New Zealand: Negotiating The North

National Park Village

The boat journey from Picton to Wellington was stunning with impressive mountains stretching up from the sea and, would you believe it, dolphins jumping out the water as we sailed along. It took 3 and a half hours and we didn’t stay long in Wellington. It’s effectively just a big city so having been engulfed in serene countryside I wasn’t really bothered about stopping long. However, that meant that five hours later we were pulling into National Park Village and having never driven more than a couple hours in one sitting, it was a hell of a long drive for me. But hey, I made it with everyone intact, if not slightly weary from a travel day.

The main reason for coming to this spot was for the Tongariro Crossing, a 20KM hike ... around a volcano ... and we were attempting it. We had a great campsite as it was opposite ‘Snowzone The Alpine Centre’ where we could hire hiking boots for £7.50 and a return shuttle to the crossing and back (this cost £20 but you don’t really have a choice as the hike takes 6-8 hours and you can only park for a maximum of 4)!

We all prepared lunch and food for the next day and the contents of my bag consisted of a banana, three snack slices, a squares bar, a snack bar, crisps, a nectarine and a sandwich (you’d think I was going for 7 days not 7 hours)! But I wanted to have all the fuel I could get to propel me up this mountain! You’re also advised to have a minimum of 2.5 litres of water so I took just under 3 litres to be safe.

We got up bright and early for the 9AM shuttle to the start of the trek. It was a gorgeous day with bright sunshine so the first hour was fab (mostly flat and on a path so we were feeling optimistic)! The second hour was a game changer though. Going up a very steep vertical, we were met with signs round every corner to say the worst is yet to come and you should turn back if you felt you we’re struggling (very reassuring)! I was very out of breath but it wasn’t actually too difficult, just steep! We could also see the volcano crater in all its glory and it was very impressive (if not also slightly scary as we’d read on one of the signs that it could erupt at any point)!

The third hour continued much the same except we now had no path, just loose rocks to clamber over. We finally got to the top (victory) but we were faced with a whole new challenge. Going down. As we looked at the decent below us the scene that we saw could only be described as pure carnage. It was effectively a downhill ski slope covered in sand and rock with people losing their footing left right and centre. Brilliant.

We cautiously made it down and were now at the gorgeous emerald pools which the Tongariro Crossing is most well known for. The clouds had drawn in so it was a little overcast but we sped along after some grub had given us the energy to do so.

The downhill decent was actually my favourite bit. It only took us a couple hours and the sun came back out so it was really enjoyable. The first part was through lush mountain terrain with bushes and crickets making it sound as if there was an electric current shooting through the grass. However, towards the end we entered proper jungle terrain with water gushing past us. We made it (and comfortably within 7 hours)! We started at 9:40AM and finished at 4:15PM (6 hours and 35 mins) just as the shuttle arrived to pick us up (precision timing as my mum would say)!

Taupo

We really hit gold with the campsite at Taupo. A free

spot right by the lake (what lucky buggers we are)! A swim was too good to resist in the stunning sunshine that filled the sky so we went for a morning dip. It was so refreshing (who needs showers when you have natural lakes ey)!

We headed into town for a coffee stop at a lovely place called Cafe Baku then went plodding off to some thermal pools nearby. It was a seriously sweaty walk as the temperature in the North was considerably hotter but we arrived and saw natural water flowing down rocks. We could finally cool off, or could we? These thermal pools were no gimmick. On putting my foot in I let out a yelp of shock at just how boiling they were (thank go we didn’t pay to do the Lake Tekapo or Franz Josef ones! We’d stumbled across these for free)! They were lovely but with sweltering heat we didn’t really need their warmth so we paddled in the cooler lake below.

That evening we stocked up on some drinks to have for the sunset as last nights had been so spectacular. The sun began to set as we sipped away and chatted non stop. No sooner had the sun dipped behind the lake was Grace swimming! I think it helped we were all fairly tipsy by now (and by fairly tipsy I mean completely drunk).

Rotorua

We didn’t actually stay in Rotorua, we just had a wander round the town and then drove to Redwoods Treewalk for a walk. It was a nice stroll (only half an hour) but there wasn’t a lot to do so it definitely wasn’t an essential stop!

