Private Route 3 - Fewer People on New Zealand's North Island

Time: 20251111-20251116 New Zealand's provincial units are called regions, with a total of sixteen. The North Island has nine, and we first went to Waikato. 1 The core city of this region is Hamilton, and the homestay I chose is on a small hilltop 80 kilometers away, very remote, with no beer, but the scenery is nice. 2 The house is small and old but decorated warmly and comfortably, with an old-fashioned fireplace and not quite enough firewood. So, we had a warm yet cautious night. 3 The more specific address of the accommodation is Waitomo, near a fairly famous glowworm cave. Following the principle of "since we're here," we went. This was the only place on our six-day, five-night North Island trip where we bought a ticket to enter, and it was the least worthwhile place to visit, even if it were free. 4 The five-night arrangement alternates between hotels and homestays, so on the second night, we stayed at a hotel in New Plymouth, the core city of the Taranaki region. 5 The accommodation for the first two days was arranged to support the highlight of the third day—the Mangorei Track, about 14 kilometers round trip. Because I really wanted to see the main peak of Mount Taranaki, which is 2,518 meters high. 6 Unfortunately, due to bad weather, we never saw it. 7 But I was not disappointed; on the way down, the sun occasionally came out, dispersing some clouds, and when I could see the village below the mountain, I was very happy. 8 More importantly, the entire hiking process was rich in content and full of surprises. We passed through the most magnificent magical forest! 9 The homestay at the foot of the mountain was even more stunning: spacious, solitary, minimalist, and integrated with nature. Its toilet and bathtub are open-air, without curtains; hairdryers are not allowed, which I gladly accepted. 10 On the fourth day, visiting the Three Sisters Rocks was purely accidental. We originally just stopped to pee, but seeing many people take off their shoes and enthusiastically walk on the black mudflats by the river toward the estuary, we were tempted, and anyway, we had plenty of time. 11 After walking a few hundred meters, we realized it was truly worth coming, not just "since we're here." 12 You can find this place by searching "Blue Spring" in Chinese on Google Maps. There are some Chinese tourists, but overall, very few people and very comfortable. It is known as "New Zealand's purest spring water," and about 60-70% of the country's bottled water comes from here. 13 If you ask me, wandering in this earthly paradise is truly beautiful, but the person who named it must be colorblind! 14 The Okururiri Hot Springs Hotel, where we stayed the fourth night, was built in 1889 and listed on the National Heritage Register in 1985. Not to mention anything else, the tree-lined path between the hotel and the hot spring pools captivated me. Also, guests are given keys to the pool area, so you can soak as late as you want. 15 On the fifth day, we went to the east coast of the North Island. Along the 70 kilometers of the Kaimai Range from south to north, it rained heavily, but it cleared up when we reached Te Aroha. I have always thought New Zealand is the best country in the world for self-driving, and after this stretch, I am even more convinced. 16 In the afternoon, we arrived at Hot Water Beach in the Coromandel region, where there are even wilder hot springs. The method is to bring a shovel and dig a hole in the sand, but only within two hours before and after low tide. I checked, and the low tide is at 9:30 p.m., so we went to scout the spot at dusk first. 17 The "fewer people" in the title is relative to the South Island because out of the country's 5 million people, 4 million live on the North Island, and during our six-day trip, we saw no more than 400 people in total. 18