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Located on Tom Pearce Drive just one minute from Auckland International Airport

Tropical Butterfly House with over 700 free flying exotic butterflies, tropical fish, birds and lizards. B

With things to do for both children and parents, everyone will have a relaxing fun day.

info@butterflycreek.co.nz

Auckland Botanic Gardens is a young garden by world standards, but our unique designs are creating a garden of distinctive character.Auckland Botanic Gardens was opened in 1982 and now has over 10,000 plants from all over the world.

botanicgardens@arc.govt.nz

Auckland Zoo

Auckland Zoo has New Zealand's largest collection of animals and is recognised as one of the most progressive zoos in the world.

1 September to 30 April)  -  open every day from 9.30am to 5.30pm (except Christmas Day), with last admissions at 4.15pm.

1 May to 31 August - 9.30am - 5pm, with last admissions 4.15pm.

The Zoo is available for private functions, also runs great events and Safari Nights (guided night walks and overnight sleepovers).

Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World

Antarctic Encounter
The Antarctic Encounter is home to New Zealand’s only sub-Antarctic penguins, offering a rare opportunity to see the magnificent birds up close in their icy domain. A unique snowcat ride brings you within arms length of the 80-strong colony of King and Gentoo penguins to watch their playful antics on the snow and their elegant flight underwater.

Underwater World
Enter Stingray Bay for an awe-inspiring look at the giant stingrays, before delving deep into the Underwater World to see the rich variety of species from New Zealand’s coastal waters.

Animal Adventures
Kelly Tarlton’s offers thrilling Animal Adventures; snorkel with amazing predators of the deep on a Shark Cage experience, or for the true adrenaline junkie, join Shark Survival – a cage-free shark dive. Take the plunge today.

Freephone: 0800 80 50 50 (New Zealand) | Telephone: +64 9 531 5065 (Rest of the world)

Email:info@kellytarltons.co.nz

Kemp House

The Mission House at Kerikeri in New Zealand was completed in 1822 as part of the Kerikeri Mission Station by the Church Missionary Society, and is New Zealand’s oldest surviving building.

It is sometimes known as Kemp House.

Mission House is situated where the Kerikeri River (right) meets the Kerikeri Inlet (Pacific Ocean).

The old stone store bridge was located for decades where the ford can be seen, but was removed late in 2008.

Mount Ngauruhoe

Mount Ngauruhoe is an active stratovolcano or composite cone in New Zealand, made from layers of lava and tephra.

It is the youngest vent in the Tongariro volcanic complex on the Central Plateau of the North Island, and first erupted about 2,500 years ago. Although seen by most as a volcano in its own right, it is technically a secondary cone of Mount Tongariro. The volcano lies between the active volcanoes of Mount Tongariro to the north and Mount Ruapehu to the south, to the west of the Rangipo Desert 25 kilometres to the south of the southern shore of Lake Taupo.

Auckland Art Gallery

We offer a lively calendar of talks, performances, film screenings and activities for families and children

Tours - our friendly and knowledgeable volunteer guides are here to introduce you to the art, artists, stories and histories that make up our Gallery.

Café  - Relax and refuel at our café and espresso bar.

Open daily 10am - 5pm except Christmas Day

Cnr Kitchener and Wellesley Streets

Phone number +64 9 379 1349

Auckland War Memorial Museum

Auckland War Memorial Museum is both a museum and a site of commemoration for New Zealanders lost at war. The Museum houses two halls of memory within which the names of all those killed in major conflicts of the 20th Century are recorded and remembered.

The Cenotaph and consecrated ground in front of the Museum are a touchstone of remembrance every Anzac Day (25 April). The War Memorials and galleries are located on the top floor.

The Museum is open every day from 10am until 5pm, except Christmas Day (25 December) Anzac Day morning - 6:45am.

A $10 donation is suggested from adults.

Children and students aged 15 years and under are free*. Special Exhibition charges may apply. No donation is requested on ANZAC day.

National Maritime Museum

Voyager Maritime Museum is a place of stories, ambition, courage and exploration. A place of amazing journeys. Discover how our nation’s relationship with the sea has shaped the New Zealand identity; from stories of the Polynesian people’s epic migration to Aotearoa, early European exploration then settlement, to modern-day yachting success.

Engage with our exhibitions and explore New Zealand's rich and diverse maritime history or experience Auckland's stunning Waitemata Harbour aboard a heritage sailing vessel.

