New Zealand: The North Island

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So finally I have got around to doing our blog from the North Island of New Zealand its only a month late!



After having such a great time on the South Island and meeting lots of great people we were back to travelling alone for the north. We arrived in Wellington late at night with the rest of our flying Kiwi group, once we had disembarked the ferry we caught a taxi to the hotel where they were staying and bid everyone an emotional fairwell. We then headed off on foot to find our hostel in the centre of town. Kate did not believe me when i said it was a 10 minute walk and straight away got in a paddy (one of a few from both of us over the next 24 hours). It turned out that I (Google Maps) was in fact right and it was a fairly short walk which was good as we were both feeling very tired and lugging all our belongings around late at night was not ideal. We arrived at the highly rated Trek global, our hostel which was basically old student accommodation. Unfortunately the reviews on trip advisor didn’t quite add up to our experience, mainly due to the weird Korean in our room who spent all night snorting and sniffing at an inexplicably large volume.



Next morning we quickly left our hostel and headed to a nearby cafe for breakfast where we treated ourselves to some posh nosh (Porridge and Pancakes). This set us up well for the long day of driving we had ahead from Wellington all the way to Taupo which was approximately a 5 hour drive. We were initially going to use Hertz for our rental however after speaking to Mike and Bryan from the flying kiwi we cancelled our booking and booked with Apex a New Zealand firm for £200 pounds cheaper. When we got to the rental place we met our chariot for the week a 20+ year old automatic Nissan Wingroad. The car rental guy didn’t bother doing the dent check with me as the car was more dent than car he basically just said as long as you get it back somehow that’s fine, doesn’t matter if you get a few more dents! Now this is where the second paddy ensued. I have never driven an automatic before and to start with I had to admit I was very confused, this then translated to anger that the car must be stupid and broken because I kept doing things wrong. A personal favourite was switching on the wipers instead of indicating or pressing the clutch when there wasn’t one.



Eventually after a couple of stops to calm down and get a grip we were on our way on the A1 out of Wellington. The first 20 - 30 miles of the route were spectacular hugging the coastline and passing through small coastal towns including Whitby? After that we headed in land through the farming villages and towns of the west coast. After a few hours we stopped in the quaint town of Sansom at the Church Cafe where we had a good cup of English tea and the most amazing macadamia caramel slice. We then set of on the road again this time with Kate at the wheel which she mastered very quickly to my annoyance!



We next stopped at Tehape which had been recommended to us by a Kiwi in Australia. This town was pretty quirky, famous for its gumboot throwing championship; there were even nets for gumboot throwing practice! After leaving Tehape we experienced the most chilling moment of our trip (maybe) when we pulled in to take a picture of an impressive railway bridge. I had noticed a car behind us for about 10 miles before and when it pulled behind us in the layby i quickly assumed the worst (he was an axe murderer) so i dived back in the car and told Kate to drive drive drive! Who knows whether we would be here today if I hadn’t taken such swift action.



We continued to head north until the spectacular Mount Rupheau came into view in front of us. Those of you who know me well know i love volcanoes (ever since watching Dante’s peak) and it was spectacular to see one close up. The drive on route one took us round the whole volcano and past other active ones including Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings fame. I think I may have annoyed Kate a bit at this point as i was pulling over at least every mile to take more pictures of both. The drive itself from Waiouru to Turangi was one of the best i have ever driven full of hairpins, twists, turns and beautiful scenery. This was then followed by another great drive along lake Taupo until we reached the town itself.



We reached Taupo in the late afternoon and proceeded straight to our hostel - Rainbow Lodge. After arrival we were taken yo our private room with en-suite and TV, which was absolute luxury. We even had a patio door which opened out to our own private vineyard (A few grapes). We quickly decided to dump our stuff get back in the Wingroad and drive to Countdown to get some food. This trip would not usually have been mentioned but Kate decided to drive back the 1 mile from the supermarket to the hostel which was a near fatal decision. We only made it 50 yards but in this time Kate had become so confused by the automatic that at first she couldn’t move the car, and secondly after confusion the break for the none existent clutch broke so hard on the main road i nearly went through the windscreen. The journey ad to be completed with myself at the wheel and Kate and the Wingroad never really saw eye to eye after this point.



The first night was pretty uneventful, after eating a lovely chicken salad we took a trip to MacDonald’s for Wifi then watched Grand Designs before bed. We were both pretty tired so fell asleep very quickly unfortunately for me I had left a window open overnight as it was very warm. At about 2 o clock in the morning I was awoken by the biggest stench of rotten eggs (Sulphur) I had ever smelt, which kept me up for hours. Kate slept all the way through this, but I couldn’t as after the smell I was having nightmares a Dante’s peak style eruption was on the cards! Luckily I eventually got to sleep and it was now Kate’s turn to be woken up. At 4 Am the six 50 + year old women next door got back from their night our largered up and screaming down the corridor. I was dead to the world by this point but unlike the sulphur 5 fat kiwis managed to wake Kate and kept her awake till the morning.



