Tawhai Falls is a 13-meter high waterfall located in Tongariro National Park.
It is located about 4 km from the Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre, on State Highway 48.
An easy walk takes just 10-15 minutes to reach the waterfall’s lookout.
The top of the falls. There was not much water coming down the river to feed the falls when we were there in May
Tawhai Falls is also the filming location of Gollum’s pool where Faramir and his archers are watching Gollum fish.
It’s a rocky walk once you are down at ground level, and it may be not possible to walk along the side of the stream if the falls have more water coming down the river from the mountain.
Some people we know have come up for a holiday in what could be described as a very touristy location.
But is it for a ‘holiday’?
They have come from one state and are staying in what could be called an apartment, not a hotel. They are here for a week.
So, they have a kitchen of sorts and can cook their own meals, unlike staying in a hotel room and having to eat out or in the hotel restaurant, and the apartment has a mini laundry.
How much different is this to being at home?
Perhaps we need to have a definition of the word ‘holiday’ and its variations.
A lot of people use the term ‘vacation’. Others use the term ‘leave’. Leave’s a difficult term because it can cover a number of types such as annual, sick, and maternity.
But whatever we want to call it, is it when you’re taking some time away from work.
But is it when you go ‘away’, that is to say anywhere but home?
You say, ‘I’m going on vacation.”
We say, “Oh, where are you going?”
Some say camping. Is that any different than staying in an apartment, or even a holiday house? Still all the same chores, cooking, cleaning, washing.
Some might say they’re staying with relatives either on the other side of the country or on the other side of the world.
There are those who go camping. Just mind the bugs, wild animals, and bears.
Some stay in self serve apartments where it’s just like being at home, only somewhere a little different.
But to truly have a holiday in every sense of the word, it seems that can only be achieved by staying in a 5-star hotel, or by going on what is a more recent phenomenon, embarking on an all-inclusive cruise where you don’t have to do anything at all.
Some people we know have come up for a holiday in what could be described as a very touristy location.
But is it for a ‘holiday’?
They have come from one state and are staying in what could be called an apartment, not a hotel. They are here for a week.
So, they have a kitchen of sorts and can cook their own meals, unlike staying in a hotel room and having to eat out or in the hotel restaurant, and the apartment has a mini laundry.
How much different is this to being at home?
Perhaps we need to have a definition of the word ‘holiday’ and its variations.
A lot of people use the term ‘vacation’. Others use the term ‘leave’. Leave’s a difficult term because it can cover a number of types such as annual, sick, and maternity.
But whatever we want to call it, is it when you’re taking some time away from work.
But is it when you go ‘away’, that is to say anywhere but home?
You say, ‘I’m going on vacation.”
We say, “Oh, where are you going?”
Some say camping. Is that any different than staying in an apartment, or even a holiday house? Still all the same chores, cooking, cleaning, washing.
Some might say they’re staying with relatives either on the other side of the country or on the other side of the world.
There are those who go camping. Just mind the bugs, wild animals, and bears.
Some stay in self serve apartments where it’s just like being at home, only somewhere a little different.
But to truly have a holiday in every sense of the word, it seems that can only be achieved by staying in a 5-star hotel, or by going on what is a more recent phenomenon, embarking on an all-inclusive cruise where you don’t have to do anything at all.
We had afternoon tea in the lounge several times, and it is very pleasant in winter with the log fires burning.
The interior is still as ornate as it had been in the 1930s. The chairs are very comfortable, and the atmosphere pleasant.
Mount Ngauruhoe can be seen through the window of the lounge. This was used a backdrop in the filming of Lord of the Rings.
But…
This place is the ideal setting for a murder, and I can see a story being written very much in the mold of Agatha Christie, with a couple of amateur sleuths who are staying there, trying to solve the crime.
Given the sort of shows being produced in New Zealand currently, for Acorn and other streaming services, this could be turned into a very pleasant two hour diversion with some very unique New Zealand, and foreign, characters.
Hotel dining can be a very expensive experience, but if you are there as one of those bucket list fulfillments like we were, then it’s not unusual to go the whole nine yards.
