Katikati

Katikati, another town with a very cool name. The road from Napier to Katikati is another beautiful road and a four hour drive, but every moment was enjoyable. We stopped at Rotorua, a town with a lake, geysers, and some beautiful gardens. Next to the lake are some natural sulfur hot springs that are a very interesting natural phenomenon. You see many hot pools with bubbling mud or water with sulfur steam and you can feel the heat. You can take a bath in some places too.

We then went to the Government Garden, a fantastic garden with all kinds of native plants and flowers and an old historic government building that looks like a palace.

We drove around the government building to Sulfur Park where you can see a bay with white water, caused by the sulfur. We then drove to Katikati.



 

Lodging: We stayed at the Kaimai Country Lodge, a boutique bed and breakfast with only three guest rooms and very personalized attention. We had very tasty a New Year's Eve dinner with the owners that included fresh vegetables from their gardens. The place is beautiful and very comfortable, with gorgeous views of the lake, valley and Maunganui mountain, a small mountain by the water that is very popular for hiking.


Food: We only ate at the Lodge and the food was great. And the views were phenomenal.


Back to Auckland tomorrow to fly back to the U.S. One of the most memorable trips ever. Three weeks of New Zealand will make you love this place and never want to go back home.