Hamilton, New Zealand Vacations and Luxury Travel Packages

Hamilton, New Zealand Vacations and Luxury Travel Packages

Leaving Auckland on Highway 1 with its three lanes heading south, it's a 130 kilometer drive to the town of Hamilton. Even if the last 50-km stretch follows the banks of New Zealand's largest river, the Waikato, there's no sight truly worth stopping for along the entire route. The river disappears behind a sea of houses once you reach Hamilton.

Ten years ago, you wouldn't have lost sight of the river at all at this point. But times have changed a great deal. The fertile soil of the Waikato region, the damp and mild climate and the hard-working dairy farmers and cattle breeders have made Hamilton a very affluent town. Modern business centers and bank buildings flank Anglesea and Victoria Streets, the city's two main thoroughfares. Most tourists just pass through the university town of Hamilton, which has about 100,000 inhabitants. Although there are pleasant walks along the banks of the Waikato River, around Lake Rotoroa, or through the gardens of the city, most visitors would agree that the best thing about
Hamilton is its highways leading south. This is where the active heart of North Island beats, and the tourist is faced with a difficult choice: To travel on Highway 3 towards New Plymouth (231 km), with a turn-off to the impressive Waitomo Caves and the possibility of visiting the Tongariro National Park, or to stay on Highway 1 and turn onto Highway 5 just beyond Tirau, heading towards Rotorua (108 kilometers), and continuing on this route until Lake Taupo, 188 kilometers down the road. You can reach Tongariro Park on this route as well (283 kilometers). If you are short of time and cannot decide which route to take, the second one is the most interesting.

Hamilton - New Plymouth

In Hamilton West, several highways branch off in different directions. If you want to go to New Plymouth, follow the signs to Highway 3. This route travels through the fertile Waikato farmlands, towards Otorohanga (interesting Kiwi House). The bridge over the Puniu River is just beyond Te Awamutu, at which point King Country begins. The landscape can thank King Tawhiao for its name. This Maori monarch died in 1894. In 1860, he took over the regency of a kingdom, which various Maori tribes had established in order to protect themselves from the growing influence of white settlers. Taking his followers with him, Tawhiao fled to the south in the aftermath of the Battle of Orakau in 1864. They established their new "kingdom" in the surroundings of the present-day Te Kuiti. The local Maori Assembly Hall is worth visiting. There were hardly any Pakeha in this region until 1885.

The majority of tourists take the turnoff to the right at Hangatiki, and follow the signs to the Waitomo Caves, approximately eight kilometers further. Without a doubt, these caves are the region's main attraction.

The Glowworm Grotto, which is visited by floating along on an underwater river, made the caves famous. The glowworms' lights suddenly went out in 1979. A team of experts discovered that the high level of carbondioxide, caused by the large number of visitors breathing in the caves, was responsible for the problem. Subsequently, the Department of Conservation ordered the caves to be temporarlily closed. After the caves were reopened, only a small number of visitors were permitted to enter the caves for brief periods at a time. Now the glowworms are glowing again. It's practical to combine the excursion with a visit to the Waitomo Museum of Caves. Waitomo has a lot more to offer than "just" glowworms. But most visitors are in such a hurry that they seem to forget this.

Lost World and the adventure of being lowered down the rock face have become other major attractions over the past years. Those looking for excitement can be lowered 100 m down into the depths of the Mangaopu Cave on a rope. Once you get down into the cave, there is a five-hour organized expedition through the underworld. If this isn't adventurous enough, there is another alternative called black-water rafting in the Ruakuri Cave. Here you are equipped with a rubber ring around your waist and a protective helmet with a flashlight attached to it, so that you can make your way through the waters of the cave.

No wonder some people are only too glad to get back onto Highway 3, to once again feel the solid ground under their feet and the warmth of the sun on their skin. If you take the turn-off just beyond Te Kuiti at Eight Mile Junction, heading south on Highway 4, you will already be on route to the Tongariro National Park. Still another sporting adventure awaits you at Taumarunui. This time it's a canoe trip on the Wanganui River.