Day 1
The easiest way to get to the North Island was to fly from Christchurch to Auckland, once there we would pick up our car and be on our merry way. We flew in on one of the last and latest flights, arriving in Auckland around 8:45pm. This was to late for us to pick up our car, so the plan was to find the car in the lot, get in through the back door and grab the key from under the mat. Already we were nervous about this car, we were driving a 4 person car with a hatch back that had enough room for 1 piece of ‘large’ luggage (according to the website). Here we were with 4 people (Damon, Nicole, Juli and myself) and Emily to meet up with us in a few days. We all had our tramping packs and everyone but Damon had a book bag. Wonderful. But little did we know...
9:00 pm: Get to the car, its locked. We check the entire lot to make sure the little green locked Honda Getz was ours. It was. We were sad.
9:15 pm: Damon and I leave the girls to find someone for help
9:20 pm: Finally get a hold of afterhours airport support on the phone. The lady tells us to hold on and that a security officer would meet up with us soon to check our rental papers and go from there. Here is a conversation between the mystery lady and I.
Mystery Lady: “How many of you are there, and what are you dressed so we can find you.”
Me: “Um, well I’m in a grey jumper and my friend is in a green jacket.”
ML: “Ah yes, you have red hair.”
Me: I just stop and look around, obviously I see no one around. “Yea... I do have red hair... where are you?”
ML: “Don’t worry about that, we’ll be there soon”
9:30 pm: Nothing. Still waiting
9:40 pm: Phone rings, Damon answers. They’re looking for the registration number, Damon says we don’t have it. So the people check out their security cameras looking for our little green car.
9:50 pm: They call back saying they couldn’t see it and if we could get it. Turns out registration number means license plate number... In the end they find and call the owner of the car dealership to figure out whats up.
10:00 pm: They call back and say that the key is suppose to be at some sort of information center. Of course that information is long closed and very locked up. They try to find someone in the building to open it.
10:15 pm: A portly man shows up with a key, unlocks the room, finds our key. Huge miscommunication between the car company and us. Actually, there was no communication at all.
10:16 pm: We hear “Liz Fulton, please call the service desk IMMEDIATLY” we run. Pick up a phone, its not the right one. We hear “Liz Fulton, please call the service desk with the phone at the service desk..to you right... IMMEDIATLY” we run again. On the phone was the same lady we had been talking with.
Mystery Lady: Hello Liz, we were just wondering how you were going to get all of your luggage into that tiny green car of yours.
Me: Well, we haven’t figured that out yet, but we really don’t have a choice. Maybe tie onto the roof?
ML (with other in the background): Bwhahah!!
Me: Yea, and we’re picking up another person in a few days in Te Anu.
ML (with others again): BHAWHHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHH!!! You’re kidding!!!
Me: No... not really....
ML (still with others): HAHAHAHAHAHAH.
ML (after she’s finished laughing): Well, I was wondering where you were all staying tonight
Me: Well, we weren’t really sure... more than likely we’ll end up on the side of the road camping or in a park somewhere.
ML: Ah, well if you all wouldn’t mind waiting for 15 minuets until I got off work, you all could stay at my place. It’s on your way tomorrow (we had told her our travel plans in casual conversation).
Me: Um, wow, yea that would be amazing, definitely, where should we meet you?
We make plans to meet, exchange numbers and learn her name which is Vy.
After our crazy encounters with the airport help desk and security, we trudged back up to our tiny green Honda Getze where Damon stuffed all of our luggage haphazardly into the car. Shortly thereafter, Vy met up with us and we began out drive out to the country. She seemed nice enough, but we were still a bit wary though very grateful for a dry safe place to sleep. When we pulled off the highway and onto a dirt road I’ll be honest, I was almost regretting my decision. We pulled up to a farm house on a hill, and instantly a large dog ran at the car. But Vy said not to worry, that he was just excited. Little did we know that this big guy was only one of 6 dogs we’d encounter. My personal worries quickly dissipated upon entering the house which inside was incredibly charming. Most houses in New Zealand are only single story. But this house was incredibly tall and the rooms were very open and inviting with beautiful wooden rafters. As we settled in Vy showed us around quickly and said she’d see us in the morning.
