16 INTERCLUB • VOLUME 30, ISSUE 2 - 2024 REACHING CLUBS SINCE 1995 Papanui Club’s trip to Tauranga’s districts Tuesday-starting 6.45am 23 Members were transported by shuttle to Christchurch airportand greeted by Heather our tour guide and her husband Micheal with our tickets etc. We then flew to Auckland 8.30am ontime - arriving we met our driver from Tauranga bus company!!!! After 20 mins travelling south Heather discovered by phone we had left two of our members behind, they were at the International Airport. We recovered them!!! We then travelled onto Cambridge for lunch, a pretty town with the Cycling High performance unit and Lake Karapiro (rowing) close by, also well known Stud farms for thorough bred horses in the area. Weather was showery but the rain stopped and the sun came out at Hobbiton Movie Set. I haven’t read the books or seen the Lord of the Rings movies but was enthralled by the experience that is“Hobbiton”-being guided, we learnt how Peter Jackson and another investor “saw the dream”of this Mythical Village. 42 Hobbit holes - including Bilbo Baggen’s Cottage at the top of Shire. It had a 6 tonne artificial tree on top of the grass knoll. Bilbo was 110 years old in the movie. We viewed the “Party Cottage”and ended at the Green Dragon where we quenched our thirst. Onwards to Mt Mauganui through the Kaimai Ranges to the Atrium Apartments at 6pm. Our driver told us the Norfolk Pines growing along the coastline in Tauranga ( Safe Anchorage ) that the Missionaries had planted them. They deemed it safe to come ashore as they looked like they had “Religious Crosses”on the top of them. We then went to the RSA for dinner, we stopped at the supermarket for breakfast items and then returned to our apartments for bed. Wednesday - Tauranga, first stop the Historical Village opened by Sir Denis Blundell in 1977. It was built to preserve the buildings and lifestyle of that Era. On the way to TePuke we saw three tall statues of Maori women (wahine ) they were carved as inspiration for the Wahine of the future. Lunch was in TePuke at the “cafe style.” We enjoyed a walk through the town which is known as the “kiwi fruit capital of NZ”. Heading back north we drove through the suburb of Papamoa Beach - we were amazed at the large number of new subdivisions and retirement villages in the area. Off the coast was Matakina Island which is 18m high. 225 persons of Maori descent live there. At night we headed to dinner at the CITZ Club in Mount Maunganui where we enjoyed a variety of good food. Thursday - Leaving the Atrium Appartments at 9am we travelled past the Port of Tauranga heading for the Waitomo Caves over on the West Coast of the North Island, then over the Kaimai Ranges thru to Tirau for a break, but alas our driver was unfamiliar travelling to the Waitomo Caves. We soon discovered this after we got lost, ending up in Te Awamatu the Rose Capital of New Zealand. We stopped here for a break instead it started raining we dodged the puddles while the bus went in circles twice before we left the town. As you can image Heather our Guide was not IMPRESSED!!! We had lunch in Otorohanga ( home of Goodnight Kiwi ). The owner of Bluebridge Cook Strait ferries in 1992 provided employment for a lot of people in the area. We arrived at Waitomo Caves with time to spare, Maori word “Wai” means water and “tomo” means“entrance or hole.” 16 of us went into the Main Cave by guide and the rest went to the Ruakuri Cave (originally used as a burial ground) which was easier to travel for our members who had walking difficulties. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this experience, it is a “not to miss experience” if you are visiting in the neighbourhood. With the help of Micheal ( Guides husband ) and his iPhone were turned via Tirau. This was a comfort stop and proved to be quite a“trial.” It was 5pm and the Cleaning lady at the Public toilets had cleaned four of the five“loos”, our group of many were only allowed to use JUST one of them. On the way out we saw the corrugated iron buildings eg Sheep / dog and decorations added to buildings eg A Rose on a florist shop. Mt Sanctuary was a huge presence in the area, it is an ancient vibrant forest alive with native wildlife and it is surrounded by a 47km predator-free fence. 