Journey to Middle Earth

31st May 2014

It was an early morning and another chilly start in Wellington as we went to catch the ferry to the South Island.  However we soon warmed up as the journey started more physically than expected, as the battery on the van went flat whilst queuing to board the ferry! After some huffing, puffing and some assistance from a trucker,  she vrroomed away and we set sail. 

Having only sailed from Hull to Bruge and Holyhead to Dublin, this was by far the most scenic ferry journey I've taken so far.   Glittering turquoise waters, lush green mountains cruising through the Marlborough sounds it was like sailing directly on to a postcard. 

Cruising in to the Marlbrough Sounds

Picton is unlike the usual ferry port dumps such as Calais - it has palm trees, neatly attended parks and cafes spilling out onto the streets - a brief visit which was only slightly marred by a poor experience in an overly technologically-advanced public loo.  A robotic voice and some 80's soft rock does little to help when you find yourself back on the street with your hands covered in soap.

Pretty Picton

Leaving Picton  and seeing the snow capped peaks of the Southern Alps, my heart skipped a beat and I turned to Rob and smiled.   If this is a taste of what's to come, I think I may fall a little in love with the South Island... 

Wellington

30th May 2014 (Happy Birthday Mum) 

We left the sleepy forest of Rimutaka clutching the directions of the Mechanic and  set off to a place that sounded like Whynooie.  

The van purred to the Mechanic who kindly had a look at it for free, and gave us the all clear.  We had a good chat with Shane who worked next door, a keen kayaker who has circumnavigated Australia and then set off up the monstrous hill from Lower Hutt to Wellington.  

Driving down the other side to Wellington we both sighed with relief, and looked forward to getting back to civilisation.   As we only had the one day in the city we packed in the sights including  a walking city tour to the Parliment buildings, the shopping district and Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa.  Wow, what an incredible, insightful and educational place which was completely free.  I left feeling much more educated on everything New Zealand.  A must for all visitors.

The Colossal Squid exhibited only at Te Papa, Wellington! 

Later in the afternoon we took the iconic cable car to the summit of Mt Victoria to enjoy the lookout before dinner at Thunderbird's cafe - an earthy authentic cafe bar with live blues music. 

Burgers, beers, blues and some quite spicy sauce.

We finished the evening with a stroll through the night market and ate a Hungarian tunnel cake for pudding. 

Thank you Wellington a perfect day to finish our tour of the North Island. 

The night at the Hunter's cabin

29th May 2014 

Once upon a time in a country far far away, a boy named Rob and a girl called Sian decided to go on an adventure.  They travelled through town and villages, volcanoes and rivers and one day decided to explore a place called Rimutaku Forest Park.  

So off they drove, down the windey country lanes stopping off at various view points along the way.    As darkness fell and they approached the forest, they regretted not setting off sooner.  With the short winter nights, it was going to be a case of cooking in the dark especially as the mobile phone charger had blown the fuse to the leisure battery, so they didn't even have any evening entertainment or lighting.  They continued to drive deeper and deeper in to the forest, the turns got tighter, the hills steeper and the fuel gauge on the campervan was getting lower.  

Then all of a sudden as Rob had to change down a gear to make another sharp turn, the gear wouldn't go in to place.  "the gear's broken" exclaimed Rob " I can't get it in to gear".  They pulled in to re-read the ambiguous directions to the campsite and realised that they had likely driven too far, not only that but the gates to the forest park where the campsite was located shut at 6pm.  It was currently 5.55pm.  In a frantic panic to get to their destination, they ground the gears and sped off and made it at last, but it was 6.05pm and the gates were locked.   

Rob and Sian just looked at each other, they were now in the middle of no where, with no fuse to offer any light, low on fuel and some worrying grinding and clunking from their steed.  It was too risky and late to drive any further, so they decided to accept the fate they were to camping in a turning circle a place more suitable for getting kidnapped, taken hostage and never to be seen ever again.  

At that point, a suspicious vehicle appeared from the forest, the barrier raised and he drove on.  "the barrier's up, the barrier's up" exclaimed Sian, "if he comes back, then we can follow him in to the forest and get to the campsite".  The vehicle then stopped, reversed and rolled down the window.  Sian's stomach dropped, "this is it" she said, "he's going to pull a gun out and throw us in the back of the truck".  Clearly, Sian has watched far too many horror stories, for it was just the Park Ranger in his truck asking us if we wanted to stay at the campsite.  "Hi Buddy" said Rob, "we were hoping to stay at the campsite, I don't know if you can help us?".  "Sure, follow me" said the Ranger and they followed the Ranger out of the forest park and down another windey road.  The Ranger indicated for Rob to pull over and he got out of the car.   He introduced himself as Darrell and told them not to worry about staying in the campsite that evening, for he had a spare hunter's cabin they could stay in as it was going to be a cold night. 

He gave Rob the key, showed them the plentiful supply of logs to get the burner going and told them he was quite handy with vehicles, so he could probably fix whatever the problem was, if not, he knew a man that could, nearby. 

