Hamilton and Taranaki-Wanganui

Hamilton city is built around the Waikato River in New Zealand and is the heart of the Waikato region. Taranaki, on the North Island's West Coast, is on a peninsula that juts into the Tasman Sea and is half way between Auckland and Wellington. The Wanganui region is on the lower west coast of the North Island, south of Taranaki, based around the Whanganui River.

Hamilton is a beautiful city and is the largest inland city in New Zealand. Hamilton has many beautiful parks and gardens, with good walks along both sides of the magnificent riverbank. Whether you are looking for adventure, excitement, fun and entertainment, or just a relaxing holiday taking in the pleasures of this picturesque city, you can do it all and more in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Taranaki’s most striking feature is the near-perfect volcanic cone of Mt Taranaki, which dominates the whole region. You can see this spectacular view from many mountain trails. There are 21 attractive golf courses and the beautiful Egmont National Park, as well as lush green dairy pastures that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Wanganui is very rugged, except for the rolling coastal lowlands. The beautiful Whanganui National Park is a must see with the historic Whanganui River flowing through it, which is also New Zealand’s longest navigable waterway. Wanganui has many fascinating historic tribal villages as well where you are able to experience the cultural traditions of the Maori lifestyle.

The South Island is cooler than the North Island by a few degrees. Winter in New Zealand is from June to August and summer is from December to February. There are regional variations: It is quite warm and pleasant up in the Northland region at any time of the year. Higher altitudes are always considerably cooler, and it is usually windy in Wellington, which catches the winds whistling through the Cook Straight.

Snow is mostly seen in the mountains, although there can be snowfalls, even at sea level, In the South Island, particularly in the extreme south. Some of the plains and higher plateaus also receive snow in winter, notably the Canterbury plains and the high plateau around the Tongariro National Park, especially on the east side. Snow is seldom seen near sea level on the West Coast of either and not at all in the far north.

An important thing you must know about the New Zealand climate is that it is a maritime climate, as opposed to the continental climate typical of larger land masses. This means the weather can change with amazing rapidity.