No room at the Inn results in fortuitous sightseeing opportunities

After leaving Rotorua I headed toward the coast and planned to spend the night at the south end of the Bay of Plenty. When I got to Mount Maunganui I was noticing all the "No Vacancy" signs, and when I went online I found all the hotels, motels, and B&B lodgings were booked except for a few that would have cost me $550 for the night. This was totally unexpected since everywhere else I had travelled was pretty much empty. Up until now, when I did see "No Vacancy" signs it wasn't because the place was full but rather the place was closed for the off season. I also tried to find a place in the much larger neighboring town, Tauranga. Same problem here. I later learn it was a school holiday, and there was some sporting event so every place was filled with kids and their parental entourage.

I decided to just keep driving north and look for a vacancy sign. I finally found one in the town of Katikati. I went to the office, but it turns out they were full except for a trailer they could make up if I wanted it. However, she said she left the vacancy sign up so that people would come in so she could help them find a place to stay. She offered to call ahead to the next town and see if something was available. Another example of how friendly the New Zealander's are to visitors. She found a place that had a room for me along with a room for the couple that came in after me looking for a bed. We both headed north and ended up in a very nice place in Waihi.

In the morning, I hiked along the Waitawheta River in the Karangahake Gorge. This included walking through a very long tunnel through the mountain that used to have a railroad running through it when they were mining gold.

hiking along the Waitawheta River in the Karangahake Gorge

1100 meter tunnel through the moutain

After the morning hike I had lunch at the Bistro at the Falls described in a previous post. I then stopped by the the top of a copper mine for a quick look before heading further north.

copper mine in Waihi New Zealand