The North Island: November 2015
Ferry
Javier and I have decided that New Zealand operates the way the US did decades ago, when things were safer, laid back, and not so rigid. For example, on the day of our departure, we left our camper van in the ferry parking lot and our keys with the ticketing girl. She had no idea about any of this, but we told her that this was why our guy said to do, so she took his contact information and the keys. No problem. After our lovely ferry crossing to Wellington, we walked up to the ticketing counter and asked for the keys to our vehicle. Javier gave her the printout, she didn’t check ID or anything, just smiled and handed him the keys. What an amazingly smooth process. Try asking for a rental company to drop off a car at a location of your choosing in the US. HA!
Windy Wellie, as it’s referred to, did not disappoint, at least where the wind is concerned. We were getting blown all over the place. We tried and failed to find some lunch. It was Sunday, and apparently all of downtown only operates Mon-Fri. A couple hours outside of the city we passed through a small town. As we slowed to a residential pace, I noticed an Icebreaker Outlet on the street. I mentioned it to Javier who quickly pulled over. As it turned out, it was our lucky day. One weekend a year, the Icebreaker outlets slash prices by 70% on everything. Jackpot! Javier was sad that we arrived on a Sunday, and therefore missed out because it was at the end of the sale. Seeing as how much we left with, I think it was a good thing we didn’t have more options.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
We started driving towards Tongariro National Park for more, you guessed it, hiking. The hike takes anywhere from 6-8 hours from one carpark to another. The problem is, there’s no way to get back to your car unless you hire a shuttle service to drive you. We decided to go halfway and return back to our car rather than pay $70 for the shuttle. We have noticed that many of the hikes we have taken in this country do not believe in gradual ascents; they go straight up. This hike started as a flat walk through the bush, but once we started going up, it was like an intense stairclimber. Once at the top, we could look out onto a clearing below. We crossed the clearing to the saddle. From there, we could see the other side of the mountain and continued our climb up the ridge. They have a chain to grab and pull yourself up at one point. After a few minutes of walking along the ridge, the terrain changed and we were walking on soft dirt and gravel. It was difficult. There were people crawling up on their hands and knees, sliding everywhere. We had our poles, so we made our way slowly, using our poles as extensions of our arms. It was so bad that on our way down, we passed a girl who was crawling like a baby and not really going anywhere, on the verge of tears and calling up to her boyfriend who was quite a way ahead of her, and not making a move to go back down to help her. Rough times.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Once at the top, the views were great. We could see the red crater to our right, the central crater to our left, the Blue lake right above that and the Emerald Lakes ahead. The Red Crater looked like pictures of Mars I have seen. The other crater was not much to look at, but the Blue Lake looked like a sapphire and the Emerald Lakes, different shades of green. You could smell the sulfur, and when I bent down to touch the rocks, they were nice and hot. It was very impressive. We made the treacherous journey back down and it seemed like forever until we finally reached the car.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
We were so hungry. We went back to the town we slept in, National Park, and each ordered a big slab of ribs and a cider. Bad move…after hiking for 6 hours and filling our bellies with ribs and cider, we were tired. I fell asleep on the way to Waitomo, but thankfully, Javier was okay.
In Waitomo, we stayed in this old hotel. Apparently the queen of England stayed there in the 1950s, and they haven’t changed the place since. It was so run down, but quite charming at the same time.