Since the stay coincided with my birthday, the first day was set aside to have dinner at the Chinese restaurant upstairs and was one of those sublime experiences. Of course, it had to be Peking Duck, expensive champagne, and several cocktails.
Oddly enough, breakfast wasn’t included in the room rate, but that seems to be normal for a lot of hotels. It can be if you want to pay upfront, but we don’t always have breakfast, particularly if we have dinner the night before.
Or can be bothered getting out of bed the next morning because quite often the breakfast hours do go with staying in bed.
During this stay, we decided to have breakfast one morning, cereal, bacon and eggs, coffee, toast, you know, the usual stuff.
No paper placemats here and the silverware was just that, silverware. This was going to be full on old world charm.
Coffee served from a silver coffee pot, fine bone china from Staffordshire, not Thailand, tea service for milk and sugar, condiments all in a row. The only disappointment, I don’t think the eggs were free-range.
And, when the conversation dries up, there’s always a steady stream of people coming and going through the front door, and the doorman is always at the ready to open the door.
WE went once for lunch, and yes, we had to go to the famous Afternoon Tea, for which you had to book or stand in a very long line. We booked and discovered preference was given to those who were staying at the hotel.
Out came the silver tea service, and one could imagine that this was the same as what it had been a hundred years ago. I had tea, after all, it was afternoon tea!
The cakes were interesting, there were quarter sandwiches rather than finger sandwiches, and though I’m not a fan of fruit scones, I’m always up for something different. After it, it’s probably not a good idea to go out for dinner too.
The Harbour Grand Hotel, Kowloon, Hong Kong, is a modern, but luxurious hotel, one that our travel agent found for us.
I was initially worried that it might be too far away from central Hong Kong, but a free shuttle bus that runs at convenient times took us to and from the hotel to the Star Ferry terminal.
The luxuriousness of the hotel starts the moment you walk in the front entrance with a magnificent staircase that I assumed led up to the convention center (or perhaps where weddings are catered for) and a staircase where one could make a grand entrance or exit. Oh, and there’s a chandelier too.
We booked into a Harbourview suite, and it was not only spacious but had that air of luxury about it that made it an experience every time you walked into it.
But the view of Hong Kong Harbour, that was the ‘piece de resistance’
I spent a lot of time staring out that window, and it was more interesting than watching the television, which we didn’t do much of. Most of the time, when we travel, TV is limited to International English speaking news channels.
This time we had several movies included with the room, but I still preferred to watch the endless water traffic on the harbor.
The lounge area had several comfortable chairs, an area for the bar fridge and tea or coffee making facilities and on the opposite side the usual table and chairs for those who came to conduct business
The bedroom was separate to the entrance and lounge. Notable was the fact the room had two bathrooms, one in the bedroom, and one out in the lounge, perhaps for the guests who were having friends in.
We dined in one of the restaurants, Hoi Yat Heen, where we experienced Guandong cuisine. I tried the roasted goose for the first time, and it was interesting to say the least.
There’s no doubt where we will be staying the next time we go to Hong Kong.
The Harbour Grand Hotel, Kowloon, Hong Kong, is a modern, but luxurious hotel, one that our travel agent found for us.
I was initially worried that it might be too far away from central Hong Kong, but a free shuttle bus that runs at convenient times took us to and from the hotel to the Star Ferry terminal.
The luxuriousness of the hotel starts the moment you walk in the front entrance with a magnificent staircase that I assumed led up to the convention center (or perhaps where weddings are catered for) and a staircase where one could make a grand entrance or exit. Oh, and there’s a chandelier too.
We booked into a Harbourview suite, and it was not only spacious but had that air of luxury about it that made it an experience every time you walked into it.
But the view of Hong Kong Harbour, that was the ‘piece de resistance’
I spent a lot of time staring out that window, and it was more interesting than watching the television, which we didn’t do much of. Most of the time, when we travel, TV is limited to International English speaking news channels.
This time we had several movies included with the room, but I still preferred to watch the endless water traffic on the harbor.
The lounge area had several comfortable chairs, an area for the bar fridge and tea or coffee making facilities and on the opposite side the usual table and chairs for those who came to conduct business
The bedroom was separate to the entrance and lounge. Notable was the fact the room had two bathrooms, one in the bedroom, and one out in the lounge, perhaps for the guests who were having friends in.
