To read about our Waitomo leg of the trip, click here!
To read about our Rotorua leg of the trip, click here!
After a short 1-hour drive from Rotorua in which Miss K napped the entire way, we arrived in the lovely lakeside down of Taupo! After enjoying a busy but tiring first half of our holiday sightseeing, we would be taking it easy for the next 2 nights in town.
Quest Apartments
As they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! While in Taupo we stayed again at Quest Apartments and had a lovely time there. Our apartment was notably smaller and had a more compact layout than our previous apartment, but it had everything we needed.
When you first walk in, it leads immediately into a narrow kitchen area and then the living room. The living room faces a main street, however there was little traffic so we didn’t have to worry about any noises. A sliding door adjacent to the living room revealed a small bedroom and bathroom that also contained the laundry facilities. Next to our bed, Quest was able to squeeze in a cot.
Although the apartment had air conditioning, the only unit was placed in the living room so the bedroom surprisingly retained quite a lot of heat at night. In the end, to keep Miss K cool we had to switch off the lights in the living room so we could keep the bedroom sliding door partially open to let the cool air come in.
To be honest, it was a bit of a pain, as that’s one of the main reasons we pay extra for a 1-bedroom apartment versus a single room but we made do!
There’s onsite parking at Quest and a small enclosed pool at the front of the property right where the carpark is. It seemed like an odd location to have a pool but the property is quite small, so I guess that’s the only spot they could place it! It was too cold to use the pool and I wonder how much use it gets from guests during the warmer months.
The location of the apartments wasn’t as central as we thought it would be. With a pram, it took us about 20 minutes to walk to the main strip overseeing Lake Taupo, which was too long with a toddler. We ended up driving into town for the rest of our stay, which was a lot more convenient for us.
Although we had a lovely stay at Apartments and the customer service was lovely, I would consider checking out other accommodation closer to the main strip for any future visits!
Around Town
Directly opposite Lake Taupo is a small strip of restaurants, cafes and bars. The view is amazing and the best seats in the house are at the front overlooking the lake. There’s a nice seaside holiday atmosphere. Heading inland, there’s more restaurants, cafes, bars and some lovely boutique stores.
About a short 10 minute walk up the road is Taupo Public Playground, which has several playgrounds for smaller and older kids. Miss K was still a bit young to enjoy the playground but she loved watching the older kids run around. I would recommend grabbing a gelato from Luna’s Gelataria to enjoy at the park!
Further up the road is the local Countdown where we stocked up on more groceries. While the town is small, it has everything you need and a wide variety of dining options. Unlike previous towns, we ate out a lot more in Taupo and really enjoying going out to eat!
LakeTaupo
If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that I was looking out at the sea. With a surface area of 616sqm, it’s the largest lake in New Zealand. When you arrive in town, it’s hard not to miss the very large Love Taupo sign at the lakefront. It’s the perfect spot for a photo opportunity and we were fortunate enough to get some photos taken on a quiet afternoon.
Along the lakefront there’s a path for cyclists and walkers alike, with many picnic spots in between. There’s also a viewing platform where you can peek down and see the crystal clear blue waters of the lake. While there’s many water activities to do on the lake, they must be held elsewhere as I couldn’t see any boats or activity on the lake.
Huka Falls
While there are a lot of activities to do in town, they weren’t really suitable with a young toddler so we decided to keep things low key and visit Huka Falls. The Falls are a relatively short 15 minute drive out of town and going straight after breakfast meant that we beat the crowds.
The water from the Falls originally comes from The Waikato River. Just before it hits the Falls, it enters a shallow ravine of hard volcanic rock. This causes the previously peaceful waters to accelerate at great speed before bursting out over the Falls and crash into a turbulent pool approximately 11 metres below.
There’s a bridge positioned right over where this natural phenomenon occurs and it’s a sight to behold! To get up close and personal, there are cruises and jet boats available. If you have time to spare, there are also various trails available that go into the native forests and offer different vantage points of the Falls.
Lake Taupo Scenic Lookout
On the drive out of town and coincidentally on the way to Huka Falls, is a small scenic lookout overlooking the town and lake. It’s a nice short stop if you have the time to take some pictures and take one last look at the lake.
To read about our Waitomo leg of the trip, click here!
Following a short 2-hour drive from Waitomo, we arrived in Rotorua! After being on the go for the past few days, we spent 4 relaxing nights and 5 days exploring the town and its many attractions.
Quest Apartments
Although we enjoyed our stay at the Holiday Park, it was with relief that we checked into our spacious 1-bedroom apartment with its creature comforts and amenities. Miss K is prone to eczema flare ups when she gets too hot, so controlling the temperature of our environment (as much as we can) is important.
The living, kitchen, dining, and laundry area are combined in a single space with the bedroom and bathroom separate. The kitchen is fully equipped and the laundry contains a washing machine and dryer. Inside the bedroom, there is a lovely queen bed and ample space for a cot. Both rooms came with their own air conditioning unit. The bathroom was small but sufficient and the shower head was detachable, which I found useful showering Miss K.