Caving
We arrived after all of the tour companies had closed, so we spent the evening relaxing, eating the dinner we picked up at the grocery store on the way in, and went to bed early. We arrived at the i-site (tourist information center) just after it opened, and asked about the different cave tours. We had an idea of which company we wanted to go with, but wanted to see what our options were. In the end, we went with the same company we had originally planned. The girl called over to make our reservation, found out that there was a tour leaving immediately, and instead of just asking us, hung up the phone and asked. In the one minute it took her to explain this to us and call the company back, the two seats were no longer available. If only she hadn’t hung up the phone…BUT it was fortuitous!! We took the next tour an hour later, and had a great guide (I had read really great reviews about him) and there was this Canadian family on our tour. We had to introduce ourselves, say where we were from and what we did for a living. Javier and I sat up front in the van so we went first. The Canadian couple was behind us and the man said that he works for the Department of Health and they are looking for travel nurses and techs. Our ears perked up…
Waitomo caves. Spellbound. Glowworms
Our tour was really great. There was only 12 of us, and our guide did not disappoint. He really knew the area and everything about the caves. He is actually one of the owners of this company and did much of the physical labor of preparing the caves, himself. Before entering the caves, we were given miners hats. The first cave we entered was full of stalactites and stalagmites. As we walked along a designated path it became darker and darker. Our guide (Norm) explained about the caves and the glow worms, which aren’t worms at all, but maggots. Beautiful glowing maggots. He showed us how they eat, how they move, all without disturbing them. His knowledge was astounding. There wasn’t a question he couldn’t answer. We came upon an small dock and rubber dinghy. We all climbed in, turned off our lights, and enjoyed the sites. The more our eyes adjusted to the darkness, the more glow worms appeared. The ceiling and walls were covered in little green-blue lights. It looked magical. He asked us not to speak, so we just watched and listened to the waterfall in the distance. It was amazing. When we first turned off our lights, we couldn’t see anything- not even the person right next to us. By the end of our boat ride, we were back where we started from and you could see almost everything. It was amazing how much our eyes adjust.
We walked back with minimal lighting. Once out, Norm led us to a sheltered area where he made us tea, coffee, and hot chocolate, with cookies. We all sat and talked some more about what we just saw and the surrounding area. We then walked to the next cave. This cave didn’t have many glow worms, but was much bigger and followed the fault line. There were bones in the cave. One was from a goat who had wandered in and couldn’t get out because of the darkness. Another was a cow who had fallen in. He talked some more about the cave and when we stopped in the cathedral portion, he shut off the lights and asked if there was a singer among us. We had a Maori woman with us who sang us a Maori song. She was quite good, and it was quite beautiful and special.
Fun
Norm had recommended a short walk to us, so once we were dropped off and fed, we decided to check it out. The walk (Rurakuri Trail) was only a 30 minute loop, but was very impressive. I don’t really know how to describe it. It was a typical bush walk, but with caves and caverns cut out by water, lots of trees and vines. It was just all around spectacular. We rushed through the walk because we had an agenda to keep. Someone had recommended us to go to the Otorohanga Kiwi house, since Javier really wanted to see a kiwi. We didn’t really think about it, we just went. On the way there, we saw some ostriches. They were on a farm next to the road. They looked funny so we hopped out and snapped some pictures.
hi
It was just our luck that the Canadian family was also there, so I took the opportunity to talk with the man about jobs in Canada. He was very friendly, but his wife was clearly not enjoying our conversation. Since she was itching to go, we decided to exchange email. Who knows what the future will bring???
We continued on to the bird house. Once we were inside, we realized that this is just the type of place we don’t like. I don’t know what we were thinking, clearly we weren’t, but it’s basically a zoo for birds and small reptiles, and neither of us are fans of zoos. We did see the kiwi, and she was an aggressive little thing. When the worker went in to feed her, she attacked him the entire time. We followed the trail to the exit, and had to dodge some of the birds running around on the trail, but seeing the big birds in enclosures made us sad and we left.
Kiwi showcase
It was already late afternoon by the time we left, and we still had to drive a couple hours to Rotorua. The place smells like sulfur, no joke. But it has this famous thermal park thing, so I guess that sort of makes up for it. We were not there for the sulfur however. We had booked a tour to a Maori village. The experience was just like going to a Hawaiian luau, just Maori style. We were being picked up at our hotel around 6pm, so by the time we arrived, we only had about 30 minutes or so to get ready. Talk about cutting it close. Our driver was really great. An older Maori guy who cracked jokes, sang songs, and taught us Maori words during our 30 minute drive to the village. On arrival, there was a greeting ceremony, the warriors came out and did their fighting dances. We met the chief of the village, who decided we were friendly enough and let us into his village to meet his family. Inside, we observed and participated in various activities. They had warrior training, dancing, tattooing, and the men did the haka, while the women watched and tried not to laugh. I filmed it all. Javier was priceless.
