Red Crater
Rotorua - After our trip to the Shire, we drove about an hour to our next Airbnb in Rotorua. Our host, Jasmine, we super nice, and she had two adorable cats. One was a playful gray cat named Ew, David (as Schitt's Creek fans, we absolutely loved this) and the other was a munchkin cat called India. We had never seen a munchkin cat before, and we couldn't get over how cute and funny she way. She was basically just a normal cat but with VERY short legs- like imagine a corgi, but a cat. We grabbed Indian food for dinner at a food court downtown then headed to bed after our long but fun day.
In the morning we took our time and relaxed and looked into what we wanted to do in Rotorua. Rotorua is known for its geothermal activity, so we started our adventure by walking around Kuirau Park. This park, right in the middle of the city, had many fenced off areas geothermal pools where you could see water and mud bubbling at the surface, and steam venting out of the ground. The park even had manmade tubs routing in the water that you could put your feet into; we obviously did this, but Carson could only handle the water for a few seconds, while Mel thought it felt like her typical shower. After walking around the park, we drove a couple of blocks to Ohinemutu Māori village. This was the original settlement of Rotorua and rich in Māori culture. We were only able to walk around the quiet village and see the unique carvings and architecture, but we didn't gain a lot of knowledge about the Māori people, so we booked a tour to a different village for later that afternoon to learn more. Up next, we stopped at Sulphur Point on the shores of Lake Rotorua, which, unsurprisingly, reeked of Sulphur and rotten eggs. This was a beautiful area though where the Sulfur and geothermal areas met the larger lake, and because of this ecosystem, there was a lot of bird activity. Carson spotted more new birds including the rare Black-billed Gull, but they were hanging out pretty far away from us. On our way back to the Airbnb, we picked up two homemade pies from a bakery that were filled with steak mushroom cheese and pork. New Zealanders love their meat pies, and we were excited to finally try some (they were heavy but so delicious).
After lunch we did some trip planning at the house and then headed to our tour of the living Māori village of Whakarewarewa. Our tour was led by a member of the community who grew up in the village. We learned that the ancestors of Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao people of this village had occupied this valley dating back to 1325! On top of that, they had been sharing their home and culture with others for over 200 years; there have been guides showing foreigners the Māori culture and way of life for over 200 years. They had even given tours to people like Eleanor Roosevelt and Queen Elizabeth II. There were signs dedicated to these tour guides, many of whom were women, and it was clear our guide was very proud to be one of their descendants and carrying on this legacy. Over the course of our tour, we walked around the small village and learned about how the Māori have adapted their lifestyle to the the geothermal land around them, such as heating their homes and cooking their food. Our guide took us to some of the geothermal vents where he showed us where food is prepared in the ground, almost like a slow cooker, and we were able to sample some corn that was cooked in this way (it was SO good- gave the Minnesota State Fair corn a run for its money). It was really interesting learning more about he Māori culture and how they integrate these cultural traditions with a more modern way of life. Like many countries, New Zealand has a tumultuous history with its native people, but we got the sense that they have done a much better job than many places (the US included) trying to rectify that and make amends, which was really hopeful to see. At the end the tour, we watched a large geyser (similar to what you'd see at Yellowstone) erupt and put on a final show while our guide sang a traditional song in the Māori language. It was a really moving experience, and we were so glad we found this tour to help us learn more about the history of the land we were loving so much. That night, we went back to the Airbnb, cooked tacos, and had a nice evening relaxing.
We had a short drive ahead of us the next day, so we took our time getting ready and packing up in the morning and decided to do a morning hike on our way out of town. Rotorua has a large redwood forest, Whakarewarewa Forest, where trees were planted in the early 1900s. We took a leisurely hike through the beautiful and peaceful forest and immediately felt like we were in Northern California. After the lovely hike, we drove about an hour south to Taupo and found a local sports bar to have lunch and watch the Super Bowl! We weren't the only ones there for the game, and it seemed like everyone was cheering for the Eagles which we (Carson) were into. After the game, we grabbed a Subway sandwich that would serve as our hiking lunch the next day and continued our drive another 45 minutes south along Lake Taupo to Turangi where our next Airbnb was located.
Turangi and Tongariro National Park - Our Airbnb was on a quiet residential street and the colors, carpet, and furniture inside made us feel like we were in another decade (it was very cozy, just very 70's). This unassuming home was where we met Richard, one of the kindest and best Airbnb hosts we have ever had. Richard works for the NZ Department of Conservation and takes care of the nearby historic Chateau Tongariro Hotel. After we cooked dinner, Richard gave us a prep talk on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing trek (aka the Mount Doom hike) that we were planning to do the next day. He sat down with us with maps and walked us through where to park, the trail, what to bring, and more. He even let us borrow trekking poles and gave us frozen water bottles to keep in the car so we'd have cold water waiting for us after the hike. He was so thoughtful, and such a dedicated host- many of the travelers who come through his Airbnb do this hike, and he loves talking to everyone about it and making sure they're safe and prepared since it is a hard and long day hike without a lot of options to bail if you get in over your head. We got to know Richard a little more, and then headed to bed early so we would be well rested for an early start.