The location of the apartments was fantastic. We were on the main strip with many restaurants, cafes, and, stores on our doorstep. 10 Minutes walk took us to Rotorua’s Central Mall. We were about 10-15 minutes driving distance from most of the main attractions in town.
Since we had a car we paid for parking. We weren’t able to get undercover parking so we had to park outside behind the apartments. Parking was tight and I still have no idea how all the cars were able to get in and out as some of them were blocking each other! Nevertheless we were glad to have our designated spot!
Around Town
Compared to Waitomo, which only had a single main road running through it, Rotorua seemed huge. Driving into town, it looked and felt quite industrial. While the town itself is spread out the city centre is relatively small with only a few main streets.
There are a few eateries and cafes, fashion and other miscellaneous stores, and the most wonderful secondhand bookstore. A short driving distance away is their main shopping mall with a decent food court. Behind it is a large Countdown, where we stocked up on groceries.
Before having kids, my husband and I would have explored all of the different eateries on offer including the intriguing sounding Eat Street. However with a toddler in tow, what’s convenient and fast worked best for us. With a few exceptions, we made simple meals at Quest or visited the food court.
Whakarewarewa Forest – The Redwoods
A short 10 minute drive from Quest are what the locals call The Redwoods. A gorgeous, lush green forest with the most amazing native and exotic giant trees. There are many activities on offer such as mountain biking, hiking, and ziplining. However, we were keen to do the Redwoods Treewalk.
The Treewalk is a half-kilometre long walkway between 22 giant 100-year old Redwood trees. Each tree is connected by a wooden suspension bridge. At each tree there are decks where you can take a seat and soak up the view. Amazingly, each deck has been specifically designed so that they would adapt to the rapid tree growth without causing any harm.
Before going on the Treewalk, we wanted to make sure that it was baby friendly and found out on their website that there are special baby strollers provided that have to be used. For safety reasons, babies and infants can’t be carried at any stage of the walk. Likewise, young kids have to be able to walk unaided.
I couldn’t find any pictures of the baby strollers online, but thought that we’d go anyway and check it out. Worst case scenario, we would just walk around and enjoy the scenery!
After a simple breakfast at Quest, we headed straight to The Redwoods and arrived there in no time. Onsite there’s a medium sized carpark and as we stepped outside of the car, you could already feel the wonderful atmosphere of the giant trees. It had been raining and you could smell the damp wood in the air.
On the way to the ticket booth there are a number of pleasantly clean portable toilets available. The Treewalk takes on average 40 minutes to complete with no shortcuts down, so something to note before you begin the walk. There are only 4 special baby strollers available with a first come, first served basis and when we arrived there were 2 available.
The special pram baby strollers are essentially car seats fixed on a specially made wooden wagon that is pushed. As there are steps on and off the suspension bridges, it requires 2 people to maneuver it (one at the front and one behind). Since there were 2 strollers available, we had the option of having Miss K sit up or reclined. We chose reclining so she could see the treetops or have a snooze if she got tired.
After a short safety briefing, we were finally on our way! To start, we headed up a long spiral ramp up to the first tree, 25 metres from the ground. At the first deck there’s a gigantic cross section of a Redwood tree, which gives you an idea of how large these majestic trees are.
The suspension bridges are narrow but sturdy and I felt quite safe pushing Miss K along. As we pushed her across the bridge, she loved holding her hand out and letting them run through the ropes. She was very quiet during our walk and seemed to enjoy the quiet serenity of the forest.
As we had to push the stroller and pick it up and down at each suspension bridge, it was a bit of a workout and we spent a bit of time resting at each deck. Although it was a bit repetitive, we really enjoyed our walk amongst the trees. During our walk we stopped to take lots of pictures and around mid-point, my husband took a separate staircase to climb to the highest point before re-joining us (you can continue on a higher altitude before re-joining the main walk, however we weren’t able to do this due to the stroller).
We spent over an hour walking amongst the treetops and spent some time back on the ground taking pictures on the forest floor. While I would have loved to explore the hiking trails, we left to feed Miss K lunch and get her down for her afternoon nap.
Te Puia
Rotorua is known for its geothermal activity and there are several geothermal parks that you can visit. While they all offer slightly different things to see, we wanted to see a naturally occurring geyser so we chose to visit Te Puia. As with all the other attractions around town, Te Puia was a short drive from our apartments. We went there straight after breakfast, so we were able to beat most of the tourist buses and crowds.
There are several add on ticket options that include a steambox lunch tour and Maori cultural experience, however with Miss K in tow we wanted to keep things simple, so we purchased the basic day pass. There are also free guided tours but we decided to explore the park on our own.
The park is easy to navigate with signs pointing to the next attraction and advising whether it’s wheelchair accessible. Miss K was in the travel pram, so we stuck to the wheelchair accessible pathways.
We followed a big loop around the park, first through the Kiwi House, and then past the different types of geothermal landscapes such as bubbling mud, different coloured pools of boiling water, and the main attraction, the geyser! We arrived at the tail end of an eruption, so Miss K and I went ahead while my husband stuck around for the money shot.
