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Published: December 28th 2006
Rotorua (12/17 to 12/20/06) Rotorua is the most commercialised tourist destination on the North Island, and to put it bluntly...it smells like poo! You don't get used to the horrid egg smell of sulphur, and before you know it, your hair and clothes smell like poo too! But you don't come here for the smell...you come here to see the impressive thermal activity...bubbling mud pools, steaming hot springs, and bright colored mineral lakes. Rotorua sits right between the Indian-Australian and Pacific plates. Since it sits right along the fault line, if you buy land here, over time your land will either increase or decrease in size. The land is constantly changing here since the earth's crust is only 7km deep vs. 30km in most of the world. In addition to the crazy environmental specialities here, Rotorua is also the home to a large Maori population and the best place to experience the infamous Maori "hangi" feasts and concerts.
Monday (12/18) More rain...yet we moved to a nicer hostel in the morning, so Emma and I didn't mind lounging around while Carolyn went rafting without us. (saving money/did it in Australia)...after Carolyn's return we headed to the Goverment Gardens including
Waitukei Sculpture
This scultpure was inspired by the melding of Maori and European cultures here in Rotorua.the fragrant rose gardens. We then headed to the Polynesian Spa for some relaxation in their hot mineral spas overlooking Lake Rotorua.
Tuesday (12/19) - We headed to the thermal wonderland of "Wai-o-Tapu". Waiotapu is the largest mudpool in all of NZ and is the largest area of surface thermal activity of any hydrothermal system in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. It covers 18sq km including the Volcanic Dome, Maungakakorama (aka Rainbow Mountain - an active volcano named for it's bright colored rocks). The area is covered with collapsed caters, cold and boiling pools of mud, water, and steaming fumaroles.
We visited "Lady Knox Geyser" where a guy adds 300g of soap to make the geyser explode to up to 21 meters every 24 hours. (The natural set off is 48 to 72 hours, but they add soap to show it everyday!) The white mineral that builds on top of the geyser is Silica, and it was first discovered by prisoners when they used the area for bathing after planting the largest manmade forest found behind Lady Knox.
After Waiotapu, the rain returned as we jumped on the public bus so Carolyn and Emma could go "zorbing". Zorbing
Wai-o-Tapu
Overlook of some of the pretty (yet smelly) thermal mineral pools. is essentially rolling down a hill in a big ball filled with water, the ride is short lived and expensive but Emma and Carolyn were having a great laugh at it. I saved my money, but was glad I got to see them in action.
Come evening, we reunited with our Arlington friends, Jake and Sara, for a Maori cultural show in the Tamaki Village. We had a presentation of historical traditions and then a show of famous Maori song and dance, including the "Haka" dance which is used to intimidate enemies (and can also be seen before an All Black rugby game). Their wide eyes and dangling tongues are symbolic guesstures for the Maori people and it is considered rude to laugh when they exhibit these funny faces. After the concert, we all stuffed on our bellies at our "hangi" feast. A "hangi" is an underground oven traditionally used by the Maori people, or as Sara might say, "its like an underground crockpot"! We rolled our stuffed bellies to the Lava bar before having to bid Sara and Jake farewell.
Christmas in Taupo (12/20 to 12/26/06) On our way into Taupo we finally saw the sun
appear before we stopped at the "Huka Falls" (or Hukanui meaning "Great Body of Spray" in Maori). We crossed the footbridge over the Waikato River where a great rapid is created by the narrowing of Waikato River. The water is a beautiful clear turquoise and the natural power of these falls creates electricity for hundreds of residents.
The town of Taupo sits above New Zealand's largest lake which was formed by one of the greatest volcanic explosions of all time. You can fit Signapore in Lake Taupo and still have enough room to swim around it!! It is stunning, and across the lake you can see the snowy volcanic peaks of Tongariro National Park.
We decided to stay in Taupo for Christmas. Our hostel, Urban Retreat, is a small family run hostel who puts on a huge christmas lunch feast for all of its backpackers (at a $25 charge)! Taupo is a nice small town (with a few fun bars) and we hoped with a few more days that we might be lucky enough to do the Tongariro Crossing.
We got festive in Taupo, bought hats and the local carolers and bell players made me remember for
the first time that Christmas was only a few days away.
