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Published: January 8th 2008
Day 63: Trekking Middle Earth
I had been a bit enthusiastic following my arrival in Taupo yesterday evening, and having bought some food, and seen that today's weather was due to be good with light winds and no rain, I had been keen to make the most of it and get out into the great outdoors. I was a little less keen this morning when my alarm went off at five, but shortly after, I was waiting outside with a bag full of food, water and warm clothes, ready to catch the bus to Tongariro National Park.
The bus pulled into Mangatepopo, the start of the 18.5km trek, at about seven in the morning, and having signed in (so they know when to send out mountain rescue), been warned of last bus times, and heeded a few more warnings regarding changing weather and dangerous terrain, I set off on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (previously just the Tongariro Crossing, I think they put the 'Alpine' in for people like me who don't always turn up to these things adequately prepared).
I wanted to get a bit of a headstart to escape everyone else on the bus and the crowds
that would inevitably follow, and so set off straight away at a fairly brisk pace. The initial two hours were quite straight forward, hiking uphill to the Soda Springs, an area of pretty flowers and grasses, giving me a bit of a false sense of security before I reached the 'Devil's Staircase', a knackering forty-five minute steep uphill climb over jagged black lava rocks interspersed with scree. Although I was still ahead of most of the others on the walk, it was definitely more heavy going than I'd expected. I think the days of me sprinting up volcanos laden with backpack, a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other (just to annoy extremely well-prepared German tourists) are numbered, and I was very much in need of a break by the time I had finished the ascent.
At the top of the 'staircase' I found myself at the start of an expansive flat area overlooked by several volcanos, including the famous Mount Ngauruhoe (probably better known as Mount Doom). With snow around it's summit and emitting a few plumes of smoke, I wasn't feeling energetic enough to try climbing it, particularly since we'd been warned on the
bus that it was a bit dangerous; with no marked pathway and steep leg-cutting scoria all the way up, it didn't seem worth missing the last bus home for.
After half an hour on the flat South Crater, I reached the start of the last steep ascent of the crossing, this time around the rim of the Red Crater. It wasn't as challenging as the devil's staircase, but across an exposed ridge and with steep screes on either side, I imagine it would be quite perilous in icy or windy conditions. By the time I'd reached the top, there were spectacular views on both sides looking out over the Oturere Valley, Rangipo Desert, and Kaimanawa Range. Right ahead, there were also the stunning Emerald Lakes, reached by slipping and sliding down a rocky scree. With geothermal activity causing fumaroles to emit sulphury steam from the slopes either side of the track, it wasn't a bad place to stop for a snack, with the heated rocks keeping me warm (some parts more than others)! I think I had been a tad overprepared for the walk. I'd been quite hungry when shopping at the supermarket last night, and as well as
stocking up on energy foods, including a 'One Square Meal' cereal bar (does what it says on the packet providing a third of your energy/protein/fat/vitamin/mineral requirements in one cereal bar), I was also carrying a few bananas, some bread and cheese (which I made sandwiches from), and a packet of Afghans (they're a type of biscuit here, as opposed to being a war-torn people in south Asia). As well as this, I managed to carry two and half litres of water and a bottle of diet coke. Despite having enough to see me through a short famine, in school trip mode, I did actually manage to finish the majority of my rations by lunch time, trying to justify the slightly excessive feast by the amount of energy I must have been using going up and down mountains (and it meant that I had less to carry)!
Pausing for a little while at the Emerald lakes, which seemed even brighter against the backdrop of red barren earth, I again became aware of the annoying music that I had heard intermittently in the background for the past couple of hours. I was a bit miffed that someone would be inconsiderate enough
to ruin the peace and quiet for everyone else by playing loud music whilst hiking through such beautiful scenery. Anyway, after a few moments, it finally dawned on me that the 'inconsiderate noise' was actually none other than my own ipod, tucked away in my backpack and now very low on charge. Oops. From the Emerald Lakes, it was a gentle climb up to the larger cold water Blue lake, before the path levelled out again, crossing the northern crater, more than a kilometre in diameter and with beautiful views out over lakes and mountains. From here it was all downhill (only literally, the scenery was still fantastic), with a zigzagging path past more fumaroles and down to Ketetahi hut for another food break, before starting the final two hour descent, leaving behind the alpine scenery, and walking alongside a stream through shaded bush, eventually arriving at Ketetahi car park.