After seeing the geyser, there’s an option to quickly head back to the front of the park or take a longer path to loop back around. We were feeling adventurous so we took the longer way back and saw a beautiful lake and other geothermal wonders. Word of warning though – if you have a pram, the only way to get back to the front of the park is to take several flights of stairs down or go back the way you came from (avoid the tunnel up ahead as it leads to staff parking and a locked gate)! The following path is dirt gravel and uphill so not very pram friendly either.
It was a bit tricky but as our travel pram was quite lightweight, my husband was able to carry Miss K down in the pram and did most of the pushing uphill. In hindsight, I would have much preferred taking the shorter route back!
By this time, it was almost noon and Miss K ended up falling asleep on the way back to the front of the park. Bumpy pathways have always helped her to fall asleep so we took a leisurely walk back and managed to squeeze in a light lunch from the cafeteria before she woke up! Te Puia also offer a buffet with traditional Maori dishes for those looking for a culinary cultural experience.
Polynesian Spa
The last time I visited Rotorua, I visited the Polynesian Spa and had a wonderful afternoon relaxing in their hot pools. Since I was pregnant I wasn’t able to go, so I encouraged my husband to have a relaxing night at the spa after Miss K went down for the night.
There are various packages and my husband chose the Deluxe Lake Spa that includes 5 mineral hot pools overlooking Lake Rotorua, geothermal recliners and deluxe changing rooms with lockers. Children are allowed, however since he went after 7pm there were no kids at the time and it was relatively quiet.
Although my husband wasn’t super keen on going at first, he really enjoyed his time there and left near to closing time! He gave it 2 thumbs up!
Private pools for minimum of 2 adults and spa treatments are also available.
Skyline Rotorua and Buffet Lunch at Stratosfare Restaurant and Bar
As I was looking for other things to do in Rotorua on Trip Advisor, the Skyline and buffet lunch at Stratosfare Restaurant and Bar came highly recommended. We bought a package deal online and booked in for a late lunch to hopefully coincide after Miss K’s late morning nap. Fortunately for us, the stars were aligned for us that day!
After a short 10 minute drive from Quest we had ample time to enjoy the gondola ride up Mount Ngongotaha, which is a dormant volcanic dome overlooking the town and lake. When we arrived at the top, we had enough time to enjoy the breathtaking views before sitting down for our buffet lunch.
Stratosfere offers a lunch or dinner buffet with floor to wall window panoramic views of the town and lake. Seating is on a first come and first served basis and we were lucky enough to be seated by a window. While the views and service were outstanding, unfortunately I wasn’t very impressed by the selection or quality of the food.
Other than enjoying the views, there are other activities available such as mountain biking, ziplining, skyswing and trails for the more adventurously inclined.
Kuirau Park
A short 5 minute drive from Quest was a lovely park with a large playground area for big and small kids alike, picnic and BBQ area, crater lake, mud pools, geothermal vents, and free thermal (man-made) foot baths.
During our stay, we visited the park twice. The first time was to check it out. We spent some time at the playground where Miss K enjoyed her time watching an older child play. He was very intrigued by her and followed us wherever we went! After some time, we left to take a short walk to see the rest of the park.
Just across the playground is the large crater lake and there are warning signs around the edge not to get too close! A short walk along the pathway across the lake you’ll see plenty of small geothermal activity that’s been fenced off for safety reasons. Even though we’d seen our fair share of geothermal activity at Te Puia, it was still fascinating to see it naturally occurring in a local park!
Continuing along our walk we came across the public thermal foot baths. There were 2 medium sized pools – one covered and the other uncovered. Both were full of people dipping their feet in and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the water was nice and clear. The edges of the pools were wet but I’d come prepared with 2 towels – one to sit on and one to dry my feet off later.
It was snack time for Miss K, so while my husband fed her nearby I enjoyed a hot feet soak under the sun. It was so lovely and I ended up going back there a second time on the way home from our buffet lunch while Miss K took an unexpected late afternoon nap in the car with her daddy!
Rainbow Springs: Rotorua Wildlife and Nature Park
On our last day in Rotorua, we decided on a whim to visit Rainbow Springs Nature Park. Just like every other place we’d visited, it was a short 10 minute drive from Quest and located opposite Skyline Rotorua.
There are 3 main day pass options: Lite Pass, Essentials Pass and Ultimate Pass. As we were there for a short casual visit, we bought the Lite Pass which includes park entry and optional guided tour, Taonga experience, Kiwi Burrow and Nocturnal House and 1 ride on the Big Splash.
When you first enter the park there’s a mandatory touristy photo booth that you have to go through. It was unexpected and frankly a bit annoying but we did our poses and finally entered the park. I’m not a fan of guided tours and with a toddler I like the flexibility of doing our own thing, so we explored the park on our own.
Our first stop was the Kiwi Burrow and Nocturnal House, which is also a kiwi hatchery. Rainbow Springs has been hatching kiwi chicks since 1995 and is now the largest and most successful hatching facility in the world. Inside the Kiwi Burrow, there are interactive screens and information boards about kiwis and their conservation. From the Kiwi Burrow, there’s a door that leads into the Nocturnal House where you can spot a few kiwis on the way out.