TAMAKI MAORI VILLAGE ROTORUA
After making the rounds, we were taken to the area where they cook the food. They unearthed the veggies and meat that had been cooking, took it to the kitchen, and we were taken into a theater area. Here the group performed traditional dances, songs, and told stories. Between the woman who sang in the cave and these performers, I’m starting to think the Maori are all amazing singers. The songs were beautiful, the singers hypnotizing, and the dancers high energy and very expressive. After the performance, we were led into the dining hall. I cannot tell a lie. The food left much to be desired. It was all much too smokey. But we were hungry, so we ate it. The MC for the evening was quite hilarious and poked fun at the Aussies and the Brits, who all took it in stride. At the end of the night, we were all herded onto our buses and started back into town. Our driver decided to do a roll call of sorts to ensure we had everyone. He gave the list of passengers to our own “chief” and when he read the country you were from, you had to respond by singing a song from your country. Javier had said he was from Peru, so he had to sing a song all by himself. The best song, by far, was by the Israelis- Hava Nagila. Everyone joined in. Once roll-call was finished, our driver started singing songs and made everyone join him. The passengers would suggest songs, and we would all sing. Our favorite was when we were singing “She’ll be comin’ round the mountain” while he drove round and round in the roundabout. All in all, a good night.
Hobbiton
The next morning, we drove a few hours to a little-known place called Hobbiton. There were so many people!!! This is the location where they filmed the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, and the future venue of our wedding if Javier could have it his way. We had to wait a little while for our tour to start, so we had a snack and looked around the gift shop. When it was time to go, our group piled into a little bus and were driven to the location. Hobbiton was built on private property. Peter Jackson liked the area so much, he asked for permission to build his Hobbit town on this sheep farmer’s property. The man agreed, but with the condition that they tear everything down once they were done- leave no trace. After filming, they started dismantling everything, but had to stop because of weather. They planned on taking a 3 month break and continuing after the rain. In the mean time, other Kiwis who had seen the movies, recognized the mountains in the distance and knew where the location was. They came to the sheep farmer and asked for a tour. When they saw that the place was being dismantled, they were in disbelief. The man saw a business opportunity, so had Hollywood leave the rest of the town intact, and started a tourist business with a small van. When Peter Jackson returned to film The Hobbit, he wanted to tear everything down and start all over, but make it even bigger than the LOTR. The land owner agreed, but wrote into the contract that they had to use materials that would last for a minimum of 50 years, and once filming was over, it was to be left intact. And today, you have Hobbiton, which is absolutely adorable and perfect, with the exception of the overcrowding. We toured the area and were given all the information we needed by our guide. The doors are different sizes, based on the size of the actor. It is so detailed, down to the empty beer steins, laundry on the line, and fresh baked bread. We ended our tour in the Green Dragon Bar, where we had a snack and a pint. Here, you can dress up like a Hobbit and sit by the fire with your pint of beer. The place is pretty freaking cool. Maybe we SHOULD get married here…
After Hobbiton, we drove over to a town called Tairua. By now, Javier was pretty tired of moving around and wanted to stay in one place for a couple of nights, but I really wanted to see this place called Hot Water Beach. He agreed to go, but was less than thrilled. We arrived in the late afternoon, and checked into our hotel, which was more like our own chalet. It was very cute, and after driving into town and picking up a pizza and ice-cream, we sat in our little backyard patio and had dinner. This place was honestly one of the nicest places we had been. I wish we could have stayed there longer.
Hot water beach
We were instructed to go to Hot Water Beach at low tide, which for us meant around 2:30pm the following day. You can go up to two hours on either side of low tide, so we figured we would get there around 12:30pm. We arrived early and saw people already setting out, shovels in hand. It was cold that day, so we put on our sweaters and headed out towards our destination. When we arrived, the tide was indeed too high, but it didn’t stop others, and ultimately ourselves, from digging in. Hot Water Beach is situated above a volcanic hot spot. So, you don’t have to dig too deep before you hit hot sand, and it is scorching. A handful of people out there were digging around, and finally one person hit hot water. So, everyone moved closer to them and started digging. When we started, there was about 10 of us. By 2pm, when we left, there was easily 80 people or more. In the beginning, Javier and I were having trouble digging our little hole- mostly because of the tide kept coming up and refilling our hole with all the sand we just cleared. We could have stopped and waited for the tide to lower, but honestly, we were all having a really good time. Once more people came around, the hole started getting wider and wider.
