Te Puia is arguably the best of Rotorua's many geothermal parks. Photo / Destination Rotorua
There’s a romanticism about a road trip – that hint of adventure, discovery and freedom - even if you’re going solo.
So with heightened senses and an old-fashion road map, I collect a rental car in Auckland and head south.
New Zealand was my first overseas destination when as a late teenager a friend and I hired a car and did the lap of both islands; back then I was too young to get behind the wheel.
This time, not constrained by youth, I'm hitting the highway without a chaperone but driving only for a couple of hours a day giving me time to explore parts of Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.
I choose Cambridge as my base because it's within striking distance of four completely different experiences that can be visited over a few days in leisurely fashion.
CAMBRIDGE
Named for the 19th century Duke of Cambridge, who was a cousin of Queen Victoria, Cambridge reveals its English-ness within minutes of my arrival. The spire of the white St Andrew's church dominates the town and sits next to the village green where cricket is played, while across Victoria Square and its gardens, stands the Edwardian-style Town Hall.
The suburb of Leamington, another English moniker, is five minutes away and where I find a town planner's tribute to famous writers. Driving down Shakespeare Street, which intersects with Wordsworth, I discover a literary feast - thoroughfares in honour of Chaucer, Keats, Bronte, Dickens and Shelley, and tiny Pepys Place, for the renowned 17th century diarist, tucked in next to Tennyson Street, for good measure.
My kind of town.
But Cambridge offers more than a history lesson. Its slogan 'Town of Trees and Champions' has also been joined by 'New Zealand's home of Cycling.' With that in mind, I hire a bike and head off on a 3.2km ride to the velodrome, a snazzy $30 million complex opened in 2014 by the present Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate.
The ride, a doddle with just the odd dip and hill, skirts the Waikato River and is part of Te Awa Great NZ River Ride that stretches more than 70km. Keen cyclists can ride north to Hamilton or south to Lake Karapiro, swishing past those famous trees, or competitive types might tackle the velodrome on a purpose-built bike under the guidance of a coach.
Back in town, I do the Equine Stars Walk of Fame where thoroughbred champions are forever remembered with mosaic images embedded in the footpath in stately Victoria Street - a touch of Hollywood. Cambridge is home to nine thoroughbred studs, which have produced Melbourne Cup winners including Empire Rose, Ethereal and Might and Power. When I take a seat at Paddock Cafe, I'm just inches away from Tulloch's mosaic image; he was an Aussie champion back in my youth.
CAMBRIDGE TO MOUNT MAUNGANUI, VIA HOBBITON - 155km return
I've sailed into port at the Mount on a couple of occasions and from the sea, the 232m volcanic lava dome Mauao could be an island adrift in the Pacific. However, a sand strip connects it to the mainland and on either side are beaches - the calm harbour Pilot Bay, perfect for families, and the ocean surf beach, simply called Main Beach. Two beaches equal holiday town, and with ice-cream shops and cafes aplenty (more than 150 eateries I'm told), I figure the best plan is to do the 3km walk around the base of the mount before taking a dip in the bay and lunch.
Many folks have the same idea as the base track is one of New Zealand's most popular walks; it's easy, takes 45 minutes and if one veers off the track and over the rocks there might be a seal lolling about or a waddling penguin. The two tracks to the summit by comparison are calf-burners, but the hike is worth it, especially for the views of nearby islands, Matakana and Motiti.
From the natural wonders of The Mount, I head southwest to tour Hobbiton, the permanent film set constructed in 2011. It's the second set built on the 505-hectare sheep farm and until Covid hit, was the most popular New Zealand attraction for international tourists.
I take the S29 highway straight to Hinuera, a hamlet of around 1000 people, and wait at the Shire's Rest café for my guided tour to begin.
I'm no Hobbit aficionado, unlike many of my 20 fellow participants. As soon as we enter the old stone gate that divides the real world from Tolkien's magical Shire and spy our first blue hobbit hole door (one of 44 doors tucked under rolling hills), most are in heaven, and some can recall just where that particular hobbit dwelling featured in the movies. Others are well acquainted with the fork in the road where Bilbo Baggins ran to meet Gandalf, the wizard, bumping along the road in an old ox cart. We amble along stone paths, past lichen-covered picket fences surrounding houses with gardens of real flowers and vegetables, and clotheslines draped with short-people's clothes. A highlight is the one hobbit hole that actually opens. Everyone wants a photo of themselves peeping out from behind that weather-beaten red door.
The two-hour tour ends with a stroll over the stone bridge by the old mill and a goblet of ale in the Green Dragon Inn.
DAY THREE: CAMBRIDGE TO ROTORUA, 175km return
I head to Mamaku first to take a ride in a self-driven, compact railcar along a once-abandoned railway line.
RailCruising rattled into life in 2011, and although a fun way to spend an hour or so, it's still not widely known.
I climb aboard one of the custom-built nifty railcars with three other passengers and head down the 20km track to Tarukenga. Along the way our railcar skims past rolling pastureland and pine trees, slows down to cross a road and ducks under a bridge, as we listen to a commentary on the history of the region and how RailCruising owners, Neil and Jane Oppatt, cleared the land around the disused track and created the world's first hybrid petrol-electric railway.
At some sections we are only a metre or so from the forest – I almost touch the tall white toetoe grasses growing beside the line. At another stretch we're surrounded by open farmland with views down to Lake Rotorua. There's actually no driving - that's all done by the controllers back at base - but a passenger can toot the horn and another, in the backseat, has the honour of pulling on the handbrake at both stops. At Tarukenga, staff members are waiting to turn the railcars around by hand and point us back towards the start. It's fun, if not just a little noisy as we clickety-clack along.
Depending on timing, organised travellers might be able to squeeze in a stop at the Mamaku Blue blueberry farm to tuck into delicious blueberry crepes and muffins or even sample a couple of unusual pies - venison and blueberry or lamb and gooseberry.
From Mamaku it's 25km to Te Puia, possibly the best of Rotorua's many geothermal parks, for its one-stop-shop appeal. Home to the Pohutu Geyser, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere which erupts at least 20 times a day, the park has mud pools and hot springs, a sleek updated cultural centre where visitors can watch carvers and weavers at work from an aerial gallery and the Kiwi Conservation Centre.
I opt for the complimentary two-hour tour led by a guide who brings Te Puia to life. While the geothermal terrain of lakes and bushland is spread over 60 hectares and accessed via walkways and bridges, there's a people-mover making it easy to travel from one hot spot to the next. Another alternative is to grab a window seat at the Pataka Kai Café and survey the steaming wonderland from an elevated view.
If you have an extra day or two to spare, take time to poke around Cambridge's array of antique stores, art galleries, boutiques and fair sprinkling of quality op-shops, before heading home or onwards.
For more ideas, see waikatonz.com and bayofplentynz.com
This suburb is skipped in favour of flashier spots, but shouldn't be discounted.