Following our kiwi experience, we followed the guided path to explore the rest of the park. The park itself was lush with greenery and there was plenty of things to see. Miss K was particularly enamored with the giant fish swimming in a circle in the water! Overall we spent about 2 hours there and we had a lot of fun pointing out animals for Miss K to see.
While we brought our pram with us, she was mainly in the baby carrier so she had front row seats to everything!
On the way out we had to go through the gift store and the obligatory photo collection booth. Although I’m not a fan of these touristy photo setups, we ended up purchasing some online photos in the end as they turned out pretty well so I guess the touristy ploy worked in the end!
After a particularly challenging start to our holiday that involved a delayed flight, motion sickness, broken hair clip, and grocery run detour, we finally arrived in Waitomo. We stayed 2 nights in the smallest town I’ve ever visited!
Waitomo Top 10 Holiday Park
We stayed 2 nights at Waitomo Top 10 Holiday Park in their 4-berth Motel Unit. Each unit has a queen bed in the living room, 2 bunk beds in a separate room, bathroom, kitchen, dining area and TV. The kitchen is small but fully equipped with a small fridge, microwave, hob, toaster, coffee/tea facilities, plates and cutlery. It had everything we needed – except for air conditioning.
While we were in Waitomo the weather was quite nice – in the low to mid 20 degrees yet we struggled with the heat that quickly built up in the unit during the day. A single portable standing fan was provided but it wasn’t sufficient. Miss K has eczema that’s triggered by heat so it was a struggle to keep her cool. Then at night we struggled to keep warm when the temperature dropped at night. Our first night was a bit rough!
On our second night we planned our day according to the temperature. After a late night, we all slept in and had a lazy cool morning at the unit. In the afternoon we headed out to avoid the heat. We came back after dinner, enjoyed a dip in the pool and Miss K had a later bedtime around 8pm. Since it was so warm when we went to bed, we totally forgot about the heater so I think if we’d stayed an extra night we would’ve gotten everything perfect!
Despite our difficulties with the temperature, we enjoyed our stay at the holiday park. It was the first time we’d stayed at a holiday park and it was nice to see all the other young families. There’s lots to do with kids including a small playground, trampoline, hot tub, swimming pool, giant chess board, and ping pong table. Other facilities include an offsite kitchen, laundry, toilets, showers, TV, and reading rooms.
The General Store
There’s no supermarket in town but there is a small general store that also serves as a cafe and restaurant. We needed to stock up on groceries for Miss K so we did a big shop in Hamilton before arriving in town. The store has a limited selection of mainly dry packaged goods, canned foods, basic toiletries, milk, and some baby items. While we didn’t buy anything from the store, we enjoyed brunch there.
Waitomo Museum of Caves
A short walk up the road from The General Store is the Waitomo Caves Discovery Centre. Inside you can buy tickets to tours in Waitomo, a small gift shop, and a surprisingly large specialised museum about caves. Entry for adults is usually NZD $5, $2 for kids 10 and under, and free for infants, however they only charged us 1 adult admission for our family.
Inside, there is information about the geology and development of the Waitomo caves, how their explored, local wildlife, local culture and town, and even a cave crawl! My husband gave the cave crawl a go but all he got for his efforts was a scraped hand! There’s even a 40-seat theatre that runs a movie about the life cycle of glowworms.
There’s lots to see, touch, and learn, so a great place for little (and big) kids alike!
Ruakuri Cave Tour
To escape the heat, we took the 3pm Ruakuri Cave Tour. There are other cave tours available but we specifically chose this one as it was pram friendly. We arrived at Ruakuri Visitor Centre and walked across the road to the entrance of the cave. Although the actual cave tour is pram (and wheelchair) friendly just a note that the walk down the loose gravel road to the cave was not so pram friendly!
The tour begun with a long descending spiral case to the entrance of the cave. Our lovely tour guide gave us an informative history about the caves, how it was discovered, the formation of the geological structures inside the cave, how it was built, and the legal fight for the ownership of the caves, which is privately owned today. We also had the opportunity to see glowworms and they were so magical!
Miss K seemed to enjoy herself and fell asleep half way during the tour. She loves the cold, so it was the perfect environment for her to relax and have a snooze!
The tour is approximately 2 hours long and prices are NZD $79 per adult, $30 per child, $190 per family, and free for infants.
HUHU Cafe
HUHU Cafe was located right next door to the Holiday Park, so we had to try it out! The cafe and restaurant is split into 2 different storeys with the cafe at the bottom floor and the restaurant on the upper floor. Unfortunately there was no air conditioning but we were able to get a seat out on the balcony where there was a slight breeze.
My husband ordered the Crispy Pork Hock and I ordered the Fish and Chips. Both were delicious and Miss K enjoyed both dishes! To finish off the meal, we had a Dark Chocolate Brownie, which was a lovely way to finish off the meal and Miss K enjoyed it immensely! It was topped with Black Doris Plum Ice Cream, which was a new flavour for us and so refreshing in the sweltering heat!
Service was lovely and the view from the balcony of the rolling hills was so picturesque. It’s also family friendly and high chairs are available.
For my birthday this year, we took a 14-day road trip in New Zealand. Many years ago, I did a solo backpacking trip and fell in love with the country. I always knew that I wanted to return and share it with my family. Now that Miss K is a bit older, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to go on a family road trip!
