New Zealand North Island for Ttwo Weeks

There is so much to do and see in New Zealand that two weeks is not nearly enough time. In that time we based our operations and stayed in Rotorua which had it's own vast amount of activities plus driving to many others. My favorite experience was Blackwater rafting in Waitomo, while the scariest was bungy jumping and the wine tasting/drinking was divine. Rotorua has some amazing geothermal landscapes, some that are free from the local park to paid reserves such as Hell's Gate or Orakei Korako to many more. Rotorua is a Maori cultural center where you can experience a traditional Maori Hangi feast and witness life as it used to be at places such as Mitai. Buried Village up by Blue & Green Lakes was moving and is a surviving testament to a historical tragedy. Napier and Hawkes Bay was the epitome of a beautiful seaside town holding on to it's heritage and growing bountiful vines of delicious wine. There is so much to New Zealand from deep cultural roots to crazy adventure opportunities to beautiful vineyards and geothermal activity that abounds. The landscape is as deep as its offering of activities and the people are as beautiful as it's countryside and so warm and open.

Quick Tips:

One of the greatest things that made travelling in New Zealand so easy and enjoyable were "I-sites" or information sites in most major towns. When you come into a town there are signs all over to get you to the right building. They are government run and regulated which has brochures and info from local accommodations to activities/tours/sights and you can set-up and pay for tours/accommodations/etc right there. The big plus is they have local maps and most are free. It's essentially a little travel agency devoted to each town. In addition to the local information and tours it has most other or surrounding area brochures so you can plan ahead for your next stop. We found in some towns that offered adventure "packages" with 3, 4, or more tour/activity offerings it saved money buying the package.
-If you are not used to converting US standard measurements to metric then some cheat sheet would be helpful.
-If you are buying groceries some activity brochures had savings/discount cards to be used. Buy your items/groceries all at once because if you bought over "x" amount of groceries they gave you a .04 to .06 cent discount at select participating gas stations.
-At the internet cafes you can buy one-time use cards for example for an hour but some of the hotels offer free wireless internet.

Best Way To Get Around:

Rent a car! If you value your independence then it's the way to go. Since there is so much to do and see and things are spread out it was very convenient to go to places whenever you felt like it. Plus we found things along the way from the signs along the highway and checked things out that way.

We stayed at this resort for two weeks as our base of operations. The grounds are beautiful and the condo is very nice and efficient with all that you could need. We stayed in the regular two-bedroom which was right on the channel. The porch is so nice to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere. Quite often though ducks, swans or other birds will come by and hope for a handout, but it wasn't bad.
It wasn't all that warm since it was the end of their winter beginning of their springtime although; it doesn't get all that warm anyway. The condo doesn't have built-in heating so they had portable electric heaters (two in the living room, one was a portable almost radiator type and one in each bedroom upstairs) but they really heat up the place very well. The beds all have electric blankets to keep you warm and cozy all night long.
The kitchen was very efficient and had all the necessities, plus a regular coffee maker. (Ground/drip coffee is not popular and I couldn't find it available at most cafes.) The stove was different than ours in the US and we had to read the manual to figure it out, but it worked out just fine. Some of the appliances were in other cupboards so we had to look around to find it all, but everything you could need was there. There was a big storage area under the stairs which had the cleaning & ironing stuff along with some extra blankets. The only downside I thought was that there wasn't a bathroom downstairs in the standard two-bedroom. The master bedroom was nice with the usual. The bed though wasn't a king and only a queen, but it was comfortable. It was on the channel side with a beautiful view outside. The second bedroom was on the opposite side by the entryway and had two twin beds. The bathroom was in the middle and was good sized with a glass shower in one corner and the sink was opposite that with a stackable washer and dryer next to it opposite the toilet. The washer model we had was in English and the dryer was another language which we were guessing was maybe German, but it was easy to figure it out. There was a skylight in the bathroom so in the mornings it was quite bright. My favorite thing about the bathroom was the towel warmer.
The pool was covered the whole time we were there but it rained off and on as was the hot-tub. However, you could just uncover the hot-tub and it was all set to go. The rec room and gym seemed very nice but we didn't spend any time there. They had a nice tennis court and some people were using it.
The resort was about 14 kilometers from central Rotorua so it really made it necessary in our opinions to have a car.

Fat Dog Café is this great eclectic, cozy little place that is rather artsy. The food was delicious with good size portions and pretty reasonably priced. They have the menu written on a blackboard wall as you walk in, in different colored chalk. They have breakfast, lunch & dinner options. It's pretty standard New Zealand fare from quiches & french toast for breakfast to sandwhiches and meat and pasta dishes for lunch and dinner. You order at the counter and pick your own table and they bring out your food. As with many of the restaurants in New Zealand this one was bring your own (BYO) wine and then you pay a small corkage fee. They are also fully licensed and offer wine. We ate here a couple of times. The tables are different with mismatched chairs but it gave it that eclectic feeling. I loved the eggs Benedict for breakfast.