global phenomenon, fans kept showing up asking where Hobbiton was. Eventually the set was rebuilt permanently for filming The Hobbit trilogy and stayed for all of us!

    The experience starts with a bus ride across the Alexander sheep farm. I felt like I was in the movie before even arriving!

    Then you see the Shire and you truly have stepped into Middle-earth—little round doors tucked into hillsides; stone paths winding through gardens; laundry hanging from clotheslines; smoke coming from the Baker’s chimney. I half expect Bilbo Baggins to step out and ask why I was on his front lawn!

    The Hobbit Hole of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins
    The hole of the baker
    Samwise Gamgee’s hobbit hole

    Each of the 44 hobbit holes has its own personality and profession. Some look like they belong to gardeners, with wheelbarrows and vegetable patches outside. Others belong to fishermen, with nets hanging on fences. One even has tiny cheese wheels stacked beside the door. Then there’s the beekeeper with an assortment of honey ready to be sold.

    The hobbit holes aren’t full houses. They’re mostly just façades. The real interiors were filmed on stages in Wellington. But the outside details are astonishing. Nothing is random. Every prop tells a story and the gardens are simply beautiful.

    Since 2023 there are now two holes that have been meticulously decorated inside. I wish I could live in a hobbit hole—talk about cozy!

    Inside a Hobbit hole and writing a letter.

    Another fun fact—The hobbit holes vary in size to create forced perspective for filming. For example, some doors are oversized to make actors look smaller or vice versa.

    This is the field where Bilbo Baggins celebrated his 111th birthday party! They used many local extras in that scene. Because it took several days to shoot (and lots of partying), they made sure the beer was specially brewed by NZ brewers and contained 1% alcohol. Couldn’t have hungover hobbits!

    Sheep 🐑 fact – the New Zealander sheep were too white, clean and fat to use in the movie. Therefore, Jackson brought in dirty, skinny sheep. When filming completed, he tried to leave the sheep there but no one would take them, so they had to be exported.

    After the tour we had some beer from the Green Dragon Inn and a yummy buffet lunch.

    Beneath the Earth: A Magical Journey Through Waitomo Caves

    Next, on to one of the country’s most surreal natural wonders. the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. I don’t have any pictures here as they’re not allowed once in the cave so I will describe its beauty the best I can…

    Step by step we descended about 40 meters (about 131 feet), and entered a world that feels almost otherworldly.

    Our experience began with a walk through limestone caverns sculpted over millions of years. We saw stalactites and stalagmites—nature’s slow, patient artwork. But the real grand finale reveals itself when the lights dim.

    We boarded a small boat and drifted silently through the darkness—no motor on the boat so the guide uses a rope system attached above to guide us.

    Look up and gasp at the thousands of blue-green lights that shimmer like a night sky. These are glowworms—unique to New Zealand—creating a living constellation across the cave ceiling. The stillness is striking. No talking, no engines, just the gentle glide of water and the quiet awe of the light!

    What makes Waitomo so unique isn’t just its beauty, it’s the feeling. It’s the sense that you’ve slipped into a hidden world that has existed for centuries and it’s a moment we won’t forget.

    Coming out of the cave with our guide.
    It looked like a tropical rain forest upon exiting the cave.
  • Kia Ora 🇳🇿! Off to the land of 🐑🥝🏔️🎬🏉🌿…

    Kia Ora 🇳🇿! Off to the land of 🐑🥝🏔️🎬🏉🌿…

    I feel like a kid on Christmas morning about this adventure!

    New Zealand🇳🇿

    Home to 25 million sheep, that’s 5 sheep per every person.

    Where “kiwi” is used to describe 3 things—a bird, fruit (always call it kiwi fruit), and people from New Zealand.

    Where the landscapes are diverse and spectacular like the Southern Alps, fjords like Milford Sound, volcanic landscapes, geothermal fields, glacier lakes, and dramatic coastlines.