Here’s the overview of our very relaxed itinerary with our 16 month old toddler in tow:
Day 1: Arrive in Auckland. Overnight at Novotel Auckland Airport.
Day 2: Drive from Auckland to Waitomo. 2 Nights at Waitomo Top 10 Holiday Park. Museum of Caves and Ruakuri Caves Tour.
Day 4: Drive from Waitomo to Rotorua. 4 Nights at Quest Apartments. Redwoods Treewalk, Te Puia, Polynesian Spa, Skyline Rotorua Gondola plus buffet lunch at Stratosfare Restaurant, Kuirau Park and Rainbow Springs Nature Park.
Day 8: Drive from Rotorua to Taupo. 2 Nights at Quest Apartments. Lake Taupo and Huka Falls.
Day 10: Drive from Taupo to Matamata. 1 Night at Broadway Motel and Miro Court Villas. Hobbiton Movie Set Tour.
Day 11: Drive from Matamata to Auckland. 3 Nights at Auckland Waterfront Serviced Apartments. Auckland Fish Market, food galore and retail therapy.
Day 14: Drive from Auckland to Auckland Airport. Overnight at Novotel Auckland Airport. Early flight back home!
To celebrate my first Mother’s Day this year, we took a short road trip to Beechworth. Beechworth is a small historical town that was formed during the gold rush in the 1850’s. Many of the original buildings have been preserved, however today many tourists visit for its gourmet delights.
Beechworth Bakery
Having skipped breakfast that morning, we were starving when we arrived so our first stop was the famous Beechworth Bakery. Inside, there was a long line but it was well worth the wait!
I ordered 2 of their pies including their signature pie “Ned Kelly”, which is a steak pie topped with bacon, cheese, and a whole egg on top. I also ordered one of their pork and bourbon pie specials. Both were warm, hearty, and delicious but I favoured the pork and bourbon pie.
On the way home, we stopped by to buy some cold pies to heat up for dinner that night: butter chicken, Ned Kelly, and Caulioccoli pie. All of them were delicious but there was something so wickedly decadent about the cauliflower and broccoli swimming in a rich bechamel sauce!
While Beechworth Bakery are known for its pies, they also do an extensive sweets range so that’s something I’ll have to check out on our next visit!
Bridge Road Brewers
After browsing a few stores along the street, we had worked up an appetite again and decided to have lunch at Bridge Road Brewers based on recommendations from local friends in Albury.
Through a small alleyway, I was pleasantly surprised at how large the area was. There’s a kids playground and lots of seating outdoors. Inside, there’s a small brewery where they also hold tours.
For lunch, we shared 2 small pizzas – the funghi and roasted duck. Both were amazing but I couldn’t get enough of the mushroom pizza! The crust was thin and crispy, and there was large mushrooms with blue cheese, baby rocket and pine nuts. Having lunch near their wood fire was just perfect!
Beechworth Ice Creamery
After a delicious lunch, it was time to get our sweet tooth on! Of course, we’d heard all about the ice creamery in town so we had to visit Beechworth Ice Creamery.
Out of the two of us, my husband has the sweet tooth so I let him pick the flavours while I minded Miss K outside. He decided to go with 2 scoops of rum raisin and salted caramel. It was an interesting combination and I can’t say I was a fan of the rum raisin but the salted caramel was delicious. Still not as rich or creamy as Venchi but yummy all the same!
Beechworth Honey
With our stomach’s full, we made our final stop at Beechworth Honey. I’m a big fan of supporting local businesses and love honey, so I wanted to check out the home of Beechworth Honey.
Inside the store, there are shelves upon shelves of every single variety of honey you could dream of. There were so many different flavours that it was a bit overwhelming but in the centre of the store there’s a tasting station where you can taste before you buy.
I picked up a few products that we normally wouldn’t be able to find outside of Beechworth: almond honey, creamy honey and cinnamon, and naturally honey sweetened soda (honey and lemon, honey and ginger and honey nectar). I also couldn’t resist picking up a small candle made of rolled beeswax sheets.
Around Town
Although we were mainly there to check out all the delicious things that Beechworth has to offer, we also visited the beautifully preserved telegraph station where you can send a telegraph for only $2 domestically or $4 internationally! Today it’s one of the busiest telegraph offices in the world and for a bit of fun, we sent a telegraph to my husband’s parents.
Further up the road on Ford Street and away from all the main sites, I also came across a second hand book store called Beechworth Books. Although I’ve run out of space at home, I can never resist checking out book stores and was pleasantly surprised at how well stocked this store was! Definitely worth checking out if you’re a fellow book lover.
A Final Note
All in all we had a lovely afternoon at Beechworth and I really enjoyed my first Mother’s Day. The town is a short 40 minute drive from Albury and as big foodies, it was really lovely to indulge in all of the delicious goodies they had on offer. Although it’s a tiny town, there were a lot eateries and stores we didn’t pop into, so we’ll definitely be back!
To read about the first part of our road trip from Perth to Cervantes, you can click here.
To read about the second part of our trip from Cervantes to Kalbarri, you can click here.
To read about the third part of our trip exploring Kalbarri National Park, you can click here.
