Kaitaia is a town that is close to Cape Reinga.

Kai means food and Taia means oil.

Kaitaia has many tourist attractions, like the far north regional museum, the ninety mile beach and the sand dunes, and the Cape Reinga walkway.

Auckland

Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, with a population of about 1 million.

It has the Southern Hemisphere's tallest structure and it's called the Sky Tower.

The most popular newspaper, The New Zealand Herald, is printed here.

Rotorua

This city has lots of Maori people in it and lots of steaming natural pools.

These natural pools come from hot springs.

Then there's the Skyline Skyrides, with lots of activities and fun games to keep the whole family excited. There is also Wai-O-Tapu, a massive collection of bubbling hot mud pools and geysers.

Wellington

This city is the capital city of New Zealand, and also holds the Beehive, New Zealand's parliament building, although there are no bees in there, there's lots of insects there to suck all the money out of you in the form of tax.

Christchurch

This place is freezing cold!

There are also some ski fields in this area if you're interested. Other tourist attractions include the Canterbury museum, botanical gardens, Cathedral Square, and the arts centre.

Also check out the Sumner beach. Besides stunning views, there are lots of restaurants nearby to fill you up.

Invercargill

Not much things to see here, although you could try out one of those delicious Bluff oysters.

Some tourist attractions are the Stewart Island flights, Venture Southland, and the Invercargill brewery.

Queenstown

It's even colder out here!

The Skyline Skyrides won't keep you interested for long.

Some other things to keep you interested in Queenstown are the Cardrona Adventure Park, Frogz white water sledging, and the Kawarau jet.

Nelson

Not much to see and do here, but you can still ride the boats to some of the area's more remote bays, islands and beaches. I recommend you to visit the Abel Tasman National Park and walk the Abel Tasman Walkway.

This park is also home to the oldest Manuka tree and the largest Pohutukawa tree in Auckland and from this garden, you can see the city wharf, the railroad in and out of Auckland, Judge's Bay, Parnell Baths and across the harbour towards Devonport. It is very centrally located. To see the best blooms it is recommended that you visit from October to April. It is very beautiful at this time of year and admittance is free.

There are also many photo opportunities to be had here and several walkways to explore and enjoy. The roses are many and varied with a range of older varieties as well as new ones.

This garden is significant because it used to be a quarry and up until 1964 was an eyesore for the residents of Mount Eden and Epsom. Jack Clark, a horticulturist with vision had set about transforming this five acre blemish on the landscape into a haven for the enthusiastic gardener and a sanctuary for the birds. He and fifteen other volunteers converted the old quarry into an award winning Auckland Garden. It is a safe haven for the shy Fantails and when walking through these gardens you will see that they are very much in abundance as are the cheeky Tui birds. These gardens are a national showplace now and are maintained and developed by volunteer workers who give freely of their time and labour.

This is a map of the garden which is made up of paths whose names are a commemoration of Society members who were prominent in developing that particular area.

The terrain can be tiresome for some, as it goes up to lookouts and down steep inclines but there is a wheelchair available and access along the paths is generous. There is a drinking fountain on one of the paths and a café to sit down and enjoy the scenery and a have a tasty lunch. The facilities are very welcoming as are the people who are working here. There are plenty of seats along the way so you can sit and enjoy the birdsong and the quiet of nature. If you are into photography there are many photo opportunities to take advantage of too. It would be easy to spend some time here.

The plants of year round interest would have to be the native ferns, Rhododendron vireya,Palms, Conifers and Bromeliads. This garden has the largest and most varied collections of Camelias in the country. There are horticultural shows hosted throughout the year and of course varied seasonal attractions.

For further information about the garden go to Eden Garden.

Fun for Families: Part Two

When you have finished having fun at Sky City and the Viaduct basin maybe tandem bicycle ride around Mission Bay might be appealing to help get your feet back on solid ground. You might like to stop in at Kelly Tarlton’s on the way and see the sharks, stingrays and other underwater animals. This is a definite must see for children and adults will also find it appealing.

The Museum is a huge building and has many wonderful artifacts for the historian and it is next to The Domain and the gardens here are beautiful. There are a number of gardens in Auckland that are worth seeing.

The Michael Savage Memorial is a nice place to take in the harbour views and to see this city from a different perspective. Michael Savage gave a lot to this city and is an important part of political history. You might consider taking a helicopter ride over the city and this is available if you head towards the city from here.

Waitakere City is to the west of Auckland city and prides itself for the black sands and wild surf at Muriwai and Piha Beaches. This is a very popular surfing venue. It also has many native bush walks as well as one through a natural rainforest. Hiking and tramping are a treat to do here in Waitakere. This region has many vineyards and the best wineries are located in this district.

One of South Auckland’s major attractions is Rainbows End in Manukau City. It is a major focal point because it is an amusement park and all children love it. It has been a place for companies to bring their workers for some fun and recreation in appreciation for all the hard work they have done and the children who do road patrol often get to come here as a thank you for performing their civic duty too. We like to foster a good community spirit by way of the added incentive scheme.

There are many, many more things to do, Skiing in Albany if you can’t make it to the snow and the cultural shows are a treat. Whatever you do and there is plenty to choose from, keep safe and enjoy yourself!

Fun for Families: Part One

It caters for families really well; there are many activities that are interesting and fun for both children and adults.

Take a walk up Mount Eden; from here you can see the greater Auckland area. Mount Eden is an extinct volcano that has great historical value. From this point you can see the other extinct volcanoes like Mount Albert, Mount Roskill, One Tree Hill, Mount Victoria as well as Rangitoto Island which is not inhabitable but it can be seen from almost anywhere in this city. Auckland has fifty volcanic vents which take the form of lagoons, lakes and cones so you are walking on a volcanic field that is merely dormant. One Tree Hill had a song written about it by the band U2. It has a lovely domain and playground and its own history concerning the one tree! The Observatory is located here and has educational shows that usually open in the evening.

Visit MOTAT; Ministry of Transport And Technology offers a peek at the history of New Zealand. There are many great exhibits in this museum and they have a vast array of items that will give let you look at how the Kiwi way of life has come to be. There is a tram ride that travels alongside Western Springs and back into the museum. On the other side of this is the place where Speedway is held.

Next to this is Western Springs. A lovely place to bring a picnic and take a leisurely stroll around the water. My children bring a scooter or roller blades and as many bags of bread that I let them have. The ducks, geese, gulls, chickens, pukeko and shags all enjoy being fed as do the eels and fish. There is a playground for the children and many picnic tables. This is a good place to get some nice photographs.

Next to this is Auckland Zoo and who doesn’t like the animals. It has been upgraded and now has interactive shows with many of the animals participating. Children enjoy spending the day at the zoo.

In Mt Albert which is literally down the road, are the wave pools which is a great way to end a busy day.

These are afew of the activities to do in Auckland if you have children and are looking for activities to tire them out in a day. There are many more but will be continued in part two.