    Where Middle-Earth was created (and filmed) for the Lord of the Rings movies and the Hobbiton really exists.

    Where you find the incredible Māori culture, and rugby is almost a national religion. In fact, the All Blacks is one of most recognized teams in the sport and the haka is mesmerizing.

    10 fun (and some surprising) facts from my research.

    1️⃣ It’s one of the last landmasses humans settled on Earth when the Polynesians arrived between AD 1200-1300 🗺️. While the country is an archipelago of some 600 islands located in the Pacific Ocean, there are 3 main islands —North and South, where 99% of the population lives, and Stewart Island, which is primarily a protected national park. In fact, 30% of New Zealand is protected land. We will be traveling from the North Island, starting in Auckland, to the South Island. The two islands are separated by the Cook Strait. While in Auckland, we will we will venture to Waiheke Island.

    2️⃣ In 1893 New Zealand became the first country where women could vote.🗳️ One of the dedicated women behind the movement, Kate Sheppard, appears on the $10 New Zealand banknote.

    3️⃣ There were no native land mammals when humans arrived (except bats). Birds then evolved to fill those roles and for this reason, the Kiwi bird is flightless and ground-dwelling.

    Let’s stay on the Kiwi bird for a minute because I find them fascinating and cannot wait to see one in the wild.

    Say what?? The Kiwi’s nostrils are at the tip of their beak. Every other bird in the world has nostrils near the base of their beak, close to the face, because birds rely on vision to find food, touch, or vibration.

    But Kiwis hunt by smell and evolved differently because…you guessed it, there were no land mammals. They are nocturnal forest foragers.

    A momma Kiwi bird lays an egg that is 20 times her body weight😮. To put that into perspective, it would be the equivalent of a 150 pound woman giving birth to a 30 pound baby! The papa bird sits on the egg for 70-85 days, which is one of the longest incubation periods of any bird.

    4️⃣ New Zealand is known as Aotearoa, the Māori name meaning “Land of the long white cloud”. There are 3 official languages: English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language (making it one of a few countries to designate sign language as an official national language).

    5️⃣ There are glowworm caves and we will go to Waitomo to see thousands of these glowing larvae light up the cave. Starlight underground.🌟

    6️⃣ Lollies! Which means candy. And when you have a sweet tooth like me, you get to know the various lollies you’ll encounter.😂 Get ready Pineapple Lumps🍍 and Jaffas🍊🍫…I am coming for you!

    7️⃣ 🍷New Zealand produces less than 1% of the world’s wine but what they do produce is well known and dominated by the Sauvignon Blanc grape. The Marlborough region holds over 70% of the country’s vineyard area.

    8️⃣ It’s a darned long flight! It is going to take ~12 hours from San Francisco. We cross the international date line and jump ahead to the future! For example, we’re leaving SFO on Saturday at 10:45 pm and arrive Monday morning at 8:00 am.

    9️⃣ Driving is on the left and the driver sits on the right. And the seasons are opposite since we’re in the Southern Hemisphere. We’re getting ready for spring in the USA, and fall in NZ. Can’t wait to gaze at that Southern sky!

    🔟 I learned a few new words and customs in anticipation of the trip:

    Sweet as = awesome, no problem

    Togs = swimsuit

    Jandals = flip flops (my favorite)

    Tramping = hiking (which we will do)

    The Hongi = Māori greeting where two people exchange the breath of life (ha) by pressing their foreheads and noses together. It means unity, equality, and the exchange of mana (spiritual power). How beautiful.❤️

    Now I sit back, relax, and fly✈️ to the home of world class wine, the flat white, commercial bungee jumping, Hokey Pokey ice cream (per capita, New Zealanders eat the most ice cream 🍨 in the world-my idols!), jet boating, Manuka honey, Whittaker’s chocolate, and pavlova (although disputed by Australia as to which country invented it). Oh, and New Zealand has no native snakes!