After a bit of a sleep in, we got up and enjoyed our last breakfast at Gecko Lodge. My husband had fluffy pancakes, while I had the continental breakfast and of course, I mustn’t forget about our smiley coffee’s! We didn’t dawdle for too long as we were keen to hit the road back home. Unlike our trip up to Kalbarri, we weren’t planning on making any major stops on the way home and according to Google, it would be a long 6.5 hour drive.
Hutt Lagoon
Although we didn’t make any major stops, we did make an exception to see Hutt Lagoon as it was on the way out of Kalbarri. Hutt Lagoon is where you can see one of Australia’s famous pink lakes and is a must see if you’re in the area! I caught a glimpse of it on the drive into town and had been looking forward to seeing it up close on the drive back home.
The lake can be accessed from George Grey Drive but you’ll need to pull over and park your car on the side of the road as there’s no formal entrance. Located nearby is the BASF Chemical Company and I would recommend parking your car further up the road as there are signs that indicate it’s a restricted area. It’s such a well known place and is listed as a tourist place to visit, so I was surprised at how difficult it was to find a way in.
Up close and personal, the lake is a beautiful bubblegum pink colour that changes to a dark purple depending on the way you look at the water. The colour naturally occurs due to a special algae and I was surprised to learn that it’s used a source for food colouring and makeup! It was absolutely beautiful and I wish that we had a drone to capture it from a bird’s eye point of view.
Jurien Bay
On the drive back home, we did make one last stop for lunch at Jurien Jetty Cafe. I had fish and chips, my husband the burger, and we shared an ice coffee, which was a cool relief on such a hot, sunny day. Afterwards, we took a short walk along the jetty and enjoyed the sea breeze. The water looked so cool and inviting that I wished I had bathers on underneath so I could take a dip!
Finally, we hopped back into our car and drove all the way back to Perth, arriving home in the late afternoon.
What an epic road trip and I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading all about it! We visited so many new places and had great food (as well as coffee!) along the way. I would love to do another road trip further up north beyond Kalbarri. Hopefully we’ll be back to visit the region someday soon!
To read about the first part of our road trip from Perth to Cervantes, you can click here.
To read about the second part of our trip from Cervantes to Kalbarri, you can click here.
After a hearty breakfast at Gecko Lodge, my husband and I were keen to hit the road before the weather became too hot. It was expected to be a scorching 41 degree day! Kalbarri National Park is broken up into 2 main sections – inland and coastal. The plan was to visit the inland section first to beat the heat and the coastal section later during the day.
Kalbarri National Park – Inland
From Gecko Lodge, it took us about 40 minutes to drive to the inland section of the park. On the way, we stopped by a newsagency to pick up some fly nets, which were highly recommended by our B&B hosts. I’m so glad that we did because as soon as we stepped outside of the car, we were covered by so many flies!
The park itself is quite large and covers an expanse of 186,000 hectares. There are 14 different sites with many hiking trails, however we only had time (and the energy!) to visit 2 of its most famous sites – Nature’s Window and Z-Bend. Our first stop was Nature’s Window and it was a surprisingly short 10 minute or so hike to one of the most amazing, natural rock formations I’ve ever seen! We would have stayed longer to soak it all in but at 11am, the weather was already 30 degrees plus and we were sweltering under the sun.
From Nature’s Window it was a short 5 minute drive to our next stop to see the Z Bend. Compared to Nature’s Window, it seemed to be a much longer 20 minute hike in the dry bush that was accentuated by the relentless sun beating overhead. By this stage, we were both struggling due to the heat and the flies, and it was with relief that we finally arrived at the lookout. The lookout overhangs the Murchison River, which follows a “Z” bend. There was a raw, rugged beauty to the place and so lovely to experience without anyone else around.
Although we’d only been out a few hours, the heat and the sun had really taken it out of us, so we headed straight back to the air conditioned comfort of our room to cool down. After a cold shower, we chilled in bed and took a much needed nap before heading back out to visit the coastal section of the park.
Kalbarri National Park – Coastal
After a much needed nap, we got ready to explore the coastal section of the park. Similar to the Great Ocean Road Drive, there are key sites to visit along the coast not far from the centre of town. It begins (or ends, depending on which point you start) from Natural Bridge through to the Red Bluff lookout. Since we’d already visited Natural Bridge and Island Rock the previous day, we headed straight to the Shellhouse Grandstand and worked our way to the lookout.
Shellhouse Grandstand
Eagle Gorge
Pot Alley Beach
Red Bluff Lookout
Upstairs Restaurant
Following a long day of sightseeing, we enjoyed a dip in the pool back at our B&B before heading out for dinner at the highly recommended Upstairs Restaurant. Talking to the owner and manager of the restaurant, we found out that it had only been open for a few months and she was a former Business Analyst in Perth who had recently relocated to Kalbarri due to her partner. Although she worked as a BA, she has a lot of experience in fine dining, which we experienced through the delicious tapas style food we had.
