Well, any number of searches could have led you here. If you are genuinely lost in The Redwoods – Whakarewarewa Forest stop right now and call someone for help! Seriously – with 5600 hectares of forest it’s a definite possibility. If you are after more of the figuratively, and after a suitable period of time, findable getting lost then read on…
I’m a frequent visitor to Rotorua (check out our adventures in Rotorua here) but what impresses me is that every time I manage to see a new side of Rotorua.
Perhaps it’s because I mix up the company a bit. I’ve been on holidays with the kids when they were little, big camping holidays with lots of families we know and romantic weekend get aways. This weekend I was visiting with my eldest daughter (who is 15) and her two besties and their Mums.
We had booked an amazing Airbnb thanks to the super investigating skills of one of the Mum’s in the group (definitely a great travel wingman to have) that was only a couple of minutes from the The Redwoods – Whakarewarewa Forest. Right next door is a shopping centre with veggies and basic groceries and not to mention the most amazing bakery across the road – La Bonne Poulette. The Chocolate Danishes and Quiche are SO good!!
It was top of every ones list to do the Redwoods Tree Walk at night. It was the very first thing that we did when we arrived on Friday night and even through I’ve done it before I was still enchanted.
It’s like being transported into a glorious mash up of the Far Away Tree and Peter Pan. Lights flick around like fairies and Trubridge lights hang like magical lanterns. The bridges sway 20 metres above the ground, as the Redwoods tower higher still at up to 75 meters tall.
And then in the day time it’s different again. We all chatted about it and decided that the night walk was definitely the best to do first. It kind of felt like you’d be seeing the workings of a magic trick before you saw the trick the other way around.
I always say when you are watching the sunset that you should turn around and look the other way. We always get so fixated on the stunning sunset that sometimes we miss the show going on in the other direction. Muted pinks, oranges and purples seeping into silhouettes. It’s the same here. Just off to the side of the Redwoods Tree Walk where there is an amazing Redwood forest.
We went for a walk through there and within no time at all the teenagers where creating their own mini Twilight movie (which was epic).
And the next day I was back again hiding Getting Lost Games all over the forest for adventurers to find.
And I barely scratched the surface – remember there is a whole other 5,600 hectares of forest to explore. It is top of my list for some really big walks next time I am back.
But in the mean time there was still more to explore in the Redwoods.
We discovered for the first time Eastwood. An amazing stop for brunch a little further down the road from the Redwood Tree Walk. It’s located in the Scion Research building (which is well worth a visit for the architecture alone). We loaded up on the Eggs Bene (a firm fave in our group) and some great coffee (and a big shout out to the team at Eastwood for shouting us a few extras).
My advice…. Spend more time here. You could easily spend the entire weekend here. There’s magic in the trees at night, amazing food, an incredible place to stay right at the doorstep and 5,600 hectares to get lost in.
This was a planned adventure, but a lot of the time we just like to leave it all up to chance and get lost! If you are looking to leave it all up to chance and explore in a different way we recommend checking out our range of Getting Lost Games. They’re all made in New Zealand by me (Cat) and my husband James and they can be played anywhere in the world.