Day 2
We all slept wonderfully that night and woke up refreshed and ready. As I backed the car out of the driveway, the one large dog broke free of Vy’s grip and ran seemingly full force into our tiny green car. THWACK! The dog was fine, but surprisingly, the car was not. There was a nice dent in the side. But this was something that we would later attend to. For as of now, we had adventuring to do!
A Team.... AWAY!
And away we went. Off along the West coast of the North Island. Happily crammed into a cute little car. The drive was nice of course, a little terrifying when on one side was a drop into the ocean, and the other side was another lane. There was not much wiggle room for sure. The North Ilsand was far different from what we were used to driving wise. It was more winding, more lush, more hilly, less mountain-y. Reminded me of home. Green rolling hills, pastures with sheep and cattle. The horizon was not as impending with towering snow capped mountains, but it was still very nice.
Our first stop was the Cormendal Pennisula. This was Juli’s number one place in NZ to visit, but none of us really knew what to expect. Before we got to our first stop, Cathedral Cove, we stopped for ice cream. I had more than likely the best ice cream I have ever had (except for maybe that time when my dad picked me up at bio camp, remember that dad?). Today I had maple and walnut. Holy moley, it was like a Canadian inspired party in my mouth. The weather was a little chilly which always makes ice cream hard to enjoy to its fullest, but this was incredible.
Anyway, we continued on after our ice cream snack and finally after following signs (which I commend NZ for, in general things are really really well marked. Everything has an arrow pointing in the CORRECT direction) we found ourselves in a parking lot overlooking the most amazing blue waters I have seen in a while. The walk down to the cove itself was an easy 45 gaunt. We stopped frequently to admire the views and absorb the sun. The path went down quite a few stairs and then we found ourselves emerging onto a beautiful shaded enclosed white sand beach. Around the coved beach were sheer cliffs over which trees and vines hung down giving the place a surreal feel. To our left was the famous Cathedral Cove. This arch was formed over millions of years of erson and gave way to a beautiful soaring arch. When you walked through it, you came out to a more open area where the sun was amazing. In the waters we say a stingray, but it was gone almost as soon as we saw it. Unfortunatly it was far to cold to go swimming, and we had to be content with just laying in the sand or dipping our feet in. But trust me, we weren’t that upset at this activity by any means.
After a while, we had to keep moving so we could make it to our next destination, Hot Water Beach. The cool thing about this little stretch of sand is that it is situated just above geothermal activity. So when the tide is low, you dig a hole in the sand and the water is heated. Presto! Personal hot pool! We didn’t have the best experience though, we arrived too late and the tide was a bit too high to be able to get anything significant. What little hot water could be found was dominated by the Asian tour group that had pulled in at the same time we did. We found a little hot area though, and if you dug your feet in and didn’t mind getting splashed with freezing water, you could actually feel the really really hot rocks and water. The mix of heat and cold was really weird and I wish that we could have timed our day a bit better to fully experience Hot Water Beach because I hear when you do it right, its bananas.
Our next day travels were to take us to Rotorua. But before we got there we needed a place to spend the night. Rotorua is a very built up and touristy place. So that means for us that there is little chance that we’d be able to find a place to camp for free. We decided that we could just drive towards Rotorua and find a place along the way. We ended up outside of a small Podunk town where the people at the gas station didn’t even know where they were on a map. I looked on the map and saw that there were some regional parks outside of town and usually park = acceptable place to pitch a tent for free. Reluctantly we headed off. At first we couldn’t find it, but then the road appeared and we were getting close. All of a sudden though our paved road turned into a dirt road and went up this sketchy as road. The road abruptly ended into a small clearing with a trail head for a 2 hours loop trail. With dogs barking a little close for comfort in the too near distance we set up our tents. The back of the tents were against a barbed wire fence and Damon pulled the car in front of them. We settled in for a uneasy night of sleep.