Despite the multiple food stops, I had arrived back over an hour before the first bus, and so had to make myself comfortable for a while (and finish off the last of my food), whilst waiting for the lift back to Taupo. I was soon joined by a girl
from the hostel and having compared notes on the way back to town, we decided that a drink was definitely in order, and hit the town for a few beers. We went to a couple of bars, unfortunately making the mistake of ordering food in the Irish bar and not realising that topless waitress night started at ten o'clock. We did wait for our food, but didn't take too long in eating it, whilst doing our best to avoid the crowd of largely older gentlemen who seemed to be accumulating (hands rubbing thighs. Yeuw). Quite exhausted, and in the knowlege that I had further delights planned for the morning, it wasn't too late a night, although I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Day 64: Escaping terra firma
After yesterday's escapades, I didn't exactly leap out of bed when my alarm went off this morning, and instead crawled rather stiffly to the shower. Following breakfast, I sat outside and waited for my courtesy limosine to pick me up and take me to the airfield. On arrival, myself and four others, sat through a short 'how to do your first skydive' video, before waiting
patiently and a bit nervously for our turn to jump. Half-an-hour later, I met my tandem dive partner, a mad Hungarian called Laci. For the majority of the time, we didn't seem to understand a word the other said, and so I was kind of hoping he wasn't trying to tell me anything important, and having donned a jumpsuit and harnass, we waited for the plane, which turned out to be a lovely shocking pink colour. I didn't know there were any pink planes, so I was quite excited to be flying in one! There were three pairs of us in the plane and all of us were starting to get pretty nervous as the plane took off, and things certainly didn't get much better at 12,000 feet. Having watched the first pair fall out of the open hatch in front of me, it was my turn, and with Laci behind me and firmly attached to my harnass, I inched towards the door. After a brief moment of sitting with my legs hanging out over the world below, I was pushed out of the plane. Amazingly despite falling at a couple of hundred kilometres an hour towards the earth, I
remembered what I was meant to be doing with my arms and legs, and after just forty-five seconds of general screaming, laughing and admiring the view (just incase it was the last thing I ever got to see), the parachute was opened and we began a slightly more graceful descent back down to the airfield, with incredible views over the mountains and Lake Taupo. With fifty metres to go, Laci told me how to land ("just push your legs out in front, you'll be fine..."), and we spiralled down to the grass, where amazingly I landed on my feet. Although just a tad scary and although I still can't really hear out of my left ear, the whole skydiving experience was definitely worth doing. Who knows, I might even do it again some time. But probably not this week.
I got the limo to drop me in town at Pak n Save (New Zealand's equivalent of Asda), so that I could grab some food for lunch and dinner. It was then back to the hostel to pick up my bikini and towel, reapply sunscreen, eat a very quick meal, and then go straight back out again, past the ever
increasing pile of washing that I had ditched next to my backpack in search of something clean to wear the night before, and up the road to the kayak shop where I joined five others tandem kayaking out onto Lake Taupo. Having sorted out our kit and got down onto the water, we set off in our kayaks paddling across the lake, which, covering an area larger than Singapore, is the biggest lake in the Southern hemisphere. It was just over an hour before we reached the Maori rock carvings; ranging from thirty to a few hundred years old, they were cut into some steep rocks overlooking the water, only accessible by boat. We rested there in our kayaks for a little while, before paddling off again to a nearby rocky platform where we pulled the canoes up and stopped for a snack and and a swim in the icy cold lake (the waters mainly coming from the icemelt from nearby volcanos and mountains). We then had half an hour to relax, drink apple juice and defrost in the hot sun, before launching our kayaks into the water again and paddling back to shore. Although the scenery had been awesome
and we'd got to see the carvings, lots of cool waterbirds and a few little caves outpouching into the rocks surrounding the lake, I've decided that I'm really not built for kayaking. With no upper body strength to speak of, paddling for a few hours proved to be quite a challenge, and in tandem kayaks (with me in the front and the guy from the kayak shop behind me), I did feel obliged to keep going and pull my weight despite being absolutely knackered. I'd definitely go onto the water again if it was somewhere similarly scenic, but I think today may have just put me off booking any day long/multiday kayaking trips in and around the National Parks (I was tempted by the three day trip down the Whanganui river for a while - I'm not any more)!
The day out had certainly proved to be value for money. Having paid for just two-and-a-half hours on the water, I was a bit surprised when I got back to the hostel and found everyone cooking dinner, only to discover that it was half seven and I had actually been gone quite a lot longer than I'd anticipated. What with
all the activity today and yesterday, I'm now absolutely exhausted and hoping that I can escape the merriment of New Year's Eve tomorrow so I can put my feet up at the hostel, preferably while doing some washing. Having not done any since Brisbane, it's starting to get desperate.
