Episode 066

Getting the Most out of Local Weekend Trips with Ashley Elliott

7 December 2023 34 min

Episode 066

0:00 / 34:39

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Ashley made a really good point to me before we recorded. A lot of the adventures on this podcast are massive expeditions, which are super cool and inspiring. But realistically, not everyone can take three months off work.

So this one is all about the easier escapes. Ashley shares her New Zealand travel on Instagram, she loves travel photography and videography, and (this surprises a lot of people) she works a 9 to 5. Every bit of leave counts. And she's a self-confessed serial over-planner, which I am so so far from.

We go through how she plans a weekend away, her favourite Waikato spots (people sleep on the Waikato), Taupō in winter, Karangahake Gorge and its tunnels, Coromandel beaches, one South Island highlight, and how travel has changed since having a baby. Get your map out.

In this episode

Weekend trips around a 9 to 5
Planning a weekend getaway
Waikato weekend spots
Karangahake Gorge and Paeroa
Coromandel beaches
Hooker Valley Track and Mount Cook

Weekend trips around a 9 to 5

Ashley works full time, so she and her husband spread their leave as much as possible, taking long weekends like a Thursday to a Monday so they get a bit of time without the crowds. Her tips:

Plan in advance. Work out where you want to go, the best month to see it, and which weekends you've got.
Hope for a workplace that's chill about you taking frequent short breaks.

New Zealand is incredible for that, because there's so much in such a small area. As Ashley puts it:

"you'd be hard pressed to drive more than 20 minutes and not have something to do whether it's a waterfall or a walk or a beach"

And so much of it is free. You don't need a big budget for adventure activities: most of what they do when they go away is seeing the scenery.

Growing up, Ashley's family didn't travel much. Every Boxing Day they'd pack up the station wagon and drive to Hahei Beach to camp, and some of her fondest memories are running wild around that campground. Like a lot of Kiwis, she wanted to go overseas when she was younger. It took COVID for her to really appreciate New Zealand, and they've done so much travel here since.

Planning a weekend getaway

With cheap evening flights, Ashley might knock off early and fly down in the late afternoon. For a Waikato road trip, they pack the car in the afternoon and leave before Auckland's rush hour hits.

Because her leave is so precious, she plans:

A map of pins. She has hundreds of places in New Zealand pinned, found on Instagram, Google and Tripadvisor, and tags what they'll do on each trip. You can make your own in Google Maps really easily.
A day-by-day itinerary in Google Sheets, keeping the drives between each thing as short as possible so you don't spend the whole day in the car.
Room tours on YouTube. She's a very visual person, so when she can't tell two room types apart, she watches someone's video of them.

Her poor husband has to listen to her talk about sunrise and sunset times, and what they'll do for each.

I plan on a map too, but I use the term plan quite loosely.

Accommodation

For hotels, Ashley books through hotels.com, which she likes, and when we recorded, its rewards gave you a free night after ten nights. She loves the hidden little Airbnbs with hot tubs and amazing views, some quite reasonable. At one in Raglan, right on the waterfront, they had kayaks to drag out, so they kayaked at sunset and sat in the hot tub at sunrise.

Travel buddies and travelling with a baby

Her best advice: if you want to cram lots into a short time, like she does, go with people on the same wavelength. Her girlfriends are always down for an adventure, so when her husband's had enough, she recruits them.

Since having her baby, Ashley travels a lot less, and more slowly, working around nap times and bedtimes. Closer to home, they went up to Matakana for the markets and wineries. They've always been big fans of a nice place to go back to and relax, and she thinks that matters even more when you're travelling with little kids, because you need a bit more downtime.

Waikato weekend spots

Ashley thinks people sleep on the Waikato. Aucklanders tend to drive through it to get to other places, and it's so diverse, with all its hikes and its geothermal activity.

Raglan has such a cool, surfy feel that it's almost like you've gone to a different country.
Hamilton's flower fields, lavender and sunflower, bloom in summer. They're a great family-friendly activity, or a frolic with your girlfriends for cute photos.
Hamilton Gardens are just insane. Ashley always recommends the themed gardens as a road trip stop to people travelling through.

When I'm passing through Hamilton, I always see people walking or cycling the beautiful riverside walks in the centre.

