ROAD TRIP: A journey through Te Awamutu

Waitomo Caves to Ōtorohanga via SH 37 & SH 3 - 12min, 15km

SIDE TRIP - Hangatiki to Te Kūiti via SH 3 - 9min, 11km

Ōtorohanga to Te Awamutu via SH 3 - 26min, 30km

Te Awamutu to Cambridge via Cambridge Rd/Te Awamutu Cambridge Rd - 24min, 26km

Here comes a road paved with character. From charming country towns to the sweet smell of sprawling roses.

Journey along SH 37 and turn north onto SH 3 toward Ōtorohanga – New Zealand’s official Kiwiana town. It’s worthwhile stopping there, whether to simply enjoy the Kiwiana display along the main street or to spot the country’s iconic flightless bird at the Kiwi House and Native Bird Park. Continue on to Te Awamutu where, depending on the time of year you visit, you can literally stop and smell the roses. The town has the ideal climate for growing the sweetly scented blooms. Take a stroll through the Te Awamutu Rose Gardens before heading for Cambridge, a lovely town complete with boutique clothing and homeware stores, cafés, restaurants and picturesque rural outlooks.

ADRENALIN ADVENTURES

Abseil 100m into darkness while freehanging your way to the cavern floor. The Lost World adventure at Waitomo Caves requires abseiling and underground crawling, while The Black Abyss tour tubes down pitch black rapids.

Abseil into 'Lost World' underground cave system

Tourism Waikato

HIGHLIGHTS

ŌTOROHANGA KIWI HOUSE AND NATIVE BIRD PARK -

Seeing a kiwi bird in real life is a special experience. The Ōtorohanga Kiwi House and Native Bird Park provides up close and personal encounters with New Zealand’s icon in specialised nocturnal enclosures. Walk through the country’s largest dome aviary, learning about our rare and native birds. Meet a tuatara, the native reptile which pre-dated the dinosaurs. The total entry cost goes towards the park’s conservation work.

Ōmaru Falls, Ōtorohanga

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ŌTOROHANGA KIWIANA TOWN

Bell tea, Sunlight soap, Kiwi boot polish, Edmonds baking soda, the buzzy bee; most Kiwis will remember these classic household items. Take a walk down memory lane, or learn what New Zealanders hold dear in the Kiwiana exhibition down Ōtorohanga’s main street. Along this self-guided art trail are several display boxes and artwork dotted around the town and down the Sir Edmund Hillary walkway, a memorial to the mountaineer who conquered Mt Everest. The displays detail iconic New Zealand past times and quirks from pioneering the bungy jump and inventing the pavlova (sorry, Australia) to being the first country to allow women the right to vote and explaining the haka, the Māori war dance.

Ōtorohanga Kiwiana

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism

TE AWAMUTU ROSE GARDENS

From November through to May, the Te Awamutu Rose Gardens are filled with bright colour and sweet scents. Established in 1969, the grounds were once a military site. With more than 2000 rose bushes and 50 different varieties, it’s the perfect place to stretch the legs, stay for a picnic or to simply stop and smell the roses.

TE ARA WAI JOURNEYS

These free, self guided cultural tours cover the whole of Waipā district. Use your smart phone to select from six different zones, each offering a range of local information and fascinating insights.

SIDE TRIP - TE KŪITI

This township, a 15-minute drive south of Waitomo, celebrates the sheep shearing industry. Drive down the main street to see a six-metre-tall statue of a shearer which pays homage to local man, David Fagan, who won multiple shearing titles and became a world champion in the sport five times over. The town is also home to many others making a living out of shearing. But that’s not all there is to Te Kūiti. The nearby Timber Trail brings many cyclists to the town.

Other drawcards are the Te Kūiti lookout, the idyllic Tatsuno Japanese Garden complete with traditional pagodas, tranquil lakes and greenery, and the Mangaokewa Scenic Reserve. If you’re visiting during The Great New Zealand Muster, an annual event held the weekend after Easter, you’ll get a true feel for the town’s love of sheep by watching or even participating in shearing contests and sheep races. You’ll also enjoy performances from Māori cultural groups and taste a range of delicious kai (food) served in street stalls.

Te Kūiiti

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FAMILY FUN

PYO BLUEBERRIES - From early December to late February, pick your own blueberries at Blueberry Country in Ōhaupō and then reward your efforts with a blueberry ice cream from the café.

TRAVEL TO JAPAN - With its native Japanese plants and natural tranquillity, the Tatsuno Japanese Garden in Te Kūiti is a little pocket of Japan in Waitomo. Established to honour the relationship between the Waitomo District Community and the Tatsuno Town Council in Japan, east-meets-west in perfect unison.

Tatsuno Japanese Garden, Te Kūiiti

Waitomo District Council

HANDS-ON LEARNING - Te Awamutu Museum’s impressive collections reflect the history of the Waipa District, including significant taonga Māori and Pacifika artefacts. The kids’ activity programme includes some great hands-on experiences.

VOLCANIC WALKS - Stretch the legs on a walk to the summit of Kakepuku in Te Awamutu. The track is partly shared with mountain bikers.

SWEET PERFUME - From December through to January, a cloud of purple envelopes Alphra Lavender Farm in Te Awamutu. Take a free tour and learn every detail about lavender, including its natural healing powers.

JUBILEE GARDENS, CAMBRIDGE - Pretty, well established public gardens with a great playground, this one makes a great pit stop.

LAKESIDE PICNICS - Near Te Awamatu, enjoy a picnic overlooking the calm waters of Lake Ngāroto, then stroll along the fringing boardwalk.

DISCOVER CAMBRIDGE

The leafy main streets of quaint Cambridge in rural Waikato are comprised of heritage buildings, antique stores, art galleries and more.

The town has a long history of producing talented sportspeople, particularly in the equestrian, rowing and cycling fields. It’s no surprise because Cambridge is home to beautiful countryside, a network of cycle trails including the renowned Te Awa Cycleway, and nearby, Lake Karāpiro. If adventure is on your agenda, hire a bicycle and take to one of several tracks in the area weaving through native bush and alongside the rushing Waikato River. Lake Karāpiro offers kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, fishing and the thrill of jet boating further downstream. Enjoy the town at a slower pace by popping into the Cambridge Museum, the town’s former courthouse. You’ll see pioneer relics, a military history room and other historic displays.

Pick up fresh, artisan goodies from the weekly farmers’ market held in Victoria Square or from the selection of delicatessens in the town centre and enjoy a picnic in Jubilee Gardens. Sit in one of the many cafés dishing up delicious food and coffee, or inside the converted church which is now Good Union – where Hamilton’s Good George Brewing empire has expanded to.

Cambridge Town Hall

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism

SIP ON THIS! - CAMBRIDGE CAFÉS

1. The Lily Pad - Large outdoor courtyard, garden-inspired interior and expansive farmland views. The desserts are drool-inducing.

2. Paddock - Blue cheese scones and streetside people watching – need we say more?

3. Epiphany Café - A franchise with ‘Franuts’, which are iced coffees topped with wafers, marshmallows, pretzels and an entire doughnut.

4. The Boatshed - Nestled on the pretty banks of Lake Karāpiro. Open weekends only: 10am-3pm.

Over The Moon Cheese, Cambridge

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism

Looking for a place to stay? Find a huge range of accommodation options, including discounts for AA Members, at travel.aa.co.nz