We had 4 different dishes to share – Kalbarri caught fish wings, Sharkbay prawn brioche burgers, bruschetta with goat’s cheese and scallop salad. All were absolutely delicious but my favourite dish of the night were the fresh, crispy fish wings. What a delight! Afterwards, we indulged in some desserts and coffee’s but sadly, we weren’t a fan. Despite this, we still had a lovely dinner and enjoyed our last night out together in Kalbarri!
Stay tuned for the final part of our road trip adventure!
A few weeks ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to have a mini staycation at Alex Hotel. I’d read many great reviews about this hotel, so I was keen to check it out! Alex Hotel is a boutique hotel that is located on James Street in the heart of Northbridge. Unlike other hotels, the rooms are simply called Small, Medium, and X Large. There are also Bunk and Family Options for individuals or families that need more room. We booked the Medium room and checked in just before 2pm. It was a quick and painless process, and soon we were able to make our way up to our room.
Our room was a modestly sized room that was furnished with a king bed, small balcony, flat screen and luggage area. It had a minimalist feel to it and furnishings included 2 small bedside tables, and a steel bar with hooks from which a mirror, 2 hangers and a small pouch hung from. The bathroom was small but had everything that you might need including your usual toiletries and hairdryer. I loved that the body wash, shampoo and conditioner were housed in large pump bottles in the shower! Although the medium room was on the smaller side and I could have done with a larger place to store and do my makeup, it essentially had everything we needed.
After we’d settled into our room, we took the chance to explore the rest of the hotel. One of the key features of the hotel are its various living spaces and they all had a bright, open and minimalist feel to them, similar to our room. On the ground floor, there’s a lounge and espresso bar behind the check in area. The first floor has the largest living space and is where breakfast is held every morning. It also has a beautiful lounge area with colourful couches, rugs, books and art. There was also a record player! Behind the lounge is an open kitchen and it operates on an honour system. As the rooms don’t have a mini bar or tea/coffee facilities, guests are welcome to grab what they want and note it down on a docket to add it to their account (tea and coffee is free). The top floor has a roof terrace with gorgeous views of the city and would be the perfect place to watch the sun set.
As we were only staying at the hotel for a short 1-night staycation, we didn’t stray too far away, only popping out to grab lunch and dinner. I had packed a few treats for us and we spent the night watching movies and enjoying our time together .
At the Alex Hotel, all guests enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast. However, my husband had purchased the Breakfast ++ package, so we were able to enjoy a hot breakfast option alongside the continental spread and a late 1pm check out the next morning. Breakfast was held in the lounge area and by the time we made it downstairs, the place was packed full of people! Unfortunately this meant that most of the continental goodies were waiting to be restocked but since we were ordering a hot breakfast, it wasn’t a big deal. Breakfast was delicious, and I would recommend purchasing the add on if you can!
All in all, it was a wonderful staycation and it was over too quickly. If you’re looking for something a little bit different in the heart of Perth, Alex Hotel is definitely worth checking out!
If you’ve missed the first part of our road trip from Perth to Cervantes to see the Pinnacles, you can click here.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early so that we could make the long drive to Kalbarri. According to Google, it would take us just over 4 hours to get there, so we decided to make a stopover in Geraldton. After a quick breakfast of overnight oats with fruit, and a top up of fuel on the way out of town, we were on our way!
Geraldton
Just as we did the day before, my husband and I took turns driving so that neither of us would get too tired. The drive from Cervantes to Geraldton was only 2.5 hours, so it wasn’t too long and we got there just in time to have lunch. For lunch, we decided to try some gourmet jaffles at The Jaffle Shack. Jaffles are essentially deliciously filled toasties and we ordered the Little Italy (tomato, red onion, fetta, avocado and mozzarella) and Nutty Chicken (chicken, chorizo, basil, almonds, spinach and cheese), with an iced coffee. Although the servings were on the smaller side for us, both jaffles were delicious and the coffee was perfection!
Geraldton is a lovely coastal town and after lunch, we took a small walk down to the water. There were a lot of families out and about and parts of it reminded me of Busselton. The town itself is relatively large for a country town and it has a major seaport. While there isn’t too much to see or do in Geraldton, it made for a wonderful stopover and opportunity to stretch our legs.
Gecko Lodge
Back on the road again, it took us just under 2 hours to get to Kalbarri. For our stay in Kalbarri I booked us into Gecko Lodge, which is an adults only bed and breakfast run by husband and wife team, Paul and Linley. They live a short 2-minute bicycle ride away, so after a brief wait we were checked in and shown around. At the main house, there’s a communal lounge with a tv with plenty of DVD’s to choose from, a bookcase, dining area with complimentary tea, coffee and homemade goodies, and kitchen. Outside, there was a BBQ and pool area.
After the tour, we were shown to our small but lovely room. We stayed in the spa deluxe room with king bed and although it was on the smaller side, it was cozy and had everything that we needed. I was impressed by their attention to detail and loved seeing their little mascot everywhere! Following the long day of driving, we were both knackered and went straight to bed for a long nap!
Sunset at Island Rock and Natural Bridge
When we woke up, it was late afternoon so we had time to drive to nearby Island Rock to get some sunset pictures. We were the only people there and I can barely express how beautiful it was. The fact that we had the place to ourselves made it more magical. There were strong winds, so we had to anchor our tripod down and I let my husband have fun with his camera and his different lenses.