We woke up very early the next morning, and Richard had set up a whole breakfast spread for us so that we'd be fueled for our hike (we told you he was the best!). We ate and then drove about 45 minutes to the trail's end where we heeded Richard's advice and parked on the side of the highway and then walked to a pickup spot to get picked up by a shuttle bus to take us to the starting trailhead another 40 or so minutes away. We had booked this bus in advance since this is a 20 km through-hike and not a loop. We finally made it to the starting point and began our hike around 7am as the sun was slowly starting to rise. Fortunately the sky was fairly clear and we could see all of the surrounding mountains, including Mt. Ngauruhoe which is Mt. Doom in LOTR! The first portion of the hike was pretty flat and the views of the mountains and the dry, volcanic shrubs and landscapes around us were really cool. Over time, things got more challenging (and volcanic) as we slowly started climbing up the pass to the red crater. As we approached the red crater at the hike's peak, the views slowly changed and clouds started to roll in. By the time we reached the top we were fully enveloped in the clouds and did not get a view of the famous red crater. It didn't seem like the clouds were going anywhere anytime soon, so we started to descend the trail. This section was very steep and the trail was full of deep volcanic ash that we were sliding down more than walking down. But this, on top of being the clouds really gave it a moody vibe and made us feel like we were Frodo and Sam carrying the ring to be destroyed. On our descent, we could just make out two bright green lakes along the trail, but while we were disappointed that we weren't getting the best views on what is considered to be one of the highlights of the trail, we kept our spirits up and continued to descend. However, after hiking about 20 more minutes into the valley, we turned back around and saw that the clouds had finally broken and Red Crater was staring down at us. We did not want to hike all the way back up the mountain to red crater, but we did turn back and hiked up to the emerald lakes. While it added mileage and elevation to an already hard hike, we were really glad we went back because we got epic views of the lakes and mountains, and even saw steam venting from the ground around us. We couldn't believe how bright blue/green the lakes were in the sun- the color comes from the volcanic minerals, and the pH of the water is between 3-5 (no swimming in these!).
After enjoying the views, we continued our descent, followed by another shorter and less steep ascent, and then had our sandwiches at another viewpoint before starting our longggg descent. As we started this descent, we started to get rained on. It was cold and annoying, but luckily it eventually stopped and the skies cleared again. At this point, we could even see our very small looking car parked on the highway, but Richard had warned us about this so we knew we still had 3 more hours of hiking before we reached our car! The views on the descent were really beautiful, but they were mostly the same as we switch-backed down the mountain until the final bit that took us through some pretty forest. By the end, we were so tired of walking downhill and our knees and toes were desperate to be on flat ground. After we exited the trail, the last 20 minutes of walking on the road back to our car was worst, but about 13 miles later, we made it!
We drove back to the Airbnb where we took a quick shower and then hopped into Richard's hot tub which felt SO good after hiking. We relaxed until we got hungry and made ourselves a quick dinner in the kitchen. That evening, another couple from the U.S. arrived at Richard's to stay in one of his other rooms and Richard opened up a bottle of wine for us all to share in the backyard next to a bouquet of beautiful flowers he had picked from the garden (this place sounds made up when we write it back; it really was magical). We all told stories of where we were from and our trips using maps that Richard had. It was great fun getting to know each other, especially when Richard told us about some of his crazy life stories, like when he worked on golf courses in Africa and accidentally hit someone's car (a minor fender bender) and had to flee to the embassy for protection. Later that evening, it was a clear night and Richard showed us how to spot the Southern Cross constellation which is on New Zealand's flag. We had an amazing time doing this hike and staying at Richard's place and would love to go back just to hang out with him!
The following morning, we ate our complimentary breakfast spread again, packed our bags and hit the road. On our way south to Wellington, we made a few pit stops to see a couple more things in Tongariro National Park. We stopped at Tawhai Falls (aka Gollum's Pool) and did a short walk to that waterfall where we saw the spot they filmed Gollum getting captured while fishing in LOTR. Next we drove to the National Park visitor center where we saw the massive Chalet that Richard works at, read more about the park, and bought a few souvenirs.