Phone: +64 (0)9 373 0800 Email: info@maritimemuseum.co.nz

Museum of Transport and Technology

The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) is a museum located in Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand. It is located close to the Western Springs Stadium, Auckland Zoo and the Western Springs Park.

The museum has large collections of civilian and military aircraft and other land transport vehicles. An ongoing programme is in place to restore and conserve items in the collections.

Exhibits include trains, trams, vintage traction engines, carriages, cars, buses, trolleybuses and trucks, particularly fire engines, electrical equipment, space flight exhibits including a Corporal rocket and general science exhibits. There is also a 'colonial village' of early shops and houses, including a fencible cottage and a blacksmith shop.

Situated within the junction of Ranolf Street and Lake Road, Kuirau Park is a popular inner-city reserve.

In early Maori times the small lake in the park was much cooler and was known as Taokahu. Legend tells us that a beautiful young woman named Kuiarau was bathing in the waters when a taniwha (legendary creature) dragged her to his lair below the lake. The gods above were angered and made the lake boil so the Taniwha would be destroyed forever. From that time on, the bubbling lake and the steaming land around it have been known by the name of the lost woman, although the spelling has changed a little.

Kuirau Park occupies an area of geothermal activity typified by many hot springs, gas and steam upflows, thermally altered ground and silica deposits from prehistoric times.

Kuirau Park is part of the Rotorua Walkway. Walking tracks lead to numerous areas of vigorous geothermal activity.

New eruptions do occur from time to time. In 2001 mud and rocks the size of footballs were suddenly hurled 10 metres into the air as a new steam vent spontaneously announced its arrival. Two years later, similar eruptions provided a real bonus for delighted visitors.

In June 10 1886, the peaceful existence enjoyed by the inhabitants of Te Wairoa was shattered by an outpouring of the Earth's fury.

Te Wairoa Village, in a valley above Lake Tarawera, was established by a Christian Missionary in 1848. It was abandoned during the land wars of the 1860's, then repopulated a few years later as the staging post to the Pink and White Terraces - the eighth wonder of the world.

The terraces were destroyed when Mount Tarawera, five kilometres to the north, erupted at 03:00 on 10 June 1886. The volcano belched out hot mud, red hot boulders and immense clouds of black ash from a 17 kilometre rift that crossed the mountain and passed through Lake Rotomahana. The eruption caused over 150 deaths and buried several villages including the Māori and European settlement of Te Wairoa.

Violent and unexpected, the eruption was New Zealand's greatest natural disaster. For more than four terrifying hours, rocks, ash and boiling hot mud bombarded the peaceful village. The fiery glow in the night sky and the thunderous roar of the explosions were seen and heard as far away as Auckland. In the gloom of the day, the wreckage of the hotels and houses, and the burial of 5000 square miles of scenic countryside brought awe and dismay to rescuers. The eruption destroyed the Terraces and buried Te Wairoa and two smaller villages under hot heavy ash and mud. More than 150 lives were lost.

Orakei Korako is only accessible by boat. The boat fare is included in the admission fee.

Orakei Korako is situated on the Waikato River at Lake Ohakuri, which is a Hydro-Electric power plant. The name Orakei Korako can be interpreted as “Place of Adorning”. Maori women used the pool to bath and beautify themselves for ceremonies.

The Silica Terraces which form the base of Orakei-Korako Geyserland are noted as being the largest mass since the Pink and White Terraces on the edge of Lake Rotomahana beneath Mount Tarawera were destroyed in 1886...

At present, there are up to 23 active natural geysers that play freely throughout the area. One geothermal consultant stated that Orakei Korako has the greatest number of active geysers of any geothermal field in New Zealand, with the most variable and most interesting changes.

There is a vast number of boiling hot springs to view at Orakei Korako as well as mud pools and there are extensive bush walks to enjoy through areas of native flora and fauna.

The highlight for many visitors on the walk through the valley is the thermal Ruatapu Cave (sacred hole). The cave extends 120 ft down to a hot pool at the bottom named “Waiwhakaata”, which means "pool of mirrors".

Tel: +64 (0) 7 378 31 31

Whakarewarewa - The Thermal Village is located in the beautiful city of Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty, which is situated in the central North Island of New Zealand.

The Cultural Performances are held twice daily at 11.15am and 2.00pm and are included in the price of admission.

See firsthand the geothermal activity and how it is used in everyday life with hot springs and steam vents used for cooking (natural cooktops and ovens) and the natural mineral waters used for communal bathing.

