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Published: February 17th 2016
Lately I've been doing more things, but haven't been updating this blog. I'll start with early February when Paul and I had our first American visitors, Carrie and Greg Wingert. We were lucky enough to have them choose New Zealand as the location for their Honeymoon and they even spent some time with us. They were, in fact, the first people we even invited into our apartment here. Needless to say I was busy cleaning before their arrival. One of many excuses for my not updating this! They arrived in NZ on Tuesday Feb 2nd, but spent a couple days in the Coromandel region before coming to see us on Thursday the 4th. They rented a car, but Paul and I provided a long list of rules and things to keep in mind when driving on the Left side of the road. Greg turned out to be a great driver and they drove all around the North Island without difficulty. I like to think our tips were helpful, though. We made some tacos and tasted some local beers then headed to bed. Paul had to work Friday so Carrie and Greg explored the Waitomo area and did the Black Abyss cave
GP Laura in front of Mt. Ngauruhoe, Tongariro Crossing
On path through South Crater with Mt. Ngauruhoe in the background. tour with the Legendary Black Water Rafting Company. This is on our list of things to do, as well, and Carrie and Greg said it was a cool experience that provided a combination of abseiling, tubing in the cave, and seeing the glow worms.
When Paul was done working, I met him at his work and we drove down to the National Park to meet Carrie and Greg. We had plans to walk the Tongariro Crossing on Saturday, but had plans to do it on Sunday or Monday if the weather didn't cooperate. Unfortunately, the weather on Saturday was not so pleasant with clouds and rain so our walk was postponed (very much like the first time Paul and I attempted to do the Crossing, bad luck for us!). Instead, we drove to Taupo and went on a walk from the Thermal Spa park to the Huka Falls and back. Upon return, we treated ourselves to a nice dip in the Thermal Spa, which is basically a small hot stream that runs into the Waikato River over some rocks. We've been there three times now and it's been packed with people every time. It's cool because it's in a
GP Laura and Paul in South Crater, Tongariro Crossing
Paul and I are in the middle, but who cares when the surroundings are so amazing. park so it's free. You can choose how hot you want to be by how close you are to the stream/waterfall, or be colder by getting closer to the river. People just chill, some people (including us) brought beer. Paul and I weren't so prepared the first time we tried it out. One does have to be a little careful to not get too far out into the river, though, because the current is pretty strong. Carrie found a nice Airbnb in Taupo for us to stay at and it had a grill so we made some chicken satay, lamb, chorizo sausages, and corn on the cob. What a feast to prepare us for the next day. We were luckier with the weather on Sunday, so we headed back to the Tongariro Crossing.
We parked one car at the end, then took the second car to the beginning. The day started out slightly on the cool side, but heated up quickly as we started our route and the sun was shining brightly. The Crossing was packed with people, including lots of foreigners, which makes sense because the Tongariro Crossing is said to be the greatest day hike in the
GP Mt. Ngauruhoe, Tongariro Crossing
Yes, Carrie and Greg climbed to the top of that active Volcano. Also, it looks way bigger when you get closer to it! Country and even in the World. It's a 19.4 km track that takes you on a path through the Volcanic region between Mt. Ngauruhoe and Mt. Tongariro. The beginning started with an incline for about 3km. One of the first sights on the track is Soda Springs, which is a small river coming down from the Mountains. After another uphill, we were brought to a plateau which was the South Crater. It provided a nice clear view of Mt. Ngauruhoe which the Wingerts were crazy enough to want to climb up. After climbing two previous mountains and hearing Ngauruhoe had a lot of scree, I decided to pass and determined the Crossing was enough for me. Paul agreed and we waved Carrie and Greg goodbye as they made their ascent. The signs said Mt. Ngauruhoe was a 3 hour round trip, and the Crossing alone is supposed to take between 6-8 hours. I felt pretty good on the Crossing because Paul and I were actually passing people instead of just getting passed like on our tramps up Mt. Pirongia and Mt. Taranaki. We made sure to take some stops, though, and appreciate the gorgeous views, not just race through it.