Hot water beach
At one point, we connected all of the holes and ended up with a really large pool with several people lying about. Some holes were too hot to sit in, so we used those as our hot water source and channeled it into the larger pool that had been created. It was really cool. There were two American kids who brought an egg that they tried to boil….it didn’t work. It could have, but they weren’t patient enough. There was a young German couple there with a little baby. The mom asked if we could heat up the baby’s lunch. I buried the jar right next to me and let it cook. Several times, the sand beneath me would become too hot and burn me. It was really amazing.
We slowly made our way to Auckland and arrived in the evening in a rather questionable neighborhood. The plan was to stay the night outside of the city, drop off our stuff at our hotel, and return the car the next day. One walk around the neighborhood gave you a good impression of the place. Let’s just say, we wanted to be indoors by the time it was dark. We were able to do a couple loads of laundry, which kind of made the whole thing worth it. We were in fast food heaven. So, it was Carl’s Jr for dinner that night and McDonalds for breakfast the next morning. Yummy. Javier got a haircut, and while it wasn’t as bad as his Indian haircut by the guy with the apple logo shaved into his head, let’s just say that he had to go back for a quick fix.
Auckland. Pray for Paris
We arrived to our hotel/hostel, dropped our stuff and returned the rental car. This departure was much easier than when we dropped our little green guy. We were staying in the same hotel as the one in Queenstown, and while the rooms there were really nice, the Auckland version left MUCH to be desired. For example, even with earplugs, I couldn’t sleep that night because of our very active neighbor’s noisy bed. Oh, and the shower would just randomly shut off.
We met with our friend Amanda for dinner. Amanda was the girl I met in Bolivia a few years back, and who we spent a weekend with in Scotland. She has since moved to Auckland and we decided to catch up.
Amanda and Friends
She and her boyfriend had other friends that were passing through Auckland as well, so we all met at her place for drinks before we set out for dinner. We went to a place called “Everybody’s” which had this really great vibe. The food was good, and the company great. Afterward, we went to a dessert place that everyone was raving about. They have this ice-cream bar that is this creamy lemon ice cream covered in white chocolate and covered again in toasted marshmallow. It. Was. Amazing. After this, the other friends called it a night and Amanda, her boyfriend Piers, Javier and I grabbed a drink. It was nice to be in a smaller group, catch up with Amanda and get to know Piers a little.
Waiheke island
It was recommended to us to take the ferry to Waiheke Island, rent bikes, visit a couple wineries and just ride around the island for the day. So, that’s just what we did. Except, once we arrived, all of the bikes were already rented, so we had to set out on foot. Not too bad. When we arrived in the town center, we went to the information center and found out that the winery we were told to visit was having a wedding and was therefore closed. The whole thing would have been a bust had we not found the cutest little restaurant with absolutely delicious food, and if the town itself wasn’t so darn cute. After lunch, and a bowl, yes BOWL of cappuccino, we walked around the town, went into the little shops-where I was almost swallowed by an antique store. I finally made it to the library where I found Javier on the computer streaming the Peru v Paraguay game.
Back in Auckland we readied ourselves for another night with Amanda and Piers. We met again at their place for an aperitif, and then headed over to a southern restaurant where we all had chicken and waffles. It had been over a decade since I last had chicken and waffles, and boy was it good! We listened to some live music, and there was a man, maybe an MC, who was wearing what looked like a US navy hat, was clearly from the US, possibly from the south himself, and was working the crowd. He was hilarious and made me miss home a little…
We said good bye to Amanda and Piers, with the thought of possibly meeting up again the following day, but we would be leaving, and not sure where the day would take us. As it turned out, we went to breakfast and never left. We found a great little place right around the corner from our hotel and stayed there researching and blogging until it was time to go. We grabbed our stuff, hopped on a bus and made our way to the airport. We had booked our ticket with Qantus, but when we arrived, it was operated by LAN. I became a little sad. I’m not the biggest fan of LAN and the check-in process did nothing to lessen my dislike. Of all the flights we’ve taken, this one was the longest and most annoying. BUT, I have to admit, this new LAN plane was gorgeous, and had the most comfortable economy seats I have experienced and a good selection of movies, which we both exhausted since we only slept for 2 out of our 12 hour flight.
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To see more pictures of New Zealand, click HERE.