We dined in one of the restaurants, Hoi Yat Heen, where we experienced Guandong cuisine. I tried the roasted goose for the first time, and it was interesting to say the least.
There’s no doubt where we will be staying the next time we go to Hong Kong.
The sight of the Peninsula Hotel is very familiar to all who visit Hong Kong, if not to stay but certainly if you want to see the last vestiges of British influence in what was once a far eastern colony.
That is, we’re talking about the front building, not the new tower at the back. In the older days there would have been a great view of the harbor from the Veranda (that area with the blue striped canopy) where today, breakfast is taken.
We had breakfast, lunch, and the famous afternoon tea in the ground floor cafe.
These days you would mostly see taxis, buses, and Teslas, if not a flurry of Mercedes and green Rolls Royces in the small car park below. There is no clear view of the harbor anymore.
From our room, one facing the harbor we could see the space museum, and on the day we arrived, rain, at times, blotting out the harbor and Hong Kong Island barely discernable in the distance.
As for the room itself, it was excellent, a junior suite, I think, because it had two distinctive areas. Everything was run from a tablet computer, blinds, lights, television, and most importantly, air conditioning. This was the first hotel I’ve stayed in where it was neither too hot or too cold, but just rights.
The bed was very large and extremely comfortable, as were the pillows. Pillows, I’m afraid, are a bugbear with me, as no hotel seems to be able to get it right. They’re either too soft or too hard, too tall, or too shallow. Here, they managed to get it right.
The windows were just the right size not to affect the air conditioning, ie. let too much heat in.
I’m not sure I could say the lounge chair was comfortable, but there was only one, which makes it difficult if there are two of you. I wasn’t going to fight for it.
The desk had a surprise in the bottom drawer, a printer!
And the bathroom, though slightly smaller than expected, had some hint of what it may have been like in the early days. It had both a shower and a bath.
The sight of the Peninsula Hotel is very familiar to all who visit Hong Kong, if not to stay but certainly if you want to see the last vestiges of British influence in what was once a far eastern colony.
That is, we’re talking about the front building, not the new tower at the back. In the older days there would have been a great view of the harbor from the Veranda (that area with the blue striped canopy) where today, breakfast is taken.
We had breakfast, lunch, and the famous afternoon tea in the ground floor cafe.
These days you would mostly see taxis, buses, and Teslas, if not a flurry of Mercedes and green Rolls Royces in the small car park below. There is no clear view of the harbor anymore.
From our room, one facing the harbor we could see the space museum, and on the day we arrived, rain, at times, blotting out the harbor and Hong Kong Island barely discernable in the distance.
As for the room itself, it was excellent, a junior suite, I think, because it had two distinctive areas. Everything was run from a tablet computer, blinds, lights, television, and most importantly, air conditioning. This was the first hotel I’ve stayed in where it was neither too hot or too cold, but just rights.
The bed was very large and extremely comfortable, as were the pillows. Pillows, I’m afraid, are a bugbear with me, as no hotel seems to be able to get it right. They’re either too soft or too hard, too tall, or too shallow. Here, they managed to get it right.
The windows were just the right size not to affect the air conditioning, ie. let too much heat in.
I’m not sure I could say the lounge chair was comfortable, but there was only one, which makes it difficult if there are two of you. I wasn’t going to fight for it.
The desk had a surprise in the bottom drawer, a printer!
And the bathroom, though slightly smaller than expected, had some hint of what it may have been like in the early days. It had both a shower and a bath.
After arriving in Hong Kong early in the morning, we were taken to the Hong Kong Conrad Hotel where we were staying for several days. We had a short sleep, then I took the grandchildren for a walk and we found Hong Kong Park, with a Fountain Plaza, waterways, a waterfall, and turtles.
Part of the fountain area.
Turtles resting on a rock
A turtle about to go in the water
The waterfall.
It was a pleasant surprise to find this park in such a highly built-up area.
Nearby was a multi-story underground shopping center that was huge, and very conveniently accessible from our hotel.
Thrills, Spills, and just a dash of Romance 