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Rob just about had movement in his fingers after defrosting from his carbonite surf chamber (now Rob knows how Han Solo felt!!!) before we left Raglan, Kirstin made our cheese and chutney sandwiches (filling plays an important part in enhancing our scenic viewing pleasure, nicely cut in half across the middle, not Rob's choice of cut, he would cut corner to corner but Kirstin explained that for transportation purposes the cut across the middle method is best to minimize filling loss!) and we were on the road again. This road took us further south onto the west coast.

It's difficult to explain the beauty that unfolds as you drive around NZ, stunningly spectacular springs very quickly to mind, the deep green valleys that ripple below as the road winds up and down the steep hills, the next corner bringing apocalyptic seascape, jagged rocks with jet black sands and washed up stripped white driftwood. It wasn't long before we were turning off for the Bridal Veil Falls only 30odd km's down the road from Raglan.

A stunningly spectacular 55 metre single drop waterfall in the middle of nowhere and the centre of somewhere, the crisp frost still yet to melt underfoot. Ok, so it's cold and sometimes wet and, ok so we're out of season and some places are closed; the flipside to this is that we get space and places to ourselves (if open). We shared the whole waterfall with a family of three and another traveling couple and this was on a Bank Holiday Monday; which incidentally was the Queen's unofficial Birthday (1st June), it's our Bl**dy Queen and the Kiwi's manage to get a day off!!!

It Came From Nowhere, This Mount Fuji Lookalike!

After a stint of inland driving, weaving along NZ's roadways, hugging the green landscape and rolling hills, we were getting closer to the coast, as we rounded a corner Kirstin gave out a gasp, Rob managed to control the car unaware of what the fudge was going on! No the wheel hadn't fallen off Lionel neither had we run over a sheep......... on the otherside of the bay where waves were rolling in, Mt Taranaki had come into view, and what a stunning view she made in the distance with her majestic snowy cap to complete the scene.

We ate our cheese and chutney sandwiches with a side order of crisps under the watchful eye of Mount Taranaki, we have to admit no other filling would have done the view justice, a tuna sandwich would have been too overpowering and a ham sandwich just not enough kick to fully experience the view!!!

Most, nay all of our time in the area was spent taking pictures or having coffee next to Mount Taranaki, luckily for us we had brilliant clear blue skies for watching the sunset and sunrise over Mt Taranaki, it was one stunning lump of rock and snow! We even ventured closer to the peak, well about 1400 metres from the summit to be precise but it felt much closer as we followed the narrow single track lane into the snow line, poor Lionel was being subjected to his first lesson in ice skating! We parked up and suddenly felt like we had arrived in a ski resort, the smell of the log fire wafting from the cafe and the deep crispy snow. However, it was slightly too early for the ski resort to open, there was no clicking of skies just yet but tramping time in the Goblin Forest, we jest not that is what it was called and very enchanting it was too!

You're my best worker so you can stay in the best accommodation!

The generous hostel owner had pronounced how a young French traveller was his “best worker” and as a token of appreciation had homed him in a freezing, dirty caravan with no heating and windows that didn't close, we would hate to see where he sticks his worst worker! The Egmont Eco Lodge was the hostel we stayed in and was about as Eco friendly as 1080 (a poison designed to kill Possums, that happens to kill everything else in its path); and no free cake which is promised in the hostel guide, the promise of “free smiles” were nowhere to be seen on the owners face plus we couldn't find anywhere to put the money except when he bent over! We guess you can't have perfect hostels all the time.

Get Off My Land

We left the salmon slapped owner and the frozen Frenchman taking our cheese and chutney sandwiches with us, you can never have too much of a good thing! Our journey led us to The Forgotten World Highway through NZ's back country, east to Tongariro National Park, across saddles, down valleys and through deep gorges. So many photo's to be taken yet so few places to stop, ggrrrr! On one occasion when we did stop to take some snaps of our intended view, we were told by a very nice chap and his psychotic Jack-Russell in the nicest of ways to keep moving!

We consoled ourself with lunch overlooking some river rapids, we must have looked frozen sitting in Lionel eating our delicious sarnies as an older Kiwi couple offered us a hot drink from their mobile home, we declined as we were concerned we may have to share our cheese and chutney sandwiches! Instead we had a good natter about the ins an outs of them emigrating from Scotland in the 70's, warmed by the strangers hospitality we went on our way.

We based ourselves in Turangi, a great place to explore Mt Ruapehu, the smoking Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauarhoe (you may know it as Mt Doom from LOTRings, just don't say that to a kiwi!) which makes up the snow capped Tongariro mountain range, as well as Lake Taupo and other water based landmarks! After the disappointing Eco Lodge we were back on the excellent hostel track, staying at Riverstone Hostel which had a dog called Mogwai that looked more like a sheep than a Gremlin! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

Perfection

We had to extend our stay to fit in all our walking activities, but the highest highlight would have to be the walk to Taranaki Falls (not to be confused with Mt Taranaki 300km's away, coz that would be a long walk!). A perfect day for a perfect walk, a view of Mt Ngauarhoe on the way and Mt Ruapehu on the way back set on a perfect background of blue sky and snowy peaks. The falls were breathtaking, a perfect ring of snow surrounded the falling water at the base. We ate our perfect cheese and chutney sandwiches which only enhanced our viewing pleasure of the perfect water falling. The day was finished off sitting in front of the perfect log fire warming our cockles! Perfection.

The Hidden Valley of Orakei Korako a geothermal area, may not have been perfection but it was otherworldly, fun and quite smelly. The whole valley was a prehistoric world including bubbling mud and steaming green lakes all oozing a faint eggy smell. The highlight was supposed to be the mighty Diamond Geyser but after a half hearted damp fart we moved on to more fitting highlights, like the huge cave with mirror reflected water and the “free” river boat taxi having paid $31 each!

We left Turangi with yet another hitchhiker, dropping her off at Lake Taupo as we passed, not as interesting as Roody but that's not her fault, it felt like a good deed all the same. Lake Taupo is a huge (616sq km) expanse of water that formed from a single crater, the remains of the massive Taupo volcano that erupted 186AD, the smoke from which could be seen passing through Europe!

The day had arrived to move on, the weather had closed in, the rains had arrived big stylie and the cold wind was whipping up white horses on Lake Taupo, thoughts of the log fire we had left behind never far from our chilly minds but luckily Kirstin had made cheese and chutney sandwiches, so everything was just Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!

LOL
Kiro
xxx

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