Mingle with the villagers who are always delighted to share their knowledge and pastimes within the Whakarewarewa Village, the place they call home.

Surrounded by a mixture of geothermal activity, from the spray of the geysers to the plopping of mud pools and beauty of the mineral pools, each feature has its own uniqueness and are significant to the village in someway.

Every single pool, geyser or fumarole in the entire valley has a name. These features are named after our ancestors, events or incidents and are a part of the history of the tribe.

Whakarewarewa Thermal Village

Phone: +64 7 349 3463

info@whakarewarewa.com

9a Tukiterangi Street Whakarewarewa Village Rotorua New Zealand

The English meaning of “Wai-O-Tapu” is Sacred Waters

Located 27 kilometres (20 minutes drive) south of Rotorua on SH5, the Visitor Centre provides the gateway to New Zealand’s most colourful natural volcanic environment.
 
Visitors can walk at their own pace and absorb the unique features including the world famous champagne pool, geysers, bubbling mud, steaming ground, expansive vistas, huge volcanic craters and sinter terrace formations. The natural bush setting adds another dimension to the experience as does the guaranteed daily eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser at 10.15am.

Tel : +64 7 366 6333

Fax : +64 7 366 6010

waiotapu@geyserland.co.nz

Mt Tarawera lies within the Okataina Volcanic Centre, one of five major active areas within the Taupo Volcanic Zone.

Tarawera is made up of 11 rhyolite domes and pyroclastics from eruptions from within the southern part of the Haroharo Caldera formed by volcanic episodes more than 20,000 years ago.

Tarawera has erupted five times:

1886 basaltic scoria eruption 700 yrs ago

Kaharoa eruption of rhyolitic lava and pyroclastics 11,000 yrs ago

Waiohau episode 15,000 yrs ago

Rerewhakaaitu episode 17,000 yrs ago

An episode associated with the Okareka ash

Rotorua, New Zealand

Tel : 64 7 349 3714

Fax: 64 7 349 3704

mt-tarawera@xtra.co.nz

Discover the great stories of the Rotorua region through our innovative exhibitions and cinema experiences.

Learn about the rich culture, volatile landscape and legendary figures that have shaped this fascinating region

Enjoy panoramic views of the Government Gardens, Lake Rotorua and Sulphur Bay from the Viewing Platform on the rooftop of the building.

Explore the stunning Bath House Building from basement to rooftop. An ongoing restoration programme will ensure the Bath House remians one of New Zealand's historic landmarks

Rotorua Museum

Queens Drive,

Government Gardens

Tel: +64 7 349 4350

Fax: +64 7 349 2819

rotoruamuseum@rdc.govt.nz

The museum and art gallery has a reputation as one of the very best, most innovative regional museums in New Zealand.

The Exhibit Café is open for lunches, brunches, morning and afternoon teas. A wide menu is available and changes with the seasons.

Email us

Hours - Open 7 Days.

Mon - Sat : 0am - 4pm

Sunday and Public Holidays : 1:30pm - 4:00pm

Tongariro National Park http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongariro_National_Park

Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand, located in the central North Island. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as one of the 28 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites. Tongariro National Park was the fourth national park established in the world.

The active volcanic mountains Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro are located in the centre of the park. There are a number of Māori religious sites within the park[1] and the summits of Tongariro, including Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu, are tapu (sacred).

The park includes many towns around its boundary including Ohakune, Waiouru, Horopito, Pokaka, Erua, National Park Village, Whakapapa skifield and Turangi.

It is just a few kilometres west-southwest of Lake Taupo. It is 330 km south of Auckland by road, and 320 km north of Wellington. It contains a considerable part of the North Island Volcanic Plateau. Directly to the east stand the hills of the Kaimanawa range. The Whanganui River rises within the park and flows through Whanganui National Park to the west.

The Wairere Boulders . They form the Wairere valley and are located near Horeke in the Far North of Northland, which is a part of the North Island of New Zealand.

The valley, now a New Zealand Nature Park, is one of the major tourism, or better, ecotourism attractions, a prime landmark that is thousands of years old.

You can walk the valley on your own, without a guide, by following the visible and well marked tracks.

Entry fees to the Wairere Boulders. Adults $ 10.00 Children, Students $ 5.00

admin@wairereboulders.co.nz

The spectacular Kawiti Glow- worm Caves present a galaxy of glow-worm lights, impressive limestone walls and magnificent delicate stalactites and stalagmites that took thousands of years to form.