Wellington - We continued the 4 hour drive south all the way to Wellington. We pulled over at a small park along the way to enjoy our picnic lunch of Subway sandwiches, Snacka Changi chips, and L&P (a lemon soda; another NZ specialty) with views of the small mountain range and river gorge. We finally made it to Wellington, and we couldn't believe how hilly it was. The small narrow streets and steep hills reminded us of San Francisco. As is typical for us, we had found a great Airbnb walkable to the Waterfront and only about 5 minutes from Cuba Street, but of course it was at the top of a very steep hill. The street parking rules were strict so we went to a nearby park to kill time before we could check in and park at the apartment. This park had a Flying Fox, which is basically a small zip line that you can sit on and ride. We were the only ones there, so we had to try it. We felt like kids flying down the zip line, and were surprised by how fast it could go! It was actually super fun. After a couple swings on the Flying Fox we headed back to our Airbnb and checked in. Once we were settled, we met up with our friend Ed who lives in Wellington and who we had met on our Albania hike. We grabbed a beer with him and caught up on the waterfront and then he showed us around the area. Ed had recently come back from his own months-long travels, so was currently staying at his parents' house not far from where we were. He invited us over for dinner, and we all made a pit stop at the store to grab supplies to cook. As we were walking to the house along the beautiful bay, we started wondering where his parents house was. Eventually we turned, walked up some steps, and found ourselves at the doorway to the house. The house was beautiful; it was four stories with amazing views and balconies overlooking the bay and downtown. We met his mom, dad, sister, and dog and had some wine in their living room enjoying the sunset over the bay while we talked. Ed made wraps for everyone for dinner. We had a great time getting to know everyone and feeling so welcome. We also realized what a small world it was during dinner when we started talking about our careers, and Ed's dad knew about Carson's refinery in Rosemount. We couldn't believe it since it was so random, but turns out Ed's dad does oil trading and economics which made sense. After dinner and enjoying some new NZ chocolate, Ed drove us home and we called it a night.
The next day, we spent the morning at the Airbnb finalizing our transportation and park entry tickets for our upcoming W Trek in Patagonia. After, we met up with Ed for some flat whites (Kiwis' favorite coffee, and quickly becoming Mel's) at a nearby cafe. We walked around the city more, including all the way over to some of their government buildings including the Beehive building), and it was awesome having our own local tour guide to show us around! We grabbed lunch at Fidel's Cafe, a Cuban restaurant off Cuba Street and had delicious brisket sandwiches. After lunch we got into our car and drove up to Mount Victoria which overlooked the city. There were many trails and we did a short walk on one to find the location where they filmed the scene where the Hobbits are hiding from the Nazgul in the forest under a tree root. They had actually filmed a lot of the movie in Wellington and surrounding areas because the main studio was in Wellington. We said goodbye to Ed and told him we'd love to return the favor of hosting him and showing him around whenever he visits the states. We dropped off the rental car, made dinner at the Airbnb, and relaxed the rest of the evening.
The next day was our final day on the North Island, and more importantly the day we were meeting up with out friends Wade and Marshall who were joining us for our South Island adventures. After packing up our things, we walked to a coffee shop and reunited with Wade and Marshall. We caught up and killed time before our ferry and then took an Uber to the ferry port. The ferry was delayed, but eventually we were on our way. The ferry was massive, and felt like a cruise ship and reminded us of the ferries we took between the Greek Islands. We sat on the outside deck in the shade since it was a nice day and we wanted to look for animals. We saw albatross, seals, and Carson claims he saw a penguin but has no proof or other witnesses. The landscape when we approached the South Island was beautiful with rolling hills forming the sound to the town of Picton. After the four our ferry ride, we got off and hurried to the Apex Rental Car at the ferry port. We were nervous we wouldn't be able to pick up our car since the ferry was late, and the rental place was closing, but we weren't the only ones in this situation. As a funny aside, there was another couple from Texas on our ferry that we immediately recognized from our Hobbiton tour because during the tour we had to hear them loudly telling people about how great Trump was and how corrupt USAID was (we had mostly encountered friendly and not obnoxious Americans while traveling so far, so this was pretty jarring. Also, in Hobbiton of all places?!) We kept our distance from them so we wouldn't have to engage, but then they were also waiting at the same rental car office with us. We felt like we couldn't get rid of them and their bad energy! Anyway, there was a sign at the rental office that said to call these numbers if no one was in the office which seemed promising except no one actually picked up, so for a while we thought we would have to taxi to Blenheim (20 mins south) and then come back the next morning for the car which would have been annoying. Fortunately, someone finally showed up helped us out and we were on the road to explore the South Island!
The start of our New Zealand road trip was incredible. Not only was the country already blowing us away in terms of nature, views, and hiking, but it was also so nice to have a car and more freedom to move around at our own pace after months of being reliant on undependable public transit. NZ was feeling a bit more like a vacation for us, and we were finding it really rejuvenating to be back in a place that was easier to get around in terms of infrastructure and language! We had heard that the South Island was even more stunning than the North, so we couldn't wait to see what that had in store.
Comments
Post a Comment