- NZ Road Trip – North Island – Day 4 & 5
- Tūrangi – Taihape – Paekākāriki
- Wednesday 25th -Thursday 26th 2026
Leaving Tūrangi, we swapped volcanic drama for open roads and big skies.
The morning light stretched across the central plateau as we headed south, the landscape slowly softening from raw alpine terrain into rolling farmland.
The drive toward Taihape felt like classic rural New Zealand, long quiet roads, sheep and cow dotted hills and tiny towns that seem to exist in their own peaceful rhythm.
Taihape itself, famously known as the “Gumboot Capital of the World,” made us smile as we stopped for a wander, coffee and cake. It’s one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it places, but it carries real character.
The town hosts an annual Gumboot Day in March, featuring a renowned gumboot (wellies to us) throwing competition and a famous giant corrugated iron sculpture of a gumboot.
From there, the scenery began to shift again. The further south we drove, the greener it became. Wide river valleys opened up, the Rangitīkei River carving its way through dramatic cliffs and then gradually, the land flattened as we approached the Kapiti Coast. And then, the sea.
We reached Paekākāriki its small, relaxed and slightly bohemian, colourful houses, coastal railway line, waves rolling in just metres from the road. I love it here!!!
There’s something special about ending a drive like that by the water. Mountains behind you, sea in front of you. I could live here!
New Zealand really does change every few hours and that’s the magic of it.
That evening we headed straight to the beach. We walked a good stretch of it first. The coastline felt wild and open, with the sound of waves rolling in and the hills rising behind the village.
And the driftwood… I have never seen anything like it in my life. Not just bits of wood scattered along the shore, but actual trees. Huge trunks, tangled roots, weathered branches bleached pale by the sea. It looked like nature had rearranged a forest along the sand.
We kept stopping just to stare at it as it went on for miles and miles.
Later, we sat down with a glass of wine on the beach and watched the sun slowly drop behind the horizon. The sky shifted from gold to deep orange to that soft dusky blue and everything felt calm.
No rush, no noise, just the sea, the light fading and that quiet contentment that creeps up on you when you know you’re exactly where you’re meant to be in that moment.
Mary's Outdoor Adventure's 