On Friday (12/23) we were lucky enough to have spectactular weather for the 17km Tongariro Crossing. The Tongariro Crossing is regarded as the best one-day hike in New Zealand...on a clear day the views are magnificent, yet varying weather can make the hike scary and at most times unwalkable. Only 25% of people actually get to the do the crossing due to inclement weather on the top of Mt. Tongariro.
Track: We started in Mangatepopo car park and had an easy hike up to "Soda Springs" (approx 1 hr), and then up "Devil's Staircase" (very steep, 1 hr). At the top of Devil's Staircase you enter the "South Crater" and on to the "Red Crater Ridge" (Red Crater Ridge was our last big climb...it only takes about 30 minutes but is extremely steep and there are cliffs on either side of you...on a windy day supposedly people find themselves having to cross this on their hands and knees!) At the top of Red Crater we stopped for lunch where you could sit on active hot spots (too warm for my bum though) and we had a pleasant
Maori Cultural Dinner
Wide eyes and dangling tongues are common facial expressions of Maori warriors. view of the "Emerald Lakes". I had fun slidding down the loose dirt above the Emerald Lakes as we headed into the "Central Crater" and over to the "Blue Lake". We crossed the top of the mountain just in time for the clouds. As we walked towards the Blue Lake, we turned around to see that the top of the mountains was completed covered in cloud. Had we been any slower, our stunning views might not have not been so spectactular. Next we descended down through Rotopaunga Valley full of steamy springs, cool mountain fauna and boulders....then down by "Ketetahi Hut" and then finally through bush with green canopies and whistling streams and waterfalls.
I felt like I had been through 4 seasons in one day...starting with creeks and snow sprinklings on grass, to full-on DEEP snow where the views from atop were out of this world. You could see Lake Taupo and postcardesque views before heading down brown mountain grass with waterfalls and springs before lush tropical forests...we even had some sleet on way down. It was nice to see so much snow so close to Christmas.
Overall, the "difficult" walk wasn't as hard as I expected,
Huka Falls
Waikato River...these falls generate electricity for most in the region. but they don't name is Devil's Staircase for nothing! My weak ankles were exhausted come the bottom...and it feels damn good when you finish, and the scenery is well worth the pain of my blisters! But you can hear very different stories from people who tried the crossing in worse weather conditions.
We spent yet another night at Mulligans and Holy Cow, and come Friday I was more than happy to just lounge around the hostel while I made jewelry presents from my fellow backpacker ladies! Taxi (our South Island bus driver) rolled through town Friday afternoon for a fun filled reunion on Friday night.
Xmas Eve - I was started to get depressed today that Christmas was a day away and that I was stuck in a stuffy hostel room instead of at home with my family and a very missed furball! After Carolyn finished up some wakeboarding, we took a nice walk to the nearby Hot Springs...we happen to come across another flying fox and there were bunny rabbits all around...the green hills and steamy waterfalls made it hard not to smile. Louise and Eion arrived and a large group of us walked 40 minutes out
Snakebites
Favorite new drink at our favorite new backpacker bar, Mulligans, in Taupo. of town to attend a Midnight Mass Catholic service....and ironically it was also a St. Patricks, although it was no where near as good as service at home. They had no orchestra or large choir or pretty stainglassed windows...it makes you realize how good you have things sometimes.
Xmas Morning - I rang the whole family first thing and came back to open the few presents/cards under our mini xmas tree that Carolyn surprised us with in our dorm room. CJ, the owner of Urban Retreat, really went over and beyond the necessary means to make our xmas special with "new friends and absent families". His family gave up half of their own day to make our special and all of us were really thankful for his thoughtfulness. We had a ton of food and my favorite part was the famous and traditional Kiwi dessert called Pavolva! We had a free keg and spirits flowed throughout the evening.
Heading to Auckland, The City of Sails, on Boxing Day (12/26) We had a big van instead of bus, but "DC" got us safely to Auckland. Carolyn and I said goodbye to Emma for a few days because we
Merry Xmas
Emma and I sporting our brand new xmas hats... were staying at different hostels. Carolyn had been feining for an American cheeseburger (not from McDonalds!), so we started a journey only to discover that "burger" here does not mean "meat"...hence Carolyn's "bacon cheeseburger" was simply bacon and cheese on a bun!
