Road Trip: Auckland to Taupō in a Tesla

By Paeroa, I need a break. Providence Pantry stocks an enticing range of bougie products, from truffle chips to pickles and pastries. I sip a flat white in the window, watching cheerful retirees running their morning errands.

Paeroa is also home to a multitude of second-hand curios. In Just Plane Interesting, I chat to a young shopkeeper wearing a jaunty jungle helmet who assures me: “we try to live up to our name.” It’s a store cluttered with whimsy.

Down a side street I discover the fragrant gem that is Amberjack. Selling perfume, candles and home scents, all made on site or just down the road, I indulge my senses in a store redolent with banana toast, white sandalwood and rose crush. 

After Paeroa the road pinches between the craggy cliffs of the Karangahake Gorge, running parallel to the Ohinemuri River, which alternates between frothy rapids and calm emerald pools. This is a landscape blasted apart by historic goldmining; rocks shattered to extract precious minerals.

Katikati is bountiful. Orchards glow in an orange haze of citrus. Synthetic green windbreaks stretch high to protect crops of juvenile avocados and ripening kiwifruit.

In the centre of town, I spot a sign for the Haiku Pathway. Intrigued, I park the Tesla and explore a serene spot filled with Japanese poetry. Running alongside the Uretara Stream, the walkway is dotted with boulders etched with beautiful, succinct haiku from around the world.

On my way into Tauranga, I drive alongside the sleek gleam of low tide at the Waikareao Estuary. The Mount is a punctuation point in the distance. Despite the crawling traffic to get there, downtown Tauranga is subdued. I survey the still sea over a crispy squid and chorizo salad at The Grocer.

The afternoon at Mount Maunganui is golden. Unable to choose, I opt for both coffee and gelato to take to the equally golden sand, scuffing past hardy surfers to Moturiki Island. Once known as Leisure Island, Moturiki was home to the Marineland aquarium for 20 years until 1981, and then a water park with thermal pools, bumper boats and water slides until 1990. But there is no trace of this history today, with the land being reclaimed by native bush. Now, it’s a serene place for reflection and majestic sunset views back towards Mauao.

Similarly re-purposed, Clarence Hotel in Tauranga was once a post office. The building has been immaculately renovated while retaining traces of its history. My suite has an intriguing trapdoor in the ceiling with a wooden ladder that’s disappointedly padlocked, thwarting exploration.

Returning to the Mount the next morning I experiment with the Tesla’s self-driving mode. On the multi-lane expressway, I find myself tracking alarmingly close to a large truck and am struck by the realisation that I’m trusting my life to Elon Musk. Unnerved by sitting with my hands in my lap, I snatch the steering wheel back, my heart racing.

Tay Street Beach Kitchen is bathed in glorious sunshine. I amplify my wellbeing with a superfood breakfast with greens and eggs and halloumi, eating surrounded by dogs and brunchers. Across the road, foil surfers zigzag across the swells on a 15° winter Wednesday morning. 

On the outskirts of Tauranga, Omanawa Falls was once a hidden gem… until the Instagram influencers found it. Years of increasingly perilous forays to get the perfect photo prompted the council to revamp the area. Now, a wide walking track leads down towards the falls. At the edge of the first viewing platform my stomach drops with a wave of vertigo: way, way below in the deep valley is the veil-like waterfall, tumbling into a deep, jewel-toned pool. It’s breathtaking.

There is not a cloud in the sky when I arrive in Taupō. Across the wide blue expanse of the lake, Mount Ruapehu is dusted in some of the first snow of the season. What better way to appreciate such majestic views than to whack some golf balls into them? Despite having visited Taupō many times, I have never tackled the famous Hole in One Challenge. 

I wait for my turn at the tee while other, much more proficient golfers make it look easy, cleanly slicing balls into the water next to the floating pontoon. My first attempts see me thwacking balls into the shallows and narrowly missing a swan. But then I get my eye in. With a little guidance from the attendant, I learn how to grip the club and shift my weight, hitting balls with a satisfying crack towards the snowy flanks of the maunga. 

Wairakei Terraces is a simmering soup of Lycra-clad humans on a crisp afternoon. A couple of young women zone out with headphones or a paperback book respectively. I sit and marinate myself in the mineral waters until my fingertips become raisins.

The next morning, I plug in the car at Taupō’s Tesla supercharger, giving it a 45-minute battery boost while I eat a delicious breakfast at Taupō institution, Replete Café and Store.

My last stop is at Huka Falls, a mind-boggling torrent of water emerging from the depths of Lake Taupō. In te reo Māori huka means froth. It’s hard not to when witnessing the volume and power of the never-ending flow of water. From here, the river flows north and so do I, slotting the Tesla on the road for a smooth cruise back to Auckland.