The Returning of the Van

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Wellington came into view soon after our ferry, the Interislander, cruised in off the Cook Strait. The city looked small from a distance but soon loomed larger as we came into port. Our ferry disgorged its contents onto dry land and we were soon trying to find our way around the busy town centre. Wellington is not New Zealand's largest city but is its capital and political centre. It was our first taste of the New Zealand's North Island after having been in our camper for the last two weeks on the Southern Island.

Wellington appeared very modern and cosmopolitan with tall buildings, a bustling port and traffic-laden streets. To give ourselves an overview of the area we made our way to a viewpoint called Mount Victoria. This affords views across the inlet from the Cook Strait, as well as the city itself. The climb wound round residential streets and eventually reached the summit. The view was a good one and allowed us an unparalleled 360 degree view of the surrounding area. The city is an attractive place and sits next to Wellington Harbour which is a very pretty place indeed. From our vantage point we took in the city centre, harbour area and sports stadium on one side and the airport and residential sprawl on the other.

The summit of Mount Victoria is also a memorial area dedicated to Antarctic explorers and the men who were responsible for ensuring it remained a neutral territory, dedicated to scientific research for the good of mankind. Wellington itself was used quite prolifically as the final port of call before expeditions made their way south into the Antarctic region. This exhibition area also gave us information on why Wellington has gained the nickname 'Windy Wellington'. It is a result of the winds that whip across the Cook Strait funnelling into Wellington, making it a very windy place indeed for most of the year. Gripping stuff.

Unfortunately we could not linger long in Windy Wellington (we didn't want to pay $8 an hour to park) and after fighting our way our out of town were soon on the open road again. The difference between the two islands could not have been clearer from that point. For the first time in a couple of weeks we didn't have the roads to ourselves, we had cars in all directions for company, which was a shame. We much preferred the sheep.

The North Island is very much a busier place and, from our first day of driving, we discovered that it is not nearly as picturesque as the south. We drove a long stretch up the number 1 highway, which extends from Wellington all the way to the very tip of New Zealand. Our first leg took us as far as Taihape - a drive of which length in the South would herald unnatural jaw-dropping beauty. Instead we saw generic town after town of McDonald's, Subway and Shell garages. And cars everywhere. Still, that is not to say there is nothing amazing to see here, this part of the North Island is just particularly over-developed with US-commercialism and unattractive buildings.

As we made our way further North the traffic began to thin out considerably. Our destination for the evening was to be near a small town called Taihape, a DOC campsite based near a forest and a farm. We had trouble finding the place to begin with and drove up winding valley roads made of slippery gravel for ages. By the time we found the campsite our van was not the usual green and purple we had (just about) come to love, it was coated in white dust.

To get to the campsite we had to cross a farm, which the owners were very obliging about. Between us and our bed for the night was about 5 gates, 2 horses, some sheep, goats and dogs. Weaving our way in and out of these obstacles, being of particular interest to the dogs, we finally found the campsite. The DOC had noted that it was 'basic' which was an understatement really. The toilet was a wooden hole with flimsy wooden sides. It was of the composting, long drop variety which nature forced us to use. Still, we had the place to ourselves, which was blissful. The buzzing of the surrounding wildlife sending us to sleep.

We found our way out with more considerable ease than with what we got into the campsite. The dogs held behind a fence let rip from a safe distance. We were nearing the centre of the North Island and New Zealand's largest volcanos. The belt of volcanos form Tongariro National Park and are all an incredible sight. The volcanos in this area - the Taupo Volcanic Belt are still active, the last eruption being in 1995. The first that came into view and the one that blew its top was Mount Ruapehu - an incredible cone of magnificence. The towering volcano is high and wide and caked in thick snow. Admiring its beauty from a safe distance the volcano looked calm and serene, it's difficult to imagine how incredibly violent and destructive its eruption can be, which is a stark contrast to its current state.

We decided to take a detour and travel half way up the volcano for lunch, which took us near a ski resort. On the way to the top there are many posters depicting what to do in the event of an eruption, warning of lava channels and recommended safety spots. The safest, I would say, probably being about 20 miles away. The landscape up the mountain is very strange and otherworldly. The volcanic rocks are a reddish black and there is a haunting quiet surrounding the area. There is greenery only at the very base of the slopes but as we wound up the volcano a strange white moss lined the side of the roads. We got out to take a closer look and found that this moss was quite spongy, the ground felt very much like that of a children's play area. We ate lunch and retreated the way we came, thankful not to witness any eruptions. The only boiling red stuff we saw was our tomato soup on the stove.

We worked our way around the volcanic loop drive taking in Mount Ngauruhoe, which starred in Lord of the Rings as Mount Doom, before continuing further north towards Lake Taupo. This lake is the largest in New Zealand and is truly huge. We drove up the coast for some miles before finding our way into the town. Taupo was a significant place for us as it was here we were planning to do our sky dive - a feat we have been planning for many months. Each flight we have taken to this date has been stirring constant reminders as to why we are choosing to throw ourselves to the the mercy of gravity.