Wednesday (12/27), Carolyn and I took the Fuller Ferry over to Waiheke Island. Waiheke means "cascading waters" and has about 8,000 inhabitants on Auckland's island suburb. Waiheke is most visited of the 47 Hauraki Gulf Islands. It is 93 sq km, making it one of the largest gulf islands...although it has no water or sewage, and the prestine views make this a very expensive place for Aucklanders to live. Yet a 45 minute ferry does allow them to work in a big city and come home to paradise. The island is famous for its popular vineyards and relaxing shores.
The passenger ferry drops you off at Matiatia Bay, where Carolyn and I jumped on a bus tour of the island. We went by "Oneroa Bay" (main town), and then over to "Palm Beach" (where you can see the Coromandel Peninsula), and then to "Half Moon Bay" with its long rock jetty and famous vineyards. Next was
"Onetangi" where we jumped off the bus to have lunch along the Strand at Beach Cafe. The waitress was a nightmare, and it began to pour. However, our new local friend, Nick kept us entertained with his seemingly tall tales and harmless but quite odd personality. He ended up giving us a lift to Surfdale beach where the sole pool table existed at Malone's Irish pub. We drank a few Speights and met some nice Aucklanders on vacation...who also seeked out the bar for the pool table! We took the public bus back to the Ferry and we were back in Auckland by 6pm.
We had a quick dinner (and Carolyn finally got a cheeseburger...even if it was McDonalds!) before meeting up with Matt for drinks at our hostel bar. We luckily ran into Emma, Louise, Eoin and Sean (all xmas mates) and we ended up having a great time at "hip-hop" night at the Globe bar!
Thursday (12/28) - Carolyn and I headed out of the city and onto the scenic coastal walk of Tamaki Drive in order to get to "Kelly Tarlton's Anarctic Encounter and Underwater World". It was a gorgeous day out...I really enjoyed the
Tongariro Crossing
Everyone loved our festive hats... hour plus walk along Hobson and Okahu Bay. The path was lined with Pohutukawa trees red in bloom and all the sail boats floating around made the walk really nice.
We finally arrived at the unique aquarium to find a HUGE line full of families and screaming children. But once through the 45 minute line, I really enjoyed the exhibits.
Kelly Tarlton was a famous anarctic explorer/fanatic who died only 7 weeks after opening this cool aquarium in 1985. My favorite was the 8 minute "snowcat" ride through the frozen environment of King and Gentoo penguins. We later watched a live show of the peguins and they are quite interesting and funny little buggers. The guide explained that King penguins are very promiscuous peguins...every year they mate with a different female and they tend to strut around showing off their orange feathers. (which we saw them doing! lol.) Gentoo penguins on the other hand are quite the romantics. First the males search the environment for the coolest looking rock or stone to show off to the females, if the female fancies the stone, the two will go off together to build a nest together. (in which they keep
Snowy Mountains
Me and my crossing companions. and use the stone)...they become best friends and eat together, play together, and of course mate together...year after year. I found the story really sweet actually...maybe I'll find a Gentoo peguin of my own someday!
After you get done drooling over the cute wabbling peguins, you can check out the Giant Squid or walk through the transparent acrylic tunnel through tanks full of sharks, rays, turtles and fish. And when you come out of the long winding tunnel, you get to see more uncommon sea creatures such as seahorses, blowfishes and eels!
We got the free shuttle back into downtown and went to have our "free" sausages with Eion upstairs. I felt I was in a different world, after having read an email that our dear friend Neil Talhan died Christmas morning. I had not seen him in years, but who can forget a warm and funny soul such as Neil. It seems surreal to hear such things when you are so far away, but please know I am thinking of everyone at home and can only hope Neil and Ogre are reunited and causing trouble in the clouds above!
As I headed upstairs...a guy from LA
delivered us free mussels and pasta and a free jug of beer (just by chance!)...and on top of the free sausages, I had quite a feast. Carolyn and I enjoyed great conversation with our friend Eion about life, love and politics...it was nice. And now, I have spent the rest of the evening writing this blog!!
I leave tomorrow for the Bay of Islands where I will spend New Years. I will return to Auckland for another day before I head out of Auckland for Tahiti on January 4th. I will send another (much shorter) blog hopefully before I head to Tahiti!
Happy New Year (and Happy Birthday Justin)
Much love...
Kristen
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