Travel Diary Entry 2: NEW ZEALAND 20/04/2025
- Caroline Candeloro
- Apr 20
- 2 min read
Kia Ora everyone, welcome back for day 2 in New Zealand!
Today's Observation: New Zealand is VERY green and everything looks like a movie set.
We started bright and early this morning, with breakfast at 7:30 and back on the road by 9. While on the road, the scenic views were unbelievable; everything looked exactly like The Shire from the Lord of the Rings series.
Today, we left our hostel at Hot Water Beach in Coromandel and continued driving south to our next stop, Rotorua. The drive from Coromandel to Rotorua took about 4 hours, and we made many stops along the way.
One of the stops was in Whitritoa (the 1st picture above). We were here for only about half an hour, as this stop was just a quick break to stretch our legs. However, we made the most of this stop by heading down to the beach and doing a quick little exploration walk.
Today's weather was still very overcast, and it did rain later in the day. Still, even with the clouds and wind (thank you so kindly, cyclone), the pictures from this beach were incredibly dreamy. Personally, I think the clouds and grey skies added to the scenery and made Whitritoa look more ethereal.
After our little excursion in Whitoria, we returned to driving and continued heading south. Rotorua is the town where my tour group and I will be staying for the next two nights. It is also known for its geothermal wonders and deep connections to Māori traditions and history.
On today's itinerary, we planned to go to Wai-O-tapu, a geothermal park.
Wai-O-tapu is one of the North Island's most famous geothermal parks. The park has vibrant hot springs, bubbling mud pools, and dramatic volcanic landscapes. "Wai-O-Tapu" translates to "Scared Waters", reflecting the deep spiritual roots of Māori culture. The park's iconic features include the bright orange-edged Champagne Pool (see picture below) and the Lady Knox Geyser.
That pretty much sums up day 2 in New Zealand. Today was a major travel day, and I spent a lot of time on the bus, but it was still a very successful day, according to this blog post and my camera roll.
Tomorrow, we will be spending more time in Rotorua and won't be leaving until Tuesday morning. As mentioned above, Rotoura is deeply connected to the Māouri culture, and almost half of the population in Rotorua identifies with the Māouri. This information is a subtle hint of what tomorrow's adventure in Rotorua will entail!
See you tomorrow for Day 3!
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