SH35 East Coast summer road trip 2025

The tall fella and I had been talking about doing the SH35 East Coast road trip ever since we first started dating. He was working in retail then and wanted to do it in two days, but that meant we would spend most of the time in the car. What’s the point in that? No thanks. We compromised and made it three days, spending two nights in Te Puia Springs.

From our home in Edgecumbe, it’s just under three hours’ drive to Gisborne via the Waioeka Gorge. Over the three days we clocked about 700km to do the SH35 loop, stopping in Gisborne, Tatapouri, Tolaga Bay, Tokomaru Bay, Te Puia Springs, Waipiro Bay, Tikitiki, Te Araroa, Hicks Bay, Raukokore and Te Kaha.

Motiti Island: Walking In The Footsteps Of A Local

Myths, legends and folklore - there are plenty on Motiti Island. A rugged paradise that’s just a 15 minute flight from Mount Maunganui, yet it’s a world away, and a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the mainland. Here, time is as slow as the 4WD truck that is driving us to the other side of the island, and so far the only real hazards are the deepening dirt roads, gates and wandering cows feasting on the wild fennel.

The private island is home to around 20 permanent residents, mainly retirees who have come home to honour their roots. They are Ngati Awa, and their hapū, Te Patuwai, have such a deep, long-held connection to the land that it’s hard to picture this place being any other way. This is an old place, and that day I walked in the footsteps of locals, history and time.

Bay of Plenty: Exploring The Geothermal Walk At Hell's Gate

Walking through Rotorua’s Hell’s Gate is an interesting contrast of lush green nature versus the barren geothermal landscape of steam vents and bubbling mud baths. On a cloudy day the steam looks even more foreboding, and the heat that radiates is surprisingly intense in some craters.