From the highway you receive directly the Main St of Hamilton, called Victoria St. There are different kinds of Shops, Bars, Restaurants and Hotels along the street. A must see in Hamilton is The Hamilton Gardens. It’s like a huge Park, very clean and beautiful arranged with different kinds of flowers and trees, which are separated in different areas. Beside the gardens you have a lot of meadow and some lakes. It is really a nice place and for free.

If you stay for 2 days you should use your time to visit the Waitomo Caves, because they are famous for their glow-worms. The caves are about another hour to drive in the South of Hamilton. On your way stop at the “Kiwi House” at Otorohanga, where they have different kinds of birds and geckos and a Kiwi House, where they simulate night, so that visitors can watch the Kiwi Bird, which New Zealand is famous for. It costs just $10 to go in.

You pay $25 as an adult there, but you can try to get the family fee when you are 3 or more people. Going down the cave, you are with a guide who explains the origin of the cave, the structure and the living of glow-worms in it. You go deep down into the cave until you arrive at a dark cave-river, where small boats are entered by the visitors. After getting used to the dark you can see millions of tiny lights on the ceiling, all have exact the same distance to the next one, but some of them are less lightly than the other. The boat trip ends outside the cave and you have to walk up back to the entrance.

Going back to Hamilton means not taking the same way back as you came. So if you turn west from the caves towards the coast you get some nice views and maybe catch some sun-rays at the beach. The road is very bendy and it goes up and down the mountains and hills, so make sure you have eaten enough but not too much because your stomach will be wear out fast. Now and then you should stop to get out of the car and take a look around. The scenery is breathtaking and enjoyable.

Another nice place to visit is Raglan, the closest beach to Hamilton and most popular beach. It is famous for its surf and lies on a beautiful sheltered harbour, good for windsurfing, boating and swimming.