After the South Crater, there was another ascent up to the Red Crater. It gets its name from the dark red rocks. The trail then has an overall descent starting with some scree (my favorite, NOT). Thankfully this scree didn't last for a long time and it wasn't horrible. The descent was worth it because it brings you to the beautiful Emerald Lakes. They get their color from leaching minerals from the surrounding rocks and they smell like sulfur. The trail then brings you to the Central Crater and then to the Blue Lake. There was an occasional bird floating on the lake, but the people were just observing it. Don't think anyone brings a suit to go swimming and I don't think anyone should since it's a "sacred, cold, acidic lake" (http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/blog/red-crater-to-blue-lake.html). Clouds were moving in on the area and Paul and I thought about Carrie and Greg still making their way up the mountain that was now being enveloped in them. After the Blue Lake, the trail is all downhill, but it's a long downhill and all the really cool stuff has already been seen. The descent brought a lot of switchbacks on the path through mostly barren
terrain with some small bushes. After that, the terrain changed to the NZ bush which brings humidity but a break from the strong sun. I was feeling really good until the Blue Lake, but the descent once again took a toll on my knees and legs and I was pushing through the soreness and fatigue. In the end it was totally worth it, and I didn't end up being as sore as previous treks. The Crossing was the longest distance we've walked, but the shortest time which was like 7-7.5 hours (including multiple stops for the views and eating our food). Since Carrie and Greg would be at least three hours behind us, Paul and I took the time to drive the finish car to the beginning car, put some petrol in the car, get a snack, and use a real bathroom. Carrie and Greg were successful in making it to the top of Mt. Ngauruhoe aka Mt. Doom (Lord of the Rings fans) and finishing up the trek. Carrie is braver than me on the scree. She said she just slid down it. Great job!
After the walk, we drove back to Taupo and just had a chill
night before we crashed in bed after the long day. On Monday, the weather was beautiful and we drove to Lake Taupo to rent some kayaks. Unfortunately the kayaks were all rented out, so we took a boat instead. The boat was 30-whatever powered. All I know is it was slow, but it worked. We took it out for 1.5 hours, just long enough to make it out to see some Maori rock carvings. The carvings are kind of cool, even if they were done in the 1970s. After boating, we went to the Pub N Grub restaurant for some burgers and to see the second half of the Superbowl. It was shown on Australian ESPN here, so we got the same boring commercials and missed all the cool American ones. It was a neat atmosphere to watch it, though, overlooking the Lake. Obviously I wasn't too into watching it. Who won again??? haha. Paul and I drove back home, but remembered we had to stop back at his work to get my car, so we had to take a windy road which took a lot longer than what we expected. Carrie and Greg were going to go see another
site, but it was closed, and they beat us back home. Oops. On Tuesday, Paul had to go back to work after the long Waitangi Holiday Weekend, and Carrie and Greg headed to Rotorua to see the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Park and to Hell's Gate Thermal Park to enjoy a Mud Bath and Sulphur Spa. They said both things were cool, but the Sulphur Spa left them smelling, like, well, sulphur, even after a shower at the park. They then went to the night tour and dinner at Hobbiton. Carrie said it was a cool thing to do, even for someone who doesn't have a strong affinity or knowledge for Lord of the Rings/Hobbit movies. I guess we have some more things to add to our NZ to do list! I, on the other hand, relaxed at home all day. Then on Wednesday Carrie and Greg left us to head up to Waiheke Island to complete their trip. Waiheke Island is another place we've yet to visit, but Carrie and Greg really enjoyed it. It's a tourist/resort island with wineries and beaches.
