Getting out of the big little city
If you have a few days to spare in Auckland, it's worth considering a road trip down south to pass by surf beaches, tropical rainforest, thermal areas with bubbling mud, world-famous trout fishing streams, a large crater lake and finally the spectacular twin snowfields of Mt Ruapehu and Whakapapa: all in the space of around a four hour road trip!

We headed south with a baby and a pre-schooler via port city Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty. This route takes you through some lovingly-maintained towns such as Paeroa, famous for antiques and a giant Lemon & Paeroa bottle (a 'world-famous in New Zealand' drink akin to a fizzy lemon squash like Solo), the historic mining town of Waihi and the mural town of Katikati, where bronze statuettes sit on benches reading the paper. Every half an hour there's something new to take the kids attention so that the only "Are we there yet?" came from the driver's seat in front.

Re-fuelling the littlies
Regular pit-stops to stretch little legs and re-fuel little tummies are essential on long road trips. We manage to make it about halfway to Tauranga to the Copper Kettle in Ngatea. It serves up old-fashioned kiwi food and lesser-known delights such as mini oyster quiches, walnut, celery and cream cheese sandwiches and prune tarts. The pies are a speciality but be warned - the goodie gum drops ice cream looks to contain lots of gum drops but my three-year-old disappointedly licked two scoops and only found one!

Tauranga was the next stop and it's already time for another meal! We chose the local's favourite fish and chip shop 'Bobby's Fish Market' situated just out of the main centre on Trinity wharf. The atmosphere is pure fish market with the friendliest staff in the world, albeit in gumboots and grubby aprons. Snapper and chips for four cost just $11 with plenty left to feed the seagulls on the wharf afterwards.

Mount Maunganui is the famous surf beach in the region. It has good shopping and food, hot pools at the foot of a small mount dotted with sheep and rabbits, and a campsite or luxury hi-rise accommodation - a cross between Surfer's Paradise and Byron Bay, twenty years ago.

Never trust a local for directions: part 1
Forgetting to pack the road map or GPS got us in trouble on our exit from Tauranga - signposts are not New Zealand road's strong point! At a local fruit shop, a shopper points us in the right direction down the road. The scenic and windy Pyes Pa route is so quiet we start saying what good luck we have had by taking the lesser-travelled road. That is, until we get to the gorge about 45 minutes later where a sign says: "Closed between 9-4 Monday to Friday"...

Are we there yet!
After a lengthy detour, the drive around Taupo lake to Turangi is spectacular. Apart from sitting crammed in between a child car seat and a baby car capsule trying to distract Baby with more objects - empty water bottles and my hair ties are favourites - it's beautiful. With no street lights, the road is very dark and the fog is low and thick. Rain is coming down quite heavily and we're all now wondering, "Are we there yet?" as we go around every narrow bend. It's a good 30 minutes before we see the road to Creel Lodge, a fishing lodge nestled next to a flowing stream bursting with world-famous brown trout 365 days of the year.

We rush from the car in the pouring rain into our apartment. The staff are accommodating but we've been given the wrong room so it's four in the one bedroom. We make the most of it and the kids are so happy to be out of the car that they are excitedly jumping around the room and trying out their new digs. It's worth the effort of the long drive to watch them interacting and having so much fun.

Never trust a local for directions: part 2
The next day starts early as we head off for the mountain in search of some snow to play in. As we get in the car the manager of Creel Lodge knocks on the windscreen and apologises for the mixed up rooms. She tells us that she won't charge us for tonight's accommodation, which we didn't expect. The day was starting out better! We head to the nearest cafe to stock up on breakfast and food for the drive up the mountain. At the cafe we ask a local for directions again. "Just turn right and keep going, you can't miss it."

We turn right and head out of Turangi. The drive is stunning with barren dessert and moon-like crater landscapes. When we get to a bit of snow on the side of the road our pre-schooler gets very excited and cunningly decides he needs to stop for the toilet. We pull over and he has fun with the snow, but forgets the reason for the stop. We see some families further up the road pulling over for adlib snow fights.