Caves, rivers banks and other shady crevices provide a home for New Zealand’s most famous fly; the glow-worm (Arachnocompa luminosa) belonging to the gnat family and is not related to the European glow-worm which is a beetle.

A small stream flows through the cave in which a pet eel resides, and can be stroked.

Tel : 09 404 0583

Please tell us that you found us on New Zealand Happenings website

The Waipoua Forest http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waipoua_Forest

The Waipoua Forest is located on the west coast of the Northland Region and is associated with the neighbouring Waima and Mataraua Forests.

Waipoua Forest preserves some of the best examples of kauri forest remaining in New Zealand. It is notable for having two of the largest living kauri trees, Tane Mahuta and Te Matua Ngahere.

The forest was declared a sanctuary in 1952. A community based volunteer organization, the Waipoua Forest Trust, helps maintain the forest.

The trees are threatened by the fungus Phytophthora taxon Agathis.

The Waipoua Forest Trust has called for urgent action by the government to find a cure for the problem.

The forest has the largest population of North Island brown kiwi in Northland. Populations of the endangered North Island kokako can be found in the high plateau country.

A forest fire threatened Waipoua Forest in early 2007. The fire broke out on the 1st of February after someone had been cooking mussels on an open fire at a nearby beach. The fire burnt pine plantation adjoining the native forest, but destroyed ecologically significant wetland vegetation, and came within 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) of the iconic Tāne Mahuta.

The blaze was fought by local fire fighters and conservation volunteers, who managed to stop its spread using helicopters and fire breaks. Millions of dollars of pine and many endangered birds were lost, including an estimated 20 North Island brown Kiwi. In all the fire claimed over 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi) of vegetation.

Mt Maunganui http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Maunganui

Mount Maunganui is a town in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, located on a peninsula to the north of Tauranga.

Mount Maunganui is also the name of the extinct volcanic cone that rises above the town, which is now officially known by its Māori name Mauao, but is colloquially known in New Zealand simply as The Mount.

Mount Maunganui is regarded as a coastal resort town, although Port of Tauranga, a major facility, is also partly located on the western (harbour) side. It is also well-known for the quality of its surfing conditions, though parts of the beach are notoriously dangerous.

The name on the sign that marks the hill is "Taumata­whakatangihanga­koauau­o­tamatea­turi­pukakapiki­maunga­horo­nuku­pokai­
whenua­kitanatahu", which translates roughly as "The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one".

At 85 letters, it has been listed in the Guinness World Records as one of the longest place names in the world.

The name is often shortened to Taumata by the locals for ease of conversation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

The main Te Papa building is on the waterfront in Wellington, on Cable Street. Inside the building are six stories of exhibitions, cafés and gift shops dedicated to New Zealand's culture and environment. The museum also incorporates outdoor areas with artificial caves, native bushes and wetlands.

Te Papa is New Zealand's national museum, offering visitors a unique and authentic experience of this country's treasures and stories. Over five floors, you can explore the nation's nature, art, history, and heritage - from the shaping of its land to the spirit of its diverse peoples, from its unique wildlife to its distinctive art and visual culture.

Cable Street

Wellington

New Zealand

mail@tepapa.govt.nz

Tel : +64 (0)4 381 7000

Visit central Wellington's oldest identified building, which was built by carpenter, William Wallis, in 1858.

This was a time when candles were made from tallow and when the nails used to build the Cottage were imported.

Displays show the ways in which the first colonials blended their lives from their Victorian homeland with the dictates of a new country.

Enjoy the garden, the remaining portion of an 1840 New Zealand Company Town Acre, on which the Cottage was built.

Emmanuel Makarios:

Tel 64 4 384 9122

Fax 64 4 384 9202

colonialcottage@wmt.org.nz

The Wellington Botanic Garden features 25 hectares of protected native forest, conifers, plant collections and seasonal displays. They also feature a variety of non-native species, including an extensive Rose Garden.

The Wellington Cable Car runs between Lambton Quay and the top of the Botanic Garden, and it is the most direct way to get from the top part of the garden to Wellington's Central Business District.