Sometime in the early morning, around 4:30 am, I hear a car rumbling up the road. I wait for a moment to make sure that I’m not making this up and freaking myself out, but it was most defintally a car. Who at this time would be driving up this sketchy road that leads to nowhere except one loop trail. I grab Damon’s shoulder and utter, ‘There’s a car, wake up’. That boy sat straight up completely awake which looking back I think freaked me out even more. The car’s headlights shine right into our tent and the car is on the side of the tent that I was on so I start scooting in my sleeping bag behind Damon. The car idles for a minute or two then shuts off with the lights still on. I’m getting further and further behind Damon scooting like scared caged animal to the furthest corner away from the mystery threat. Then the lights turn off and the door squeaks open and the crunch of a large man with large boots step out. At least that’s what it sounded like. I have a death grip on Damon and I’m sure I was shaking like a leaf in the wind. We held our breath as the steps got closer and closer. When the headlamp shone in I think I just about fainted. Then the light turned off and the footsteps stopped. If anything would have startled me at that moment I would have had a heart attack and died, I’m sure of it. An eternity went by, nothing happened. No screams, yells, shots, songs, birds, nothing. Then Damon did the bravest thing ever, I swear, he got out of the tent. Reminded me of a prairie dog poking out a hole. I was ready to have to chase down a killer, but there was no one there. Just a car that wasn’t ours. No one. It was so weird. Falling back to sleep was very hard.
Day 3
That morning we woke up to some rouge dogs wandering around. The car was still there with pretty much nothing in it and no new people. That night was possibly the strangest thing ever. Nicole and Juli didn’t hear anything that night which was strange. But we were off and away quite readily.
We ended up in Taupo pretty late in the evening, just in time to get some dinner and find a camp site. The lady at the i-site claimed that this site was only 30 minutes away. But it was more like 45 minutes away ... but at least we were safe and didn’t have to pay (though we broke even with the gas money).
That day we did a bunch of touristy stuff such as Huka falls and Craters of the Moon. Huka Falls were really impressive. The water was so blue and all of a sudden just channelled into the canyon opening out into some impressive falls and a huge pool. About 200,000 litres of water, enough to fill 5 Olympic pools every minute fall over the falls every second. The name of the falls is Maori for foam. We then ‘hiked’ up the river until we came to natural hot springs that were open to the public. Not to be clique, but we tested the waters. And the waters were HOT! Awesome. But we didn’t have our bathing suites nor did we want to hike back wet. A parking lot was nearby, so we hiked back with the intentions of getting the car, changing and coming back. But by the time we got back, we realized that we didn’t have much time until Craters of the Moon closed. So we went there first.
Craters of the Moon is a neat little attraction that is marketed to be the Moon on Earth. There was always some geothermal activity in the area, but not to the extent as today. In the 50’s, a power station was built nearby. It reduced the pressure in the hot water system. Because of this the geyser that once existed died out but the heat really increased causing hydrothermal eruptions that formed all of the craters.
The hot pools were amazing after though. I was the only one who didn’t have a bathing suit and I ended up just going in with shorts and a t-shirt. Not to be harsh, but surrounded by all these bikini clad youth, I felt like the fat kid at the pool who swims with his shirt on. It was relaxing though, the hot water poured out in a tiny water fall, maybe only a few feet high, and seeped into the other inlet. The original water was far too hot to handle (yet another clique) unless you sat more at the mouth where the ice cold river water mixed.
After our relaxing time at the river, we dried off and went to pick up my fellow red head, Emily. She had flow in that day form Chch and then caught a bus. Picking her up went without a hitch. After a short dinner we then headed down that long and winding road along Lake Taupu on our way to Rotorua.
Day 4
Rotorua is known as the Maori capital of the New Zealand and of course the world. We were all aware that it would probably be pretty built up and touristy, but a trip to the North Island wasn’t complete without this stop. We pulled into town and the area smelled like sulphur, very reminiscent of Yellowstone National Park. When we got there we went to the i-site to see what was up. As expected everything you had to pay for. 50 bucks to see the single geyser, 10 bucks for a corn maze, 100 to Zorb (which is a giant human hamster ball you go down a hill in). So you get the idea. We ended up spending some time in the public thermal park down the road where we could soak our feet in a natural hot pool Amazingly we ran into my flatmate Gaines and he told us about some nice lakes down the road. The Blue Lake and Emerald Lake.