I headed back to work on Wednesday and Thursday, but Friday brought another weekend getaway for us. On
Friday, Paul and I headed back down to Taupo to another vacation rental, to meet up with two of Paul's coworkers and their families. Paul's coworkers and I signed up to do the Huka XStream River Race down the Waikato River on Saturday morning (Feb 13). We got there around 9 AM and the swim started at 10 AM which left just enough time for me to wrangle getting into my wetsuit. I think I'd still be working on getting it on if it weren't for Paul's help. Maybe I'll get the hang of putting it on someday. The swim was a mass start which proved a little difficult to swim when surrounded by people's arms and legs. Shortly afterwards it started to clear out, probably because I stayed near the back half. My arms started to feel tired early on. Probably because I swam 2500 m the day before as a "warm-up," but I hadn't swam for about 2 weeks prior to that, and not very regularly before that. The water was so clean and clear to swim in. I enjoyed that aspect and swimming downstream. The river is pretty strong and the 3.3ish swim only took me 35
minutes. I still felt tired at the end like I swam for more than 35 min, probably because there was some resistance to swimming on the edge of the current and at times I felt my body going forward and my legs going sideways. Thankfully I made it to the end point and didn't drift past it in the current! No one did, but it was a possibility. After the swim, we all headed back to the house to change and do our own things. Paul and I went for a walk along a walking/mtn bike path-W2K by Kinloch. We walked for around 2 hours, had some ice cream, and headed back to the house to relax. In Kinloch, we saw a lot of people training for a triathlon the next day. We came to find out it was an elite competitor race. We didn't watch it the next day, but we'll be back in Taupo in two weeks to volunteer for the Ironman race there. On Saturday night, we all got together and enjoyed a nice evening outdoors on the patio with some great homemade pizzas.
On Sunday, Paul treated me to french toast and fruit for breakfast
Laura taking a break from swim
I'm enjoying the buoyancy of the wetsuit AND did the dishes. What a man! Happy Valentine's Day! Everyone relaxed a little bit and I used the time to play with one of Paul's coworkers children. They are like 2 and 4 year old boys and so cute. Then since I hadn't had enough swimming the previous two days, Paul and I headed to the Lake so I could swim some more. The water wasn't super cold, but I don't like being cold and need to get used to swimming in a wetsuit, so I managed to get it back on. Paul rented a kayak and I swam next to him. I wasn't going too fast, but I was trying to focus on enjoying it more and just getting more used to swimming in open water. I find I get a little anxious and have a difficult time controlling my breathing. Not sure if it's from the cold water on the face, wearing the tight wetsuit, or experiencing the open water. I hope to keep practicing and get over it, though. My next swim is in 1.5 weeks (2 weeks after this weekend) in Rotorua. It's a 3.5 km swim in a Lake. Paul and I estimated my
swim in Taupo was around 2.5 km. The only part of swimming in the Lake that I wasn't a fan of, was when the sun went behind the clouds and the water turned dark. It was still clear and I could see well, but it just felt ominous. All in all it was a great swim, and Paul was really nice for kayaking/drifting alongside me to support me and keep me company. I'll take that over flowers and a card any day. 😊 The drive between Taupo and Cambridge is only about 1.5-2 hours, but it always feels longer after a busy weekend. We relaxed at home then decided to follow suit with a lot of people on Facebook, and we went to see the movie, Deadpool. I wasn't sure what to expect, but people's reviews of it were good, and I enjoyed it. It has a different feel to it than other marvel action movies, but it was funny and entertaining.
So this week is back to normal, no visitors, but we're keeping busy. I started volunteering with a small play company in Cambridge about a month or so ago. They're producing a play called, "Hot Water." I heard there was an American part and they wanted a volunteer to be a voice coach for the American accent. The character, Charmaine, is a young woman (20-30s) from Akron, Ohio. Well, the first day I showed up to be a voice coach was the day of the read through and the woman who was casted for the American was in the USA visiting her family. Since she's American, she doesn't need a voice coach (although today she asked me if I was from Canada, excuse me??? I don't care if Kiwis think I'm Canadian but not someone from Virginia.) Anyway...since she wasn't present I read her part. I really enjoyed being a part of the read through and got decent feedback. The next two times I came to rehearsals because the
other American was still gone so I read through her part on stage for Scenes 1 and 2. I don't think acting is in my repertoire, but it was a fun experience and again, the other actors said I did well. Granted, I didn't actually act as we were all just pretty much reading through the scripts and just going through the motions of the play. So the real Charmaine actress is back in town, but I said I'd still be happy to volunteer so I'm in charge of assisting with costumes. Costumes for people in the 1980s in NZ, also not in my repertoire, but I'll do my best to help. Paul and I will be in Asia during some of the actual performances so I can't be held too responsible. Anyway, it's another new experience I'm glad I'm a part of. I doubt more of the plays will have American characters and there is no way I can pull of a NZ accent, so no chances to really try out for an acting part which is just fine with me. Memorization of things isn't really a strength of mine.
Here are two links to videos of me swimming in Lake Taupo.
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