There is heavy fog again and we can't see more than a few feet in front of us. All of a sudden the fog lifts and we see spectacular mountain scenery. "Look, there's the mountain," I yell. We look at it in awe until the wise 3 year old asks "How are we going to get all the way over there?" and we realise it is rapidly becoming a speck in the back mirror. We have driven right past it! Why did we listen to the local's directions... again!

We ask a man in an army van for directions (the training fields are in the dessert we just passed) and head through Ohakune, the nearest town to the slopes and famous for a giant carrot in the main street. Ohakune has pretty-looking chalets and shops and is filled with holidaymakers in colourful snow gear.

The carpark is full at Mt Ruapehu so we need a bus to take us up the precarious mountain slopes that have a sheer drop on one side and no rails. I have to close my eyes as we go up, imagining the slippery ice pushing the creeky old bus with its aging brakes off the edge. I wish I had stayed at home for the few minutes it takes to get to the top.

Painting the snow with food colouring
Once there we head off to get a sledge. On the way, we pass the snow creche - the Turoa Yeti Kids' Centre. For around $70 per day (or $99 with ski lesson and ski rental included) kids aged 2-5 can be looked after in a fully licensed childcare centre while the parents go skiing. It's a great option for older pre-schoolers who want to learn to ski without having to stay on the snow for a full 2 hour lesson. Staff let our pre-schooler paint the snow using paintbrushes and pots filled with food colouring and water. There are buckets and spades, rakes and trucks in the snow - much like you'd take to the beach - ice is just very cold, wet sand really!

For $10 an hour (or $20 per day), you can hire a sledge. Great value and the boys head off to the bunny slope to try it out while the girls head indoors and grab a coffee. The cafe is well set up and there are 20 glasses set out in preparation for mulled wine, as well as Jagermeister on tap. The food is upmarket cafe-style and Baby entertains herself at the large windows looking down on the skiers and trying to lick the glass!

The boys have a great time sledging apart from being bowled over by an over-zealous beginner careening down the slope at a rate of knots. It's a hazard of the over-crowded bunny slope and seems much safer further up the mountain.

On the road again!
The next day we head home. In Rotorua we stop at the Geysers. With prices starting at over $100 for the four of us we decide to go next door to the Regal Geyserland hotel and for the price of a cup of tea watch the main attraction, a huge geyser, exploding mud into the air. This is a great local tip, but on this day the cafe is closed for food so we head through the centre of town to Lake Rotorua.

Right on the water is a Rotorua institution - the Lakeside café. It's an old-fashioned place with cheap Kiwiana food and beautiful lake views. There's a mix of local people celebrating with champagne first thing in the morning and European travellers. A little shop inside sells curios. Across the road is a great kid's playground suitable for all ages.

Just around the corner is Kuirau Park with many bubbling mud pools to view for free. There's even a small pool that you can dip your toes in, or as one Japanese tourist was doing - soaking in it up to her neck! But the rain set in so back into the car we all hopped.

Next stop was the Te Puna Quarry Park just outside of Tauranga. It's a great place to stop for a picnic lunch and if you have time, a 45-60 minute walking track with wild orchids growing in abundance. The road to the quarry passes a little orange orchard and for a few dollars you can grab a bag and deposit your money in an honesty box - a kiwi tradition.

Inside the gorge
It's a long drive with children from the snow back to Auckland so we stop overnight at The Falls Retreat inside the Karangahake Gorge. The tiny Fir Tree Cottage is run by a young family. A loaf of freshly baked bread awaits us from the owner, who just happens to be head chef at a local restaurant as well. The log fire is lit and we listen to the loud bird noises in the trees around us.

The cottage used to be a tea room and the young couple came across it when out walking one day and saw the 'for sale' sign. A dozen NZ House & Garden magazines line the shelves and you can see the care and love that has gone into purchasing antique items and making it a homely and welcoming retreat.

We go for a walk to the nearby waterfall in the morning before we head back to Auckland, a mere hour and a half's drive - not even time for a rest stop! We pass a few industrial areas with steam coming out of furnaces. "Is that the cloud-making machine?" asks the three-year-old before he falls asleep and we arrive home safely after a whirlwind couple of days showing the kids a lot of variety.