There were any attractions on the lake and we simply sat and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. While I was making my lunch of instant pumpkin soup (which is the best soup everrrrrrr) and pb&j. While I was making my sandwich Nicole and I noticed a ‘herd’ of ducks moving in for what would soon feel like a kill. There were just a few at first, nothing big. But soon they started flying in, swimming in, waddling in. Like a hoard of zombie, but not without purpose. And their purpose was to get a hand out. Nicole and I (for the first time ever?) were not interested. No way were they getting of our precious kai, food was pricey and we were on a budget. This budget did not account for the feed the sad hoard of duck fund either. These ducks were not ordinary ducks though, no, they were much more than that. These were bread hungry ducks and they would do anything they could to get their greedy mitts... or beaks? on our food. They just mobbed us! No chance for escape for they had us surrounded. In a rash act I coaxed one close and went in for the grab. My though process was that if the ducks see we take no prisoners then they would back off. But these guys aren’t like the Musketeers, it’s all for one and none for all. There was no love lost for the prisoner and seeing opportunity a surprisingly small duck came from behind and grabbed a whole slice of bread. He had to have known what was up because he was out of there in no time. Because the bread was so big and him so tiny he couldn’t fly away and had to resort to a frenzied waddle. He put a good fight but when he went into a bush he got stuck and had to drop his cargo. In triumph I grabbed said slice and raised it in victory. Damon who didn’t see any of this asked what happened; I dropped my arm to my side and was in the middle of telling him when another cheeky bugger pulled Steve Irwin on me.
Steve Irwin? What’s that you may ask? Well dear readers picture this. Remember on those Irwin adventure shows when Steve baby would flaunt his croc whispering skills? Dangling a juicy T-Bone over the pit of doom. Then just as you think nothing happens out of the depths launches a gigantic reptile grabbing the meat and falling with a splash back into the water. That is a Steve Irwin. But instead picture a duck, bread and myself.
After that fiasco we drove around a little more with the time we had left. We never found a beach or pier for Green Lake, but there was the buried village! The buried village is the New Zealand equivalent to Pompeii. Of course the price was crazy so we just read the few plaques around.
The next day was the day I was looking forward to, the day we did Tongariro Alpine Crossing! First we had to get there. As was per course for this trip, we had no plans for lodging and we were just going to wing it. The travel lodges were crazy expensive, just to pitch a tent it was almost $20 a person! So free camping it was. But this terrain was much different from the rest of the North Island. The parking lot inside the park boundaries explicitly said no camping, and the brush all over the area was so thick. Eventually we found an access ‘road’ for some telephone poles. We were all freaked out about brining attention to ourselves so we hid the car and set up tents asap without headlamps. To add another sense of fear to the mix, off in the near distance was a choir of children singing. No lie, we all heard it and holy taco was it terrifying. No one really slept well that night.
Day 5
So the Tongariro crossing is a Great Walk of New Zealand. It’s extremely popular, even more than the Able Tasman I believe. We’ve read and heard that during peak season there are so many people trying to hike the crossing that it looks like a scene from March of the Penguins. But we went in the off season. The day started out grey and misty, but we were still going for it. The hike isn’t a loop trail and its not sensible to do a there/return trip. So what you do is park your car at one end and then hire a seat in a bus that drives you to the opposite end.
When we woke up, the weather was awful. It was grey with low clouds. Not looking good at all. But we had gotten this far so we were bound and determined to continue on! The crossing was pretty basic. It started off really easy, nice and flat along a boardwalk. But then it turns into small steep stairs that go straight up. I was really wiped when we got to the top. And no view for Liz, just a giant cloud. We couldn’t even see Mount Ngauruho! For those of you who are Lord of the Rings buffs, Mount Ngauruhoe was the stand in mountain for Mount Doom. It was really surreal though. The entire area is on an active volcanic area. The latest eruption was about 30 years ago. So all around you there are no trees, shrubs, grass, not really anything at all; just heaps of volcanic rock and coloured soils creating an intense alien landscape that is enhanced by the eerie mist.
But as we reached the apex of the climb, Sunset Crater, the clouds cleared and the landscaped opened up into the typical, but never uninspiring, kiwi landscape. We started down and the first things we saw were the emerald lakes. But to get to them we had to go down a killer scree slope (or talus slope, basically a bunch of loose gravel). These beautiful vivid lakes were where we spent our lunch. Then on our way out of the creepy moon scene, we passed Blue lake (original name, right?) which was a huge deep coloured blue lake.