Rob and Sian couldn't believe their luck.  What was moments before a near disaster, had turned in to a little miracle, with the thanks of Darrel the Park Ranger and his Hunter's cabin.  That night, they sat beside the fire, drank wine and reflected on what would be a story to tell their friends and family when they returned home!

The End. 

Whanganui River road

28th May 2014 

Yesterday's 10.5 mile hike took it's toll on us as neither of us could get out of bed this morning! We had breakfast and set off for 10:00am with no real plan, just to head South and reach Wellington by the weekend. 

We didn't have a map book only a couple of guide books, so drove along the open highway and enjoyed the scenery.  I read about a short walk to Waitonga falls where there was good views of Mt Rahepu, so we made that our first stop.  It felt like Christmas walking to the falls, the air was cold, the snow crunched under our feet and icicles hung from falls.   

Mt Rahepu en route to Waitonga Falls 

We stopped for lunch in Ohakune (spicy carrot and coconut soup) then continued south and took the scenic drive on the Whanganui river road. 

The thick bush, lazy river and steep sided gorges would make it a perfect setting for a country and western music video and we even spotted some hunters on the side of the road who glared at us in our vehicle like we were aliens.  Equally we glared back thinking they must have just come in a time machine from the 1840's.   I don't think they get much traffic down this neck of the woods unless it's by boat or on horseback, we were driving alongside the longest navigable river in NZ after all.  

The sign warning us of "bends" for 64Km! was at least accurate, but a bit of a joke as it would be just as bad to turnround and retrace the previous 50km of winding twists and turns.  

Along this road there are no shops, no petrol stations, no cafes, nor really any people, 

Not to mention the rock face that the road is carved into just crumbles and lands in big piles which you just drive around.  NZ transit doesn't seem to be too eager to sweep the debris aside, as i imagine they are fighting a loosing battle, and I can imagine the nobody want to venture this far from the depot in any machinery, it would take a week.

Certainly picturesque - we considered stopping at a campsite if one prevailed - but It's like driving for 60 miles down Longsleddle, to find almost nothing and we could have just taken the highway  (marginally straighter roads) and been somewhere before dark.  Once we popped out the other end, we were glad that no campsites are to be found as it's like a time-travel trip back 150 years, cut off from civilisation but a bit weird. 

Looking back down the valley road

We arrived in the town of Whanganui shortly before dark and whilst we had no expectations of the town we were pleasantly surprised.  It's a nice town with Victorian buildings, pretty hanging baskets with a familiar feeling of home (Llandudno or Grange over sands) as we stocked up on groceries in Trafalgar Square and drove down Liverpool Street and Tregarth Road!

The following morning we took a walk at the Virginia Lake reserve, with lots of varied waterfowl then continued our journey south towards Wellington, aiming for Rimutaku Forest Park for some more wilderness adventures. 

Tongariro National Park

27th May 2014

As I peeked out of the window to a blanket of thick frost, I was glad we made the upgrade to a heated cabin last night.  Despite the cold, it looked to be a perfect day to enjoy the Tongariro Alpine crossing.  

The day didn't disappoint, the views were spectacular and I could see why it is often referred to as "one of the world's best hikes".  Despite the landscape looking much more sinister in The Lord of the Rings Film, the landscape is pretty spectacular and took us past volcanoes, lava flows, steaming craters and emerald lakes.  

We found ourselves at the Mangatepopo Saddle earlier than expected and decided that we had 3 hours to spare to do the side trip up the very impressive Mt Ngaruhoe aka Mt Doom.   Standing at 2291m and rising as a perfect cone from the ground, it looked like a straighforward and upward slog to the summit crater.  We decided to do it fast and light, so took what we needed in our pocket, (a handful of werthers originals), then hid our bags then set off to summit Mt Doom and maybe a find magic gold ring.  We  made good progress following some marker posts and vague zigzags, then the terrain just got steeper and steeper, the zigzags Disappeared and we found ourselves standing on frozen but loose ash which was falling away from our feet quicker than we could get up it.  

Obviously it is a volcano, which periodically just belches out huge clouds of ash, but from a distance it just seems like a solid mountain.  It's more like a sandcastle, with steeper and steeper slopes nearing the top, with none of the usual features of ridges and spurs to ascend.  

A German guy who decided to follow us up shouted from below "are you trying to kill me?!"  at which point  we  thought it would be safer for us and the German to retreat back down the way we came.  After all, we still did have another 8 miles to go to make the crossing. 

We presumed we were just off-route, but later learned that the only way up is just to plough through the ashy-scree and hope you don't slide off.  Not great climbing at all, but the view, even from 500m below the summit was amazing.

Mt Ngaruhoe behind us

As we walked away from Mt Ngaruhoe defeated, we looked back at the near perfect cone mountain... one day (my precious) we will come back and climb you, probably with a local guide :)

The rest of trip was a superb wintery trek through "other worldly" terrain - like hiking on Mars or the Moon.  Then a cruise down through green slopes and streams and thick forest back to the car park.

