We left Opotiki and decided to do the east coast drive.
There’s not much in terms of cities and attractions except for really small
towns and some beautiful remote coasts. We tried to give a go at fishing but
the waves were too rough and couldn’t get the bait out past the surf. Knowing
that the fishing was done, I had to toss the remaining stinky bait because
Michelle didn’t want it in the cooler. Sure enough, later that evening we come
to a small bay with a calm sea and I don’t have any bait L. However, the
gorgeous, fire looking sunset makes up for it though.
We finish off the east coast drive and head to Taupo in the
center of NZ. On our way we stop and do a short hike to see the shine falls.
The walk in was breathtaking. The landscape with the towering rock faces and
green meadows was like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
Once we arrived at the waterfall, Michelle became occupied
with her camera and I became occupied with eels. As mentioned in a previous
post, fresh water eels inhabit some streams and lakes here. Some locals say
that they’re quite tasty too. So one of my new objectives, while we are here,
is to capture an eel for supper. Needless to say, I didn’t get one, but I was
really close. The only thing that’s stopping me now is fear. Those things are
big and scary looking, but I’ll soon get over that and spear one soon.
Once we arrived in Taupo, we made our way up Mt. Tauhara, a
small mountain, to get a view of Lake Taupo (NZ’s largest lake) and Mt.
Tongariro the active volcano that erupted in August and again just a few weeks
ago. We also hiked along a beautiful river to Huka Falls and then found
ourselves sweating it out in another thermal pool, (free hot-tub). What a
treat. The next few days were rainy so we pretty much laid low in the library,
shopping, movies, and we found ourselves in the hot tub a couple more times
too.
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| Tongariro Park Across Lake Taupo |
When the weather finally cleared up, we decided to go right
where the action is; Tongriro national park. We did the Tongriro Northern Circuit,
which is a 31 mile, 3 day Circuit around the active volcanoes of Mt. Ngauruhoe
and Mt. Tongariro. The track includes glacial valleys with streams, beautiful
blue glacial lakes, active volcanic craters and some geothermal vents. This is
the longest backpacking tramp that Michelle and I have ever done. It was also
pretty tough since we had to carry 3 days worth of food, clothing, and camping
equipment (tent, sleeping bags and pad, pots). Our bags were heavy, and the
second day (13 miles) seemed like it was all uphill, but it was all worth it.
An amazing experience and we made it out alive.
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| Standing on top of Red Crater; Still Active! |
After a few difficult days of hiking we decided to go to the
coast for some RnR. We found a nice spot on the beach and within 20 minutes I
get the van stuck in some rocks. After 30 minutes of rocking, prying, and
digging we finally get the van out. There are no pictures of this, as I was too
embarrassed and angry at myself for allowing this to happen. We were able to
relax afterwards though, and it was needed for our upcoming endeavor. Once we
were rested up we decided to go to Cape Palliser on the east coast. The
quickest route according to the gps and also the map has us travel down Akatarawa
road. It looks like a normal road on the map, but it is far from normal.
Akatarawa road is by far the scariest road ever! It is 31 km of single lane
two-way road with hairpin turn after hairpin turn on the side of an extremely
steep mountain and few guard rails. I give props to Michelle for driving it,
but once we got started, she really didn’t have any choice. It took us over an
hour to drive it and 3 hours off our life, due to stress.
Once we arrived to Cape Palliser it felt like we went back
in time 50 years. The town of Ngawi is a small fishing village that uses
tractors and bulldozers for launching their fishing boats into the bay. The
boats, tractors and houses all looked old and used. There isn’t a shop in
sight, just boats, houses, seals, and black sandy beaches.
Nearby there are the
Putangurua Pinnacles, which are huge pinnacles that look like organ pipes. We
did a short walk through the brittle pillars, but didn’t stray too far from the
path since they really could collapse at any moment.
From Cape Palliser we departed for Wellington, the capitol
of NZ, and also the gateway to the South Island. And we got a flat tire;
usually not a huge deal, but there were some problems. The jack in the van is
for a different vehicle and was missing a key component. I rigged something to make it work and then
it wouldn’t lift the van high enough. I tried everything, but when you’re on
the side of the expressway your options are limited. So I called roadside
assistance and explained that all I needed was a jack. A man came with a jack
and attempted to put on the spare but the rim of the spare tire is also for a
different vehicle. We needed to get a tow. We were on the side of the
expressway for 2.5 hrs waiting. Fortunately, we were able to move into the
living room of our van and patiently wait. Another thing that crossed our mind
is that this could have happened on the terrible one lane road, or out in the
middle of nowhere; Ngawi.
Once in Wellington (aka “Windy Welly”) we enjoyed a nice city
walk along the waterfront and also went to the Te Papa Museum, the museum of
New Zealand. The museum was fascinating. There were so many interesting native
land and sea animals and plants on display. There was a geographic exhibit
showcasing volcanoes and earthquakes and how these have shaped NZ over the past
few million years. There was also a floor dedicated to Maori history and
culture. It was fascinating to see that many of the artifacts are still deeply
imbedded in today’s culture, with an emphasis on the beauty of the land and the
importance of the sea.
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| The 3 hr ferry ride to the south island |
To be honest, we didn’t expect to have this much fun in the
North Island because we knew the South Island has so much more to offer, as far
as Mountainous landscapes go. We have just arrived in the South Island, and
it’s bitter sweet because we know there is so much more to do in the North
Island. We plan on spending another few weeks up there, before we make our
voyage back home, and we are already planning on the places we would like to go
and the people we would like to see again. In the mean time, we’ll be driving around and
living the dream awaiting the arrival of Bob. We’re not sure where we’ll be on
Christmas, probably some beach, but we sure will miss the family and friends
during those special times.
Here are links to our Picassa Pics if you'ld like to see more:
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