Raglan

Raglan is a small beach town in the North Island just two hours south of Auckland and less than an hour west from Hamilton. Set on the beautiful west coast, get ready for the most relaxed vibes. If you're looking for the idea beginner surf spot, less than 10 minute from town is an awesome black sand beach called Ngarunui Beach. Continuing on Wainui Rd, take a right onto the access road and foll...

The platforms overlooking the 55m falls from different angles offer unique perspectives of this natural feature. Shaped over time by water flowing across harder volcanic rock onto soft stone below, the falls have a deep pool, which combined with an area surrounded by native bush and wildlife, providing a calm atmosphere as a result.There are a set of stairs to the lower platforms, which may be ...

Marokopa Falls is located right off Te Anga Rd in Waitomo. Most people visit Waitomo for the world famous Glow Worm Caves, but I encourage continuing on down the road to visit the falls.The tramp to the falls is very easy and should only take about ten minutes through the covered green forest. You then pop out on a wooden deck overlooking the massive waterfall. Though it isn't the nearly the hi...

Mangapohue Natural Bridge is about 30 kilometers past the infamous Glow Worm Caves in Waitomo. Continue on Te Anga Rd and you'll run into the beginning of the trail on the right. It's only about a 10 min walk out to the cavern so no need to worry about bringing a day pack.You walk through a tree covered gorge of limestone with the stream running below until you run straight into the cavern. The...

The Hobbiton Movie Set is built into the hills of a private farm in Matamata, two hours south of Aukland. You can get your tickets online, in town, or right at the set. Peter Jackson and crew spent many months right here on the farm filming and building the immaculate set for the films.It truly is incredible to see the craft that went into recreating Tolkien's Shire. You will learn all about th...