Taupo

Taupo is on the northern shores of the NZ's largest lake, with the snow-capped mountains in the distance.  However it is not the lakes or the mountains that grab your attention... it's the hooligans jumping off ledges in to gorges!

Bungy mad! 

After watching half a dozen people jump off, I realised that it didn't look high enough so I wouldn't bother ;-)

Since arriving in Taupo we have had the first glimpse of Autumn/Winter...it is cold, windy and wet.  I guess we have been lucky since arriving 16 days ago that this is the first bit of bad weather we have endured so we mustn't grumble. It has also given us the opportunity to explore the maps as we're off to Tongariro National Park over the next couple of days to do the Tongariro Crossing.  It will be the first time I've worn crampons and gone out hiking with an ice axe in May!

Autumn Colours in Taupo 

This afternoon we're getting our backs packed for our "tramping" trip (that's what hiking is called over here!) before spending the night at Whakapapa tonight (26/5)  

Rotorua

We set off on another sunny morning to Rotorua to experience our first bit of Geothermal activity.  First stop though was Kiwi Capital - Te Puke (pronounced Te Pukey) where we walked to the top of a giant Kiwi Fruit and drank a pint of Kiwi Juice!

That Kiwi juice is really invigorating! 

Feeling fully kiwi-fied, we continued to Rotorua, or as I like to call it - the town of eggy pumps! Rotorua has a distinctive eggy smell thanks to the bubbling activity underground. As we took a stroll alongside the park to watch the steam billowing out of the craters in the ground, I was surprised at how relaxed the local residents were as they walked with their dogs beside a bubbling volcanic pool! 

As the sun disappeared behind the clouds and the heaven's opened, we thought we would make the most of the geothermal activity and enjoyed an afternoon soaking in the mineral hot pools as the rain fell upon us. 

We finished our evening enjoying some Mauri culture at the Mitai Mauri village, watching some muscly men perform a Haka in very little clothing, followed by some hangi - a traditional Mauri meal cooked in the ground. 

Traditional Hangi Meal 

Coramandel & Bay of Plenty

We enjoyed our last supper with the Burgesses last night (21/5) before packing our bags as we travel South.  We were both apprehensive how our combined 60kg of luggage would squeeze in to our white Wonderbus leaving us with living space to cook, dine, lounge and sleep...but remarkably it all fits and we still have oodles of space.  Whether we feel we have oodles of space in 3 weeks time is another matter ;-) 

Our dining/lounge/sleeping area for next 3 weeks! 

Our first stop was to the Coramandel Peninsula, east of Aukland only a couple of hours and 13km of hair raising bends away.   We woke on Friday morning to a beautiful sunny morning, packed our beach bags and went to explore our first experience of geothermal activity at hot Water Beach.  It was amazing to dig just a few inches in to the sand and watch the hot water bubble out of the sand, it's like your very own sandy hot tub! 

Hot sand tub

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the area, including taking a walk to Cathedral Cove - an eroded stone arch over the white sandy beach, then stopped for lunch in the quaint little town of Hahei.  Our afternoon drive took us via Whangamata, where all the pro surfers seemed to hang out. We watched them ride the waves before we explored the gold mining town of Waihi. 

Cathedral Cove

Where most towns have hole-in-the wall cash machines to access their riches, at Waihi they just dig it right out of the ground! 

Cape Reigna & Waipoua Forest

It is a long way to go and see a light house at Cape Reigna, but I'm glad we made the trip to the top of New Zealand.  The stars alone last night were spectacular, but once you get up to Cape Reigna it's like being on the edge of the World.  The State Highway ends and the Pacific Ocean is all that is left in front of you.  The Maori consider Cape Reigna as the jumping-off point for souls as the depart on the journey to their spiritual homeland.  As we wandered down to the tip of Cape, i found a daisy on the path and let it float in to the wind remembering those I love at peace in their spiritual homeland whilst watching the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean collide.

We hit the road, back the way we came down the long thin peninsula back down SH1 stopping off at the giant Te Paki Sand Dunes and 90 mile beach.  The sand dunes were more like mountains and it felt like we had just been transported to the sahara desert!  After assessing the stream we would need to cross to make our way to the beach highway, we decided we would be safer sticking to the road, especially as we had no idea if it was high tide or not!

We continued our journey west down the Kauri coast, which is much less populated than the east coast, climbing steep sided gorges and dense rainforest.  It was very strange driving along, looking out of the window we could have been driving down the A5 back at home, then you drive up a steep sided gorge and through a rain forest and it's a startling reminder of what a unique landscape NZ has! We stopped at the Waipoua Forest home to New Zealand's largest and and oldest Kauri tree - Tane Mahuta.  Standing at 51m high and a girth of 13.8 metre - it the biggest, tallest and fattest tree I have seen!

Bay of Islands

We arrived early Sunday evening at Paihai - a pretty little town with a Mediteranean feel. In holiday mode we strolled along the promendade perusing the menