Hamilton to New Plymouth

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Hamilton

Hamilton is a comercial hub for the region around Waikato River.
Since a "facelift" around 1990 there are many malls, restaurants and cafes at the city centre.
The i-site provides a brochure of the Architrek Heritage Trail, connecting many beautiful old buildings and hidden cornes.

www.link_1.co.nz

Paddlesteamer MV Waipa Delta

There are several daily cruises starting at Memorial Park near Victoria Bridge.

www.waipadelta.co.nz

Waikato Museum of Art and History

Corner of Victoria and Grantham
There are many changing exhibitions and the 150 year old war canoe Te Winika.

www.waikatomuseum.org.nz

Parks and Gardens

A lot of parks and gardens are laid out along the river.

Hamilton Gardens

Cobham Drive - Numerous theme gardens within an almost 60ha park including a Chinese, Japanes English and herb garden.

www.hamiltongardens.co.nz

Hamilton Zoo

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www.hamiltonzoo.co.nz

Otorohanga

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?Marakopa Falls?

Waitomo Caves

Waitomo - the place where water (wai) disappears into a hole (tomo).
Several Caves can be explored by blackwaterrafting, abseiling or just by taking a guided walk.
As there are organized daytrips from Auckland it's best to be here early or late to avoid the crowds.

www.waitomo.govt.nz
www.waitomo.co.nz

Museum of Caves

A very good place to start your caveadventure. All about limestone caves from formation to exploration - well presented.
You can book all cave related activities here too.

waitomo-museum.co.nz

Glow-worm Cave

A 45 minute tour takes you through three levels, starting in the Banquet Chamber. The tour finishes with a marvelous boattrip along an underground river with millions of glow-worms.

Ruakuri Cave

You can do a popular and amazing tour in a inner tube with wetsuit and helmet. Blackwater rafting - a magical journey through the cave.

www.blackwaterrafting.co.nz

Aranui Cave

Discovered in 1910 by Ruruku Aranuui, the cave has vast caverns with up to 6m high stalactites. There are many thousand straw stalactites and although there are now glow-worms, the formations are more spectacular than those in the Glow-worm cave.

Mangapu Cave - the Lost World

If abseiling is your thing - that's the place to be. You can do a tandem abseil or a complete one-and-a-half-day including training and cave tour.

Ruakuri Bushwalk

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Waitara

An information centre of the Motunui gas to gasoline plant is located on SH3.