6.30pm we went back to our Apartments. We had a free night to look for our own meals. Some of us went to a very nice pizza parlour and enjoyed homemade sour dough bases with Hawaiian toppings.Todays trip felt like we were going“round and round”a few times!!! Friday - Before we left on our trip to Rotorua - Heather gave us all a Cheese n Spinach fresh scone wrapped in a serviette. She had cooked them at 6am that day and where very nice. Then we headed south on SH2 passing thru two toll bridges to Papamoa, Maketu Beacha comfort stop at Matata / Edgecomb on the out skirts of Whakatane, then inland on SH30 passing some of the 11 Rotorua region lakes. We saw Lake Rotoma which was formed by the Taupo eruption over 1800 years ago. The Kaituna River stretches from Lake Rotoiti to the Pacific Ocean - the eels that reside in this Lake travel 1200 kms to the Tongean Trench every 3 years. Many gold kiwi fruit orchards are grown in shelter belts to protect from wind and frosts. Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake in NZ. Rotorua city was very different and pretty. We arrived at the Ohinemutu Maori Village on the shores of Lake Rotorua just a minutes walk from the City centre. We were greeted by the Elder of the Ngati Whakaue Tribe and her husband which settled at this site centuries ago. We learned of the history of the Tribe and descendants over the years and particular interest was of the Meeting House and St Faiths Church which is known for its Tudor-era English style wooden carvings and woven panels, which is home to an iconic window etching of the Maori Jesus wearing a korowai. Next to Te Puia hot springs we saw the Mud pools and watched the geysers spouting into the sky. The “hot stones” were great either way, sitting or“lying on.” The Arts and Crafts Institute was very interesting seeing traditional Maori carvers and weavers working on their projects - beautiful work. Next some of us walked the Redwood Tree Walkway, it was relaxing and peaceful to walk along with the tree ferns beneath us as well as some bird songs as well. A drive around Government Gardens then back to Mt Mauganui. After dinner again at the CITZ Club we enjoyed Lady Jane & the Dukes dance band. We had a great time “dancing to the beat”with a local Rock & Roll Club. Saturday - Going home through Bethlehem then Katikati which means ( nibble nibble.) Known for its mostly gold kiwi fruit and avocado growing ( 500 orchards here ), Katikati is the Avocado Capital of NZ. Thunder / lightening and heavy rain on this comfort stop. We were amazed how lush the whole areas we visited were through out our holiday. High rain fall area “paddocks seemed empty of stock”was commented on many times on our trip. At Waihi we visited the Martha Mine Discovery Centre Est 1878 - it was very interesting showing us how the gold is extracted and made into “ingots”. We had lunch at the Gold Rush Cafe which provided nice home cooked food. We had a Train Ride on the Waihi Heritage Railway which was Est 1905, up the Karangahake Gorge to Waikino. 30 minutes away, there our tour bus awaited us. We stopped at Pareoa in the L&P Bottle garden reserve where we had a good group photo. We travelled thru Ngatea still on SH2 to Auckland Airport were we enjoyed a meal there and flew out of Auckland at 7.10pm bound for home in Christchurch. The shuttles met us at the airport to take us to our homes. The Travel Committee made a good decision to have Creative Kiwi organise and Guide us on a fun and exciting trip to Tauranga and the surrounding areas - Diana Robb. Contact Heather Collins - P. 03 348 5321 | M: 027 279 6555 E: enquiry@creativekiwitravel.co.nz | creativekiwitravel.co.nz Discover New Zealand's Hidden Gems with Creative Kiwi Travel Creating unforgettable travel experiences across New Zealand. Whether for group travel or personal getaways, we make it fun, worry-free and seamless. Join our database for exclusive insights on upcoming adventures or reach out for your next group event - we love what we do and we think you’ll love it too! The Travel Committee made a good decision to have Creative Kiwi organise and Guide the Papanui Club on a fun and exciting trip to Tauranga and the surrounding areas. CLUB LIFE: TRAVEL ‘A ROTORUA MUST DO’ www.treewalk.co.nz
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