Piopio Playground

If you’re passing through Piopio on SH3, this little park is worth pulling over for. The trees are genuinely impressive — proper shade, not the sad sapling kind — and the grounds are kept tidy, which you don’t always get in small towns. There are swings for the kids, picnic tables to actually sit and eat lunch, and clean restrooms, which is the main thing when you’re mid-road trip. The open grass field gives everyone room to stretch their legs. Honestly it’s one of the better quick stops between Waitomo and Te Kuiti.