Summer is in full swing and what better way to cool off than to go for a swim?
Travel writer Tim Roxborogh joined TVNZ's Breakfast this morning to reveal five of his favourite lesser-known swimming spots to visit this summer.
First one on the list – Gisborne’s Rere Rockslides - which includes a natural slide.
"Well, I think it was a secret a few years ago and then the secret's out, but there's a place just out of Gisborne called the Rere Rockslides, which I haven’t actually been to, but it’s on the list because it’s 60 metres and it’s a natural, 30-metre degree gradient down… and you need to slide down yourself or get in on a tube – good times, yeah," Mr Roxborogh said.
Another 'natural slide', in Abel Tasman also made the list.
"There's another one that’s a natural national park, which is in Abel Tasman National Park, and that’s Cleopatra’s Pool, so it’s a small, natural waterslide," he said.
Is an adventure more of your thing? A trip to Warkworth’s Cement Works could be on the to-do list during the summer break.
"So it’s an old, abandoned cement works and it’s got overhanging trees with this man-made lake and so it’s perfect for dive-bombs."
Prefer a swim with a view? Waikato's Waiweri Falls, the highest waterfalls in the North Island at 153 metres, could also be on the cards this summer.
"It's a serious bush walk to get up to them – takes about an hour-and-15 – and then when you get to the top, it’s perfectly flat and still and lush rainforest and you can swim in that water with the views out over Waikato."
Or, if you're looking for a twist on an old favourite, take the long way back from Rangitoto for a beautiful view.
"Everyone just goes straight to the top and straight back down. Take the long way back to the ferry and you pass one really quite nice beach and a couple of really cool little bays."
Top five swimming spots for summer:
1. Rere Rockslide, Ngatapa
2. Cleopatra's Pool, Abel Tasman
3. Cement Works, Warkworth
4. Waiweri Falls, Waikato
5. Rangitoto Island
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