The next morning we made our way to TTS (Taupo Tandem Skydive), suited up and boarded the small yellow plane bound for 15,000 feet above Taupo. The plane took 20 nerve-racking minutes to get up to altitude, letting other jumpers out at the 12,000 mark. Watching those two fall quickly and violently into oblivion really gave my (Victoria claims she was fine - yeah right) nerves a brisk shunt.

Our plane slowly cris-crossed further to 15,000 feet as our tandems and cameramen readied themselves for the jump. Taupo looked much much smaller than it did on the surface! The nerves really didn't allow us to take in the view however on a brilliant clear day, which stretched for miles. Apparently we could see both the east and west coast of the island, not that we noticed, the only way we were looking was down.

The time came to jump, I was the first in the plane and so the last to jump, Victoria just before me. All we had to do was hang on to our straps and shuffle along the bench. The tandem really didn't give us any time to have second thoughts. Before we had a chance to take stock of the distance between us and solid ground we were on the edge of the plane, looking down with the wind whipping up everything around. On the count of three the tandem lurched forward and jumped from the plane - beginning the 200 km per hour fall to the ground.

The free fall lasted a full minute in which we fell 10,000 feet. The initial sensation is a dreadful feeling in the pit of the stomach (which still feels like it's on the plane) and made us feel like we were a very dead weight plummeting to the ground. After a few seconds however the air began to buffet our bodies and it felt like we were soaring through the air and not just falling like stones. The feeling is incredible and allowed us to savour the view and experience. We also had a bit of fun in the air shaking hands and waving to our cameramen.

A minute felt like a few seconds and before long the parachute opened. Going from 200 km per hour to a gentle float is a violent shuddering feeling. The cameraman disappeared quickly below leaving us floating back to the ground. At this altitude the tandem performs all sorts of stomach-lurching corkscrews and pendulum swings which are great fun, before finally touching back down. The first feeling both of us had is that we wanted to go straight back up and do it again. It really did feel amazing, well worth every penny plus the feeling of achievement is one we will not forget. We watched the hastily edited DVD when back on the ground and it was hilarious. Victoria's air gulping antics and my mid-air running from the plane were both memorable.

Leaving Taupo and the great lake behind we ventured further north to the geothermal hotspot of Rotorua. This whole area is a hotbed of spewing geysers, boiling mud and steaming crater lakes. The area is still very volcanically active and many of the natural wonders have been fenced away and themed as parks. Entry is expensive so we opted for the more cost effective option. Rotorua has a central park which has many of these exhibits open to the public free of charge. This whole area actually erupted a few years ago caking all of the surrounding trees in boiling mud.

The mud has since gone but the geothermal delights remain and are impressive. There are many pits of boiling hot mud bubbling violently and lakes emitting bubbles and hissing steam. One of the most impressive sights is the crater lake which we walked around and over. The steam is so thick in this area that Victoria actually disappeared on many occasions despite being only a few feet in front of me. The water is very clear in the lake and the colours in the pool are reflected crisply. Occasionally a breeze will clear a layer of steam making the shallow bottom visible. At the lake bed lies twisted dead trees making the scene even eerier.

We left the natural sauna suitably sweaty and made our way for the northern coast to see another volcano. Just off shore from a town called Whakatane is White Island which is New Zealand's only live volcano. The island is a geothermal playground and the crater sporadically puffs a cloud of steam from its spout. We watched this for a period from a viewpoint on the shore. There are tours which take you onto the island itself, but we felt that stepping onto the same small land mass as a live volcano spewing hot gas and mud everywhere was a little dangerous! Hurling ourselves from a plane had recently met our quota.

Our next destination took us through Auckland, which was a lengthy drive via the Coromandel Peninsular. The final destination was the legendary Waipoa Kauri Forest in the north east, beyond New Zealand's largest city. The forest is a thick wooded area that contains some of the largest and oldest trees on the planet. The Kauri trees used to cover huge areas of the north eastern tip the country until they fell victim to the weather and over-zealous lumberjacks.

The two highlights in Waipoua were the fattest Kauri and the tallest. The fat one, Te Matua Ngahere, stopped us in our tracks when we saw it. He is the very proud owner of a whopping girth of 16 metres (52.5 ft)! The tallest is Tane Mahuta, the 'Lord of the Forest' and is alleged to be between 1,250 and 2,500 years old. This thing could’ve been on the planet at the same time as Jesus! And at 51.5 metres tall he is by far the biggest. We might have needed a neck brace if we had kept looking up at the distant canopy for too long.

We continued north again on the thin strip of land and headed for the very northern tip of the north island. It was getting dark so we camped for the night in what was designated a DOC campsite but is better described as a field with long grass that comes up to the waist. Our green van didn't look very camouflaged in the yellow grass. We were a little worried falling asleep as it had been raining constantly all night turning the field into a bog which we sank into. We did manage to drag ourselves out of it though, our van proving although it looks silly, it has a great deal of grip and guts under the bonnet.