Taupō in winter

They try to get to Taupō every winter, because the geothermal activity is so much cooler when it's crisp and cold. Huka Falls is a classic. They hiked Mount Tauhara for sunset, after a trip to The Warehouse for torches: pretty steep, windy at the top and pretty chilly coming back down. For hot pools, DeBretts is super family friendly.

Waikato waterfalls

Wairere Falls, close to Matamata on the border with the Bay of Plenty. At the top there's a shallow riverbed and patchwork farmland as far as you can see.
Marokopa Falls, near Waitomo, which is so powerful to sit and watch.
Bridal Veil Falls in Raglan, one of Ashley's favourite waterfalls in New Zealand, where it feels like you've gone somewhere prehistoric.

Karangahake Gorge and Paeroa

Karangahake Gorge was another trip Ashley loved in the North Island. They explored all the old mining tunnels and walks, swam in the river, and found waterfalls. In her words:

"It was just it felt really wild and fun like being a kid again exploring all these cool places"

There's a really long tunnel you can ride your bike through, too.

I planned a surprise birthday getaway for my husband Isaac in the gorge, in a little Airbnb cabin up in the bush. We did the tunnel walk, which messes with my mind: it's so straight that you can see the light at the other end the whole time, slowly getting bigger.

One walk climbs the old mining tracks to windows the miners cut into the cliff face. When we recorded, Ashley knew it had been closed recently because of a slip, so keep an eye on the DOC website and local tourism pages to check tracks are open before you go. Quite a few spots were closed after the cyclone last summer.

That weekend, we spent an afternoon browsing all the antique shops and quirky little stores in Paeroa. And as Ashley says, you didn't go to Paeroa if you didn't get a photo with the giant L&P bottle. Tīrau has its dog and sheep buildings too.

Coromandel beaches

The Coromandel is probably Ashley's favourite region in New Zealand. She spent every summer there growing up, so it's super special, and you can beach hop for weeks and go to a new beach every day.

Hahei and Cathedral Cove are super popular for good reason. Go in the shoulder season, just before summer starts or at the end, because it can get crazy busy.
Opito Bay, a bit further up past Whitianga, is quiet and out of the way, with a beautiful, sheltered beach.
Crayfish Bay is an amazing cove nearby where they swim. On a still day, the water is turquoise.
New Chums Beach used to be a bit of a hidden gem and is getting more popular. With no buildings or infrastructure, it feels like an awesome remote beach to swim and play.
Hot Water Beach is a classic Kiwi experience, and it gets really busy too. Ashley's group once took a tiny plastic kids' spade, saw everyone's full-on garden spades, and pinched someone's hole when they left.

That's my favourite move. I never take a spade. I rock up, find someone who looks ready to leave and take their hole.

A couple of tide tips from me: you have to reach New Chums at low tide, as I found out the hard way when the water was up to my middle crossing back to the car park. And Hot Water Beach is a low tide activity, or you won't be able to dig for the hot water.

I went to Cathedral Cove at midday on a peak summer day once, before COVID, and it was absolutely pumping.

Hooker Valley Track and Mount Cook

Ashley's most memorable trip was a road trip through Central Otago and Canterbury in March last year. It was her first time at Mount Cook, and they also went to the Clay Cliffs and explored around Queenstown, Wānaka and Tekapo.

The highlight was finally walking the Hooker Valley Track, because so many people had talked about it: low effort, high return, very flat and easy going. The Tasman Glacier lookout and the Blue Lakes are another excellent effort-to-value walk, really easy with incredible scenery. Sealy Tarns is on her bucket list.

I love Sealy Tarns so much. It's stairs pretty much the whole way up, and worth it.

Places from this episode

Waikato
Raglan
Bridal Veil Falls
Hamilton
Hamilton Gardens
Taupō
Huka Falls
Mount Tauhara
Wairere Falls
Matamata
Marokopa Falls
Waitomo
Karangahake Gorge
Paeroa
Tīrau
Coromandel
Hahei
Cathedral Cove
Opito Bay
Crayfish Bay
New Chums Beach
Hot Water Beach
Matakana
Mount Cook
Hooker Valley Track
Tasman Glacier
Sealy Tarns
Clay Cliffs
Tekapo

Follow Ashley

Instagram: @littlekiwitravels
Her website, where she blogs and sells her Explorer's Guide to New Zealand, the map she uses to plan, with places to see and things to do: flower fields, hikes, waterfalls, caves and lighthouses