The next day we woke up bright and early (10 AM) and went on a trek to Huka falls. It was the perfect day with not a cloud in the sky and the walk was great hugging the river all the way to the falls. On the way we stopped at a natural hot spring that entered the river, It was like having a warm bath if not scolding. As we got closer to the falls it became apparent Kate had not got her walking shoes on and was beginning to get blisters this was not helped by me insisting we go find the cafe (which we didn’t find) rather than the small tuck shop next to the falls. The falls themselves were awesome, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a waterfall bigger and as powerful. What confused me slightly is that many people were getting their picture taken just upstream of the falls where there were some rapids thinking, failing to realise the falls were 50 m further downstream! The walk back was not as fun especially for Kate who by this point was in agony. As a treat to cheer her up we stopped for ice cream at the end of the walk and watched the bungee jump nearby which was seriously scary, not only for the drop but because the guy we saw do it didn’t seem to be wearing anything and was jumping with a blow up doll. Our last evening in Taupo was pretty uneventful once again, although we did go to the cinema for the first time in months to see Django unchained which was we both thought excellent.



The next day we got back in the Wingroad following a hearty breakfast and headed back to Whakapapa at the foot of Mount Rupheau. The drive up to the village was breathtaking and although the Wingroad struggled on some of the climbs we made it there in one piece. We stopped a couple of times along the way to photograph the volcanoes (Running Theme) and you could visibly see the activity still ongoing from a recent eruption in December from Mount Tongariro which we were to climb the next day!



We were staying at Chateau Tongariro an impressive Victorian mansion which would be our only nights of luxury on the North Island. As soon as we arrived we unloaded and I quickly went of to play a round of golf on the hotels own private golf course while Kate had a sleep. The course was tricky to say the least, I am pretty sure they hadn’t heard of light rough! The views however were far better than my golf and it was an amazing place to have a round on what is the highest golf course in New Zealand. At the end of the 9 hole round I finished 7 over par which I was pretty happy with, I was even more happy seen as I rented only three balls and for the last 3 holes I only had one of them left yet managed to complete my round!



The rest of the day we relaxed in the hotel, although our plan of going for a swim in the hotel pool did not seem as attractive a proposition when we got there. The pool was what I can only describe as an old water tank in the basement, and looked like a ship had capsized and was upside down. I cannot describe how dingy it was so I have attached a photo. It was at this point we decided to go to the sauna, unfortunately it was so hot we could only stay in there a couple of minutes. After this we called it quits and went and played table tennis in the basement arcade room. After such a disaster at relaxing we went out to the only restaurant in the village ate a big meal and caught an early night in preparation for our 8 hour walk the next day up the active Tongariro Volcano along the Tongariro Crossing.



The next day we woke up at 6am to catch a coach to the start of the crossing 10 miles away, the weather was perfect with only some light morning fog on the hills. The crossing was an amazing experience, although like climbing Mount Luxmore it was incredibly hard work. At times it was like being on another planet walking through the craters of extinct volcanoes and on the other hand it was like being in Middle earth as we were within touching distance of Mount Doom and walked through areas used for filming of Mordor. We went as far as the trek could go before you had to turn back due to the recent activity and then proceeded to climb Mount Tongariro. The track if you can call it a track up to Tongariro was treacherous as it was made entirely of loose shingle, and We both looked and moved as fast as OAP's when coming down. The whole trek took 7 hours but it was an amazing experience and one that we both won’t be forgetting anytime soon. That evening we ate another massive meal as we were both starving following the trek and called it a night early again because we were so tired. Though not before a quick game of snooker in the parlour room of the hotel, which may have been the reason we were so sleepy. It couldn’t be described as the most exciting game as not many balls were potted by anybody.



The next morning we left for Rotorua home of hot springs and mud pools. We stopped about 40 minutes out of Rotorua at Wai-o-Tapu Thermal "Wonderland", and as soon as we got out of the car i knew it was going to be a difficult day for Kate. The park absolutely stank of sulphur which i knew made Kate feel very sick, but like the trooper she is she soldiered on as she knew it would be something i really liked. The park was not a disappointment, from the geysers to bubbling mud pools the who experience was ace. My personal favourite was the radioactive looking pools which were fluorescent yellow, the description of the pools showed that it contained about 4 or 5 elements that were poisonous including arsenic. After this point i tried not to breath in the air as much as possible!