Matamata + Hobbiton

It was late afternoon when we arrived in Matamata (Hobbit territory)!! We had a drink at Redoubt which had a cute little garden bit and then went on to a low cost campground two minutes away from Hobbiton. It was a sweet place to stay as it was a farm with an area sectioned off for some camper vans. I braved a cold shower which involved having chickens pecking at my feet and then had a bash at yoga as I was aching (most likely from the 20KM walk). Or perhaps I’ve just ‘found myself’ and now I’ll be a vegan yoga hippie with dreadlocks and baggy trousers (I’m not convinced though, I couldn’t even touch my toes)!

The next morning we were up at 7:30AM for our early Hobbiton visit (the things you do to see some miniature houses made of hills hey)! Unfortunately, it was a bit overcast (bloody typical) but that didn’t make the cute little village any less quaint. We had a really lovely guide from Kent of all places and he actually told us so many interesting facts (such as how some frogs took up camp in a man made pond on set and croaked so loudly that the actors couldn’t be heard! They had to be moved twice as they kept coming back)!

It was a fab 2 hours which finished in The Green Dragon Inn (or at least I think it’s called that, I’m not actually that much of a Lord of The Rings / Hobbit fanatic)!

Owharoa Falls - Kaiaua

After the excitement of Hobbiton we went to Owharoa Falls which was sensational. The sun came out and heated down very hot rays so we all swam and I jumped in a couple of times off rocks. We also found a bit of a splash pool you could soak your feet in as it acted as a foot jacuzzi!

There was a cafe opposite the falls so we had some drinks to refresh ourselves before I drove us to Kaiaua and we set up camp on the waters edge. The falls were great but definitely just a stop as there was little else to do other than swim and then eat or drink at the cafe.

We only went to Kaiaua for the night as it was closer to Auckland than the falls but you definitely don’t need to go! We found a spot on the waters edge in a free campsite and there was a pub across the road called the Lion Red (yes, it literally was called the Lion Red and not the Red Lion, weird right). But it was barren and a couple of the local drunks hung around the camp until late (typical as we’d had no issues until now, our last night. Not that there really was an issue, just a couple of loud middle aged men being marginally (actually very) annoying)!

Auckland

Our first day in Auckland was jammed packed with cleaning Carol the camper van, filling her with petrol and going on a wild goose chase to fill up her gas (basically, in New Zealand you can buy a whole new gas canister but it’s expensive and far better just to top the gas up. Problem is, only one petrol station in the whole of bloody Auckland seems to fill up your gas as opposed to selling you a whole new canister! We went to five different petrol stations before we finally located it)!

By the time we’d dropped her off and got a taxi back into Auckland (Travellers Autobarn is a little out of the city towards the airport) it was coming on for 5PM. We went to our hostel, Choice Backpackers, which was a great location and very reasonable price! We then freshened up and explored Queens Street (the Main Street in Auckland which is similar to Oxford Street in London as it has shop after shop from H&M to Prada)!

After a while of walking around in search of easy food, we opted for tofu noodles (because it’s not like we’ll be eating that for the next 3 months ...) and then came back to the hostel.

Our second day in Auckland (and last day in New Zealand) was more successful in terms of seeing the city. We found a spot close by for breakfast called ‘Scarecrow’ which was also a florist and did some boujee bagels.

Next it was up the sky tower to see the whole of Auckland from above. We paid an extra £2 so we could go back up again later on as we fancied a cocktail in the cafe there at night. Lauren, with her fear of heights, didn’t take to walking on the the 3cm thick glass beneath our feet but we all enjoyed looking round and getting a panoramic view.

Next up was Albert Park (which was very beautiful with a water fountain and flowers) where we lay and sun bathed / read before going to the Auckland Art Gallery which was on the edge of the park. There was a deal on between 4 and 5 where entry was reduced to £2.50 so we thought we may as well have a gander.

Unfortunately, most of the art by passed me (bar the tribal doll which had a willy bigger than both his legs). There was an exhibition on called Denmark Design which Lauren summed up perfectly: “it’s like walking through an old IKEA” (basically it was just lots of chairs and pots and pans ... interesting)!

We wandered down by the docks and the waterfront was really lovely (possibly my favourite part of the city). People were out having a sun downer at the bars splintered along the edge and we tucked ourselves into some tropical margaritas and enchiladas at a Mexican called Frida (£5 cocktails don’t mind if I do)!

We then made our way back to the sky tower to see it at night and we ordered in some G+Ts to keep us entertained as the sun went down. It was a great way to bring three weeks to an end. Thailand, here we come ...