Jane Scott
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Wilderness Motorhomes
5.0/5
Thank you to the team at Wilderness for helping making our experience in NZ one to never forget.
The motorhomes are amazing. We did a lot of research before choosing Wilderness and in our opinion the vans are the best available in NZ. We travelled just over 4750 klm in 3 weeks and covered both the South and North Island. Unfortunately we had a mechanical issue with the engine of our original motorhome on our first day. Wilderness asked us to bring the van back the next day and they would sort it out for us before we headed off. We therefore lost a full day of our trip but Wilderness handled the situation very well and gave us another motorhome when they couldn't fix the problem straight away and a credit for the day that we had lost. We ended up with the Escape 2 and were thankful that we were given this replacement motorhome in the end. It was much better suited to our needs and we went on to enjoy the next three weeks in this fantastic motorhome. We freedom camped most of the way around NZ and only occasionally chose paid camping grounds. We were amazed at how economical the motorhome was running all accessories including heating all night on gas for numerous days. We had a few suggestions for Wilderness on returning the van, of some things that they could do to improve their motorhomes in the way of things rattling as you drive and cupboards not staying shut when you go around bends but on the whole it was a great to drive and made our trip very comfortable. We were sad to leave the motorhome behind. We found the Wilderness App a great tool for finding dump spots/ potable water / gas refilling and places to freedom camp as well as places of interest. We hired push bikes from Wilderness to explore the towns that we stopped at. In our opinion this is a great way to see everything. Thank you to Wilderness for supplying a wonderful motorhome to explore NZ. We would definitely recommend them and their vans as the best NZ has to offer.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Waiotapu ▷
Waikite Valley Thermal Pools
4.5/5
Loved this experience.
The thermal pools are amazing. No added chemicals, just pure thermal water. Great little walk up to the source and information along the way about the temperature and minerals present in the water. We had a spot overnight in the camping ground and were able to come in early in the morning before it is open to the general public. The water is dumped the night before and the fresh water is amazing. The way your skin feels after soaking in the water is to die for. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants a real experience of geothermal water. The only down side is the shower and toilet facilities could be updated and freshened up a bit but we just used our own in our motorhome instead.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Tikitere ▷
Hells Gate and Wai Ora Spa
4.5/5
Absolutely loved this place.
We arrived just as a guide was heading off with some others and we were invited to tack on the end of the tour. Our guide was fantastic. Yes it smells, but people if you have come to Rotorua, shouldn't you expect that!! (It actually wasn't as bad a some people make out.) What did you come here for if not to experience the wonders of this natural habitat. That includes the smell. I learnt so much about this area from this short walk around the park with a guide. I would recommend this place to anyone really interested in how and why this place actually exists. Truly amazing.