Just before reaching the tip of the country we made a quick detour to do some surfing. Not the regular kind, but instead we cruised down an enormous sand dune. There is a large collection of them at the end of a length of beach called the 90-mile beach. Which, curiously, isn't 90 miles long. Anyway, the sand dunes are impressively large and numerous and very very hard work to get up and down. From a distance the upwards curve of the smooth dune looks easy. This smooth curve proved to be a calf-spasm inducing hike up a vertical wall of sand. I'm sure 8 months of a bad diet and no exercise was also probably a factor in us finding it so challenging.

Heaving and breathless when we reached the summit we felt like we were in the middle of the desert. The sea and grassland was not visible and an eerie quiet had descended which was broken only by the sound of the wind whisking piercing grains of sand into our throbbing ankles. It felt like we were on Tattoine. And then, with our home-made surfboard which we had created using plastic bags and a modified cereal box we took to the slopes. When I say we, Victoria crept to the bottom to watch me pathetically trudge down the side of the sand dune on my backside. Still, it was good fun and I now know what it feels like to be in the desert, without going to one.

We reached Cape Regina to watch the Tasman Sea take on the Pacific Ocean, and what a spectacular place it was. Although heralded as the northern most point of New Zealand, Cape Reigna is, in fact, not. That title belongs to some small strip of land nearby. I'm sure the New Zealand tourism board couldn't build a fancy light house and tourist facilities on that point so Cape Reigna claimed that particular title. The tip is marked by the aforementioned light house and one of those signs that tells you how far certain cities of the world are from that point, reminding us quite how far from home we really are.

It was a fascinating and very windy place and good fun to watch the currents of both great bodies of water smash into each other and break on the surrounding jagged rocks. The other significance of Cape Reigna that is the Maori believe when you die your soul travels down the roots of a certain tree here and drip into the ocean. I'm really not sure who thinks these things up.

After admiring the view we travelled back down the way we came via the beautiful Bay of Islands before spending our final night in the camper van. It was an emotional time but we definitely will not miss banging our heads an average of 4 times a day each and having to pee in the freezing cold! Therefore it was with a mixture of emotions that we dropped our beloved van off in Auckland and set about spending the next few days exploring New Zealand's largest city.

Auckland straddles a small section of land with one harbour in the Pacific Ocean and one in the Tasman Sea. It is a very picturesque city built on about 50 volcanos! The city has a throbbing commercial heart in full Christmas swing and is the busiest place we had experienced since Sydney 3 weeks ago. Our first objective was to make our way to Mount Victoria, which is one of the old volcanos. It affords great views of the city skyline, the harbour and the Auckland's volcanic field.From this lookout we could see many volcanic cones, although now they are mostly all grassed over.

Mount Victoria (yes, it has the same name as the one in Wellington) itself has a very deep crater, which again is grassy all the way down. The view is very good indeed, the skytower being the most prominent building on the horizon. The best way to describe it is the way the guide book does - as a 'giant hypodermic needle giving a fix to the heavens' - which is spot on. The skyline frames the glorious green waters of the harbour which is rammed with boats and pleasant beaches.

The main activity we enjoyed in Auckland, besides being able to pee inside and stand up in our bedroom, was the skytower and the views it offers. I believe that it is the highest structure in the southern hemisphere, towering above all of the buildings around it. An ear-popping elevator took us to the top where we enjoyed vertigo-inducing views of the city and harbour. One particularly nice effect in the observation deck was the clear glass flooring in certain parts on which you can stand and look down on the tiny people milling around below. Unfortunately on this day Victoria decided to wear a dress


We have been incredibly awed by New Zealand and its majestic beauty, humbled by its magnificence and besotted by its natural wildlife. We leave with the similar sensation felt after a good biscuit - satisfied but wanting more. Our final trip is the bus to the airport where we are eagerly awaiting our 12 hour flight to Los Angeles. Sarcasm very much intended in the previous sentence.

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Photos

Mike's Skydive
Taupo.

Smouldering Crater Lake
Rotorua.

White Island
From the coast of Whakatane.

Sand Dunes
90 Mile Beach.

Cape Reigna
Pacific to the left, Tasman Sea to the right.

Comments

[Mum + Dad]

Dunes Dunes wonderful Dunes
How fantastic. I would love to surf down that 90 mile sand dune. Dad did that in Wales as a child but I bet it was nothing like that one. Superb!! I would never be off it but then I have been running regularly and not on a bad diet! Loved your first campsite especially the loo. How awful, worse than some in France which were also very basic. Very uncivilised!! The skydiving pics you sent earlier before we skyped were fantastic. Well Done. Where's the pic of Mt Doom ( or should I say Mt Ngauruhoe). Love to have seen it but can guess it even without the hobbits. Love to you both xxx