The hike down was really neat because you could clearly see the gradation from the alpine ecosystem, to sub alpine all the way down into lush rainforest. That was something I was never ever really able to experience. I would have really liked to explore the ecotones more closely, but it looked like it was going to storm and we wanted to get off the mountain system as quickly as possible.
While hiking this trail, we met some neat people. There was the older (out of shape) dad from New Hampshire who was out to prove his college aged son studying in Wellington that he could do the trail, without his help. There was the young German/French couple madly in love who took a million pictures of themselves. And my favourites were the older ladies. There were two who were running buddies (they ran marathons all over the world and were in their late 60’s!) and the Hash House Harriers. The Hash House Harriers are basically what I want to be someday. These ladies were older, late 60’s as well. And they told us that the Hash House Harriers was basically an international tramping/running/drinking/social club. AWESOME? I think so. There as then the two guys in their 30’s from Christchurch who were on holiday from their farm. It was great because we saw these people all the time. Either they were our speed, we caught up to them while they rested or vice versa.
All I can say was it was a really gratifying feeling knowing that I had hiked 18.5 kilometres (11.5 miles) in just a few hours. This tramp was one of my favourites thus far and in the end, pretty much the best tramp I did. I can see why this is one of the most popular great walks around. I can only imagine how amazing it was on a clear sunny day.
That night we decided to stop being stingy and we went to a campground. It was a really cute little place that had some natural hot baths and mineral pools that we could soak in. Not to mention unlimited hot water. Best way to end an intense hike?? You bet. Worth every single penny.
Day 6
The next day we woke up in good time and headed off to Matamata. Matamata is a really tiny town with nothing really in it. So why were we headed there? Because Matamata is better known as Hobbiton. Peter Jackson found this quaint little farm nestled outside of Matamata that was a perfect place to set up the town where Frodo lived. New Line Cinemas’ policy is that sets are completly removed, and no trace is ever left behind. But in the case of Hobbiton, tear down was delayed 6 months because of torrential rain. It was only partially dismantled. And in that 6 month time, the owners of the farm were able to convince the studio to allow them to keep the remaining set (only plain white facades remained) and allow tours to be set up. So after drawing up a contract that included the sets never being reconstructed, no LOTR re-enactments by the owners and no photos allowed, they were allowed tours.
But for $60, I wasn’t about to go tour it. But Juli and Damon really wanted to. So Matamata, here we come. Nicole, Emily and I just spent the day relaxing and enjoying local baked goods. Nothing exciting, but still fun.
That night we drove all the way back to Auckland where we spent the night with our dear friend Vy! We bought her a cake and a card as a thank you. But when we arrived, we found that Vy’s mother had backed us a much superior cake. It was a great night where we sat with the family trading stories and showing some pictures. But we had to leave early the next morning to get Nicole on her early flight home for an exam.
Day 7
When we arrived in the North Island, we saw that there was a Denny’s. So of course we had to go there for breakfast to see how it compared. And to be honest, with some minor menu changes (like beans on toast) the whole thing was identical to the US version. After dropping Nicole off, we explored Auckland. Upon recommendation from Lonely Planet, we did a walking tour of the city. There aren’t really any land marks around, but it was fun to get out there and see the buildings and architecture. Get this, out of all the amazing food there was in Auckland, and after having Denny’s for breakfast, we ended up getting lunch at one of the 5 Wendy’s in New Zealand. And guess what... it tasted just like US Wendy’s with the exception that they didn’t serve chocolate frosty’s (much to Damon’s dismay).
Then we drove to One Tree Hill. This is a pretty famous area. The monument at the top, which used to be a tree and is now an oblique, is actually the grave of John Campbell. John Campbell is an important Kiwi political figure and often called the father of Auckland. The monument is to show his admiration to the Maori people. The park was simple, and is often found with parks in New Zealand was also a working farm. It’s still so odd to see sheep in the middle of one of the largest cities by area in the world.
That night was early and spent in a sheep pen. It was a legintamet campground... I swear!!
So overall, I think that we did a really good job at seeing the North Island in only one week. It was a crazy week for sure, but a really great one : )
Want more eye candy? This is the North Island and because the crossing was SO EPIC, it has its own album.
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