Day 65: New Year's Eve
Most people only stop in Taupo for a night, sometimes two; I'm not sure how, I could have stayed much longer, but with the rest of New Zealand to see, I felt I should probably be making plans and so got up early and head into town to book a bus and a place to stay in New Plymouth.
From the centre of Taupo, I set off on a walk to see a bit of the surrounding area. The first landmark I passed was the Taupo Bungee (I passed up the opportunity on this occasion.... I might reconsider in Queenstown); I then took the path out of town to some hot springs which formed small pools and then a stream into the vast blue Waikato River. Being New Year's Eve and with lots of people on their Christmas holidays in Taupo, the
springs were a bit too busy to be tempted to take a dip, and so I continued on up the lesser trodden walkway downstream. I feel that I should add at this point that although the walk was classified as 'easy', and admittedly it wasn't too challenging, given the nature of New Zealand's geography, with the exception of giant dormant volcanic craters, pretty much any walk (even the easiest) has some pretty steep, shall we say, undulations. I thought that joggers on sandy beaches in Australia were nuts, but seeing people in New Zealand try and sprint up steep gravel walkways, and then down and then up again, it's hard to work out who's got it tougher!
After forty-five minutes of ascents and descents through forest and past some pretty scary shear drops leading down to the river, I eventually reached the slightly crowded Huka Falls (there's a road and carpark nearby), formed where the Waikato river narrows from a width of about a hundred metres to about fifteen, resulting in powerful jets of water being forced down river where they go on to supply the hydroelectric power station. I had a bit of lunch at the falls and
then escaped the hoardes, following a walkway along a mountain bike track away from the river. From here, it was another hour to the road which I had to trek up before finally reaching the Craters of the Moon.
The Craters of the Moon, initally started forming in the late fifties, following changes in the underground water table brought about by the construction of a nearby geothermal power station. The result has been the formation of an area of extensive geothermal activity, with unstable heated ground, some of which has fallen in leaving deep craters, occasional mud pools, fumaroles aplenty, and some rather interesting mosses (being the only ones that can grow there). It was an hour long circuit around the craters. I did do the extra hike up to the viewing point, and although I thought it was worth it, my legs didn't really agree and were starting to protest at the amount of exercise they were having to do.
From the craters, I didn't really fancy walking back to Taupo along the main road, and so head back the way I came. I was feeling pretty knackered when I heard a shout for help from one
of the nearby mountain bike tracks, and so headed down to have a look, to find a father and son duo, with the father who had just come off his bike and had ended up hitting his head, knocking himself out, and damaging his shoulder and probably a few ribs. Fortunately, although quite dazed and confused (and in a bit of pain), he was just regaining consciousness when I got down there. Apart from a brief assessment (he was breathing, had a pulse, and didn't seem to have any major injuries!), I didn't really do too much apart from keeping him still and reassuring him and his son whilst we waited for an ambulance. It was all a bit of a shock to the system after a few months off. It was a bit of a surprise when St John's Ambulance turned up, but it would appear that they have slightly wider duties in New Zealand than they do in the UK!
With the injured cyclist on his way to hospital, I was on my merry way again, although this time I had a bit of adrenaline on board and so was actually feeling a little less exhausted as
I head back past Huka Falls and along the walkway to Taupo. I stopped at a supermarket on my way back to the hostel to stock up on munchies and a bottle of wine so that I could have a quiet celebration in the lounge of the hostel whilst doing my washing. There followed an uncomfortable few minutes when I was asked for proof of age and couldn't find my passport. The take underage purchasing of alcohol quite seriously here and security were called over to watch over me whilst I fumbled around in my backpack. All rather embarrassing, I'm not sure whether I should be annoyed or flattered. (Apparently the fact that it says Dr on my Visa card isn't enough).
I got back to the hostel and was actually genuinely disappointed when I found out that the laundry closed at 7:30 every evening, so upsetting my plans for New Year's Eve (and again preventing me from doing my washing)! Instead, I cooked some food and had a few drinks with some of the other people in the hostel. Along with a German architect, a Dutch lawyer and a Brazilian vet, I walked down to the park at
eleven to watch the end of a Brazilian concert. After the countdown to 2008, associated fireworks and wishing everyone a Happy New Year, we headed back to the hostel, with not a line of Auld lang syne to be heard anywhere!
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