We then travelled just up the road to the mud pools. Watching the pools was strangely relaxing and i recommend it to anybody if you’re having a stressful day. We tried to photograph the mud explosions as they happened, but it was incredibly hard and after looking back through my camera i only found about 3 good shots out of 80!



We then headed to our hostel the Crash Palace in Rotorua. As we got out of the car, maybe as a left over from visiting the thermal park Kate let out a massive burp right in front of some French people. What made it more funny is the French girl shouted "charming" then proceeded to walk into our hostel meaning Kate would have to pass this person over the next day. Kate was so embarrassed we had to quickly go for a walk round the town to avoid the French people in our hostel and hope that they go out again. Unfortunately when we got back and checked in they were sat right in front of the reception. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kate go as red as then and what made it even more excruciating was the chilled out receptionist who took his time doing anything. For the rest of the day we explored Rotorua and went hunting for free Wifi (A common occurrence during our trip). In the evening as it was Pancake day we decided to make pancakes using pre made batter, the results were not pretty. I blame the useless pans provided at the hostel which were about as no stick as Velcro.



The next morning we set off for our final destination Auckland, but not without a quick stop over in Matamata and more specifically Hobbiton! The weather was not great for the start of our tour and tour guide was annoying to say the least, but the tour itself was great and it felt pretty special being on a film set that had only been used 6 months earlier. What made the tour even better was free drinks at the Dragon Inn at the end and unexpectedly meeting some of our flying Kiwi friends Josh and Sonia as they started their tour.



We arrived at the Auckland hostel on what can only be described as one of the steepest streets I’ve ever seen (Not as steep as the one in Dunedin). What made it absolutely terrifying was driving an automatic, I spent all night having nightmares about the hill start the next morning as I just didn’t trust our Wingroad to just pull away as I pulled the handbrake off. The hostel itself was ok although full of long termers and down and outers, what made it better was free internet though which is a first in any hostel we had been to.



The next morning was Valentine ’s Day and I had a romantic trip planned to Devonport for cream tea (Kate’s favourite). What I had forgot is that we had run out of New Zealand dollars so this trip involved no cream tea and more just walking around and generally falling out over lack of money (not exactly romantic). Eventually we got back in the car and I drove us to Cheltenham beach where we wiled away the hours eating jelly snakes and reading books. I am not a huge fan of reading and eventually went to investigate the nearby Hauraki Gulf maritime reserve, which was a big hill with lots of tunnels dug by the navy for gun emplacements. It was a fascinating place, and an amazing find as all the tunnels were still intact and could be walked through. However I recommend that unlike me you use something more powerful than an I phone to light your way as it was incredibly dark and i completely spooked myself out due to lack of vision ending up running through the tunnels trying to find a way out like some scene from a horror movie.



Eventually it was time to go to our budget airport hotel and drop the Wingroad off. It was emotional farewell for two reasons, the Wingroad was a fantastic companion and had never failed us, secondly I had left a quarter of a tank of fuel in the tank when we were trying to get it down to empty (I hate wasting money). The room in our hotel the 1bis Budget was a small as a rabbit hutch but at least it was clean and had a free pick up to the airport 24 hours a day which we needed as our flight to Fiji was at 6 AM meaning we needed to be at the airport for 4! I then completed my Valentine ’s Day treats by taking Kate to the nearby Maccas for a slap-up meal (Don’t say I haven’t got class) and then off to the airport for free Wifi. Eventually I noticed that in the airport I was being followed as I looked around after using the Wifi, it was at this point I realised that someone hanging around the airport was probably frowned upon so we both quickly left hoping we weren’t going to be interrogated the next morning when we arrived!



The next morning we boarded our flight to Fiji bidding farewell to New Zealand, which for me had been one of the best experiences of my life, and I can’t wait to go back and see some more.

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Photos

Sunset in Wellington
Sunset on arrival to the North Island

Mount Doom and Rupheau
One of many pictures taken on the way up to Taupo.

Macca's Taupo
Best outside of a Macca's ever

Golf at the Chateau
Mount doom in the background.

Chateau Tongariro
View from the the 7th fairway. Mount Rupheau in the background.

Mount Doom
Again one of many photos i took of the volcano.

Tongariro Climb
Kate ecstatic at climbing another mountain

Mount Doom and Me
As you can see im nearly 2100 m tall.

Wai-o-Tapu
Kate did not like the smell

Mudpools
Finally i caught a picture of an explosion

Bye Bye Nissan Wingroad
Kate pretending to navigate

Scary Christchurch Tunnels
Seems much lighter thyan it was

Hobbit House
Not Built for Giants