Left Hot Water beach at 10.15 after getting the motor home into some order and headed south along coast. Stopped at Whangamata for a brew overlooking the beach which was one of the best for surfing in NZ. Best automated loos on beach! We then headed across country across a relatively flat and uninteresting plain before arriving in a much more scenic area with rolling hills and lots of milking cattle. Stopped for sandwich lunch in Morinsville and passed through Paerora, Karagahke river gorge and Te Aroha.
Sat nav provided with motor home is very good with a pleasant ladies voice we've named Kiri and seems to be able to find any destination we are looking for. We passed through the edge of Hamilton near the airport and finally arrived at Waitomo Gloworm caves, our destination at 15.15. The caves include deep caverns, luminescent gloworms and dark waterways, as well as amazing limestone formations and are one of NZ premier tourist sites. We joined a multi cultural tour with visitors from USA, Canada, Japan, Holland, Germany, China with a very good NZ guide who took us deep into the caves where there was no light and we were guided to a boat on an underground river to view the gloworms in the dark - all quite fascinating.
It was after 17.00 by the time we had finished the tour but before we could get back on the road we had to sort out the phone with a NZ SIM card and then phone ahead to book in for the night at Rotorua where we were looking to stop 2 nights. Travelled through some interesting countryside again with large herds of milking cattle as well as sheep, deer, ostrich, alpaca, white goats and horses. Eventually arrived directly to our overnight stop in Rotorua, thanks to Kiri at 20.00 after a long days travelling.
Distance travelled - 397km.