The Gardens feature a large Victorian-style glasshouse, the Begonia House, the Lady Norwood Rose Garden and the Treehouse Visitor Centre. There is a large children's play area. Large sculptures and carvings are located throughout the garden. The Wellington Botanic Garden is home to several organisations, including the Carter Observatory,and the Wellington Cable Car Museum

Treehouse Visitor Centre

Tel : (04) 499 1400

treehouse@wcc.govt.nz

City Gallery Wellington is a dynamic cultural presence in the capital city of Aotearoa New Zealand. Established in 1980, City Gallery Wellington was the first significant non-collecting exhibition based public gallery in New Zealand. Since moving to its current location in Civic Square in 1993, City Gallery Wellington has achieved a reputation for innovation and style, inspiring and challenging its audiences with a world-class programme of exhibitions and arts-related projects.

City Gallery Wellington creates a focus for contemporary visual arts, architecture and design in Wellington through local, national and international exhibitions as well as international exchanges and joint ventures with other art museums.

Tel ; 64 4 801 3021 for general information

citygallery@wmt.org.nz

Hot Water Beach is located along New Zealand's Pacific coast just south of Mercury Bay at the northeast tip of the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula.

Hot Water Beach is world famous for its Hot Pools and has been voted one of the top ten beach's in the world.

For two hours either side of low tide, you can dig in the sand for hot spring water and make your own spa pool. It's good fun summer and winter. There is also lagoon close to the beach that provides safe, warm swimming for families and children. Hot Water Beach has two fissures issuing water as hot as 64ºC (147ºF) at a rate as high as 15 litres/minute. This water contains large amounts of salt (NOT salt water), calcium, magnesium, potassium, fluorine, bromine and silica.

Cape Reingahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Reinga

Cape Reinga is generally considered the separation marker between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. From the lighthouse it is possible to watch the tidal race, as the two seas clash to create unsettled waters just off the coast.

The cape is often mistakenly thought of as being the northernmost point of the North Island, and thus, of mainland New Zealand. However, North Cape's Surville Cliffs, 30 km east of Cape Reinga, are slightly further north. Another headland just to the west of Cape Reinga is Cape Maria van Diemen, which was discovered and named by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman during his journey in 1642 and thought of by him to be the northernmost point of the newly-discovered country he named 'Staten Landt'.

Māori mythology

According to mythology, the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife to leap off the headland and climb the roots of the 800 year old tree and descend to the underworld to return to their traditional homeland of Hawaiiki-a-nui, using the Te Ara Wairua, the 'Spirits' pathway'.

At Cape Reinga they depart the mainland.

They turn briefly at the Three Kings Islands for one last look back towards the land, then continue on their journey.

Ninety Mile Beach http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety_Mile_Beach,_New_Zealand

The name Ninety Mile Beach is a misnomer because it is actually 55 miles (88 km) long.

Several theories have been advanced for the name, the most common stemming from the days when missionaries travelled on horse back when on average a horse could travel 30 miles (50 km) in a day before needing to be rested. The beach took three days to travel therefore earning its name, but the missionaries did not take into account the slower pace of the horses walking in the sand, thus thinking they had travelled 90 miles (140 km) when in fact they had only travelled 55.

Ninety Mile Beach is located on the western coast of the far north of the North Island of New Zealand.

It ends at Scott Point, five km south of Cape Maria van Diemen.

The beach, and specifically its northern dunes, is a famous tourist destination. The dunes, looking very much like a desert landscape, are an unexpected sight for travellers, especially if arriving from the landward side. They are often used for bodyboarding.

Cape Palliser http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Palliser

Cape Palliser is a promontory on the southern coast of New Zealand's North Island and the southernmost point of the North Island. It is located at the eastern end of Palliser Bay, 50 kilometres southeast of Wellington - 100 kilometres by road.

A small settlement - Ngāwī - is situated near Cape Palliser where the main income comes from crayfish fishing. Some 20 to 30 fishing boats are pushed into the sea on their trailers by bulldozers.

Kupe's Sail is another feature of Cape Palliser - a massive triangular upthrust of sedimentary rock shaped like a sail. Legend has it that Kupe sailed by Cape Palliser more than 1000 years ago.

The Cape Palliser Lighthouse is located here; an unmanned lighthouse blinking once every 20 seconds. It is also home to a permanent fur seal colony.

Cape Palliser was named by Captain James Cook in honour of 'his worthy friend' Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser of the British Royal Navy.

Cook Strait http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cook_Strait

Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east.

The strait is named after James Cook, the first European commander to sail through it, in 1770.

Cook Strait is one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world. In good weather one can see clearly across the strait.

At its narrowest point 22 kilometres (14 mi) separate Cape Terawhiti in the North Island from Perano Head on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds.

Perano Head (South Island) actually lies further north than Cape Terawhiti (North Island).