From Island Rock, there’s a section of the Bigurda Trail that leads to Natural Bridge. My husband and I were both curious at how the viewpoint was from the other side, so having nothing better to do, I set off on a light jog towards Natural Bridge! The trail itself is a well built boardwalk along the coastal cliffs and it only took me about 10 minutes to get there. When I arrived, I had to reluctantly admit that the view was far better than where we were! I ended up staying until the sun set to take a few pictures myself before heading back.
The Jetty Seafood Shack
To the end the night, we ordered a Jetty Seafood Box from the Jetty Seafood Shack and it was a delicious end to a long day. My husband wanted to order the Couples Pack but I’m so glad that we ordered the seafood box instead as it was the perfect serving size for us. The fish was fresh and lightly battered, and we enjoyed the chips with some tartare sauce.
Stay tuned for the next part of our road trip adventure!
Having lived in Western Australia nearly my entire life, I’m embarrassed to admit that it’s taken me over 30 years to finally visit the Pinnacles! With 2 weeks of annual leave up our sleeve, my husband and I decided to spend a few nights going on a road trip up north. With my trusty Toyota Corolla, we made the just over 2 hour car ride from Perth to Cervantes. Cervantes is a small fishing town and the gateway to Nambung National Park, which is where you can find the Pinnacles.
Pinnacles Edge Resort
For our overnight stay, I booked us in at Pinnacles Edge Resort located in the centre of town. We stayed in the deluxe king spa suite and I was pleasantly surprised by how modern and spacious it was. We had our own well equipped kitchenette, lounge with TV, balcony overlooking the pool, large bedroom and king spa.
Lobster Shack
After checking in and taking a short nap from our long drive, we went to visit the famous Lobster Shack before it closed for the day. With half an hour to spare before closing time, we ordered a half-grilled lobster with chips and coleslaw, and Bobby’s lobby burger with chips. Although lobster isn’t my most favourite seafood, it was cooked well and it was nice to fill up my stomach with something more substantial than the road trip snacks we’d been munching on earlier. The patty of the lobby burger was made from their unique mix of lobster, fish and octopus, and topped with seafood sauce. Although the combination of seafood made it difficult to enjoy specific flavours, I would still consider it a must try food item for those who haven’t had a seafood burger before!
With our stomachs full, we took a short walk to the beach to take some pictures and check out the fishing boats that were anchored not far from the shore. Between the beach and the restaurant, we walked by what appeared to be large tin sheds, which is where the lobsters are processed. Lobster Shack offer factory tours that you can book online beforehand, however we were happy to give this a miss as we were keen to visit the Pinnacles before the sun set.
Lake Thetis
On our way out of town to the Pinnacles, we stopped by to visit Lake Thetis. The lake is known for its Stromatolites, which look like rocks and are the oldest lifeforms on the planet. To get to the lake, we had to turn off the main road onto an unsealed dirt road. Since we were driving in my small Corolla, it was a very bumpy ride! From the carpark, there was a boardwalk that took us to the edge of the lake, and up close and personal to some Stromatolites. They looked like small, flat, volcano like structures and it was amazing to think that they had formed billions of years ago from the sediment and sand from the lake. The lake itself was beautiful and we spent most of our time at the main viewing platform.
The Pinnacles
From Lake Thetis, it was a 3o minute drive back onto the main highway to the Pinnacles. From the main road we took a turn off, which led us to a large carpark and Discovery Centre. As we had arrived there after 5pm, everything was closed and the car park was pretty empty. I was confused about where the Pinnacles were located exactly and how we would be able to view them. Fortunately, there were signs in the car park directing us to a Scenic Loop Drive, so we decided to follow the signs and see where it took us!
The Pinnacles Scenic Loop Drive is a 4km long dirt track amongst the Pinnacles, which is marked by small rocks. I was worried that my Corolla wouldn’t be up to the task but after a bit of Googling, we were reassured that the track would be hard and compact enough for non-4WD vehicles like mine. Although the track is relatively narrow, there are many mini carparks along the way where you can park your car and get out to explore. As we started to drive along the track, it was exciting and surreal to see the bright yellow sand and tall cone-like structures that I had seen online so many times before. We ended up spending over an hour on the track and took many stops along the way to take pictures.
We were there as the sun began to set and it was amazing to see the remaining rays of the sun peeking through the clouds, over the Pinnacles. Around the half-way mark, there was a large stone hill and we hurriedly parked so that we could climb the hill to get some beautiful sunset shots of the entire area. Afterwards, my husband and I took a quiet moment together to watch the last rays of the sun disappear. As soon as the sun set, we hopped into our car and made our way out as we were keen to get home before it became too dark. Since there aren’t any lights until you hit the main town, it can get pretty scary and dangerous driving in pitch-black!
Cervantes Bar and Bistro
For dinner, we went to Cervantes Bar and Bistro, which was conveniently located minutes from our accommodation. We weren’t particularly hungry, so we ended up ordering some local seafood entrees including calamari and sizzling prawns. Both were delicious and a perfect end to a long day!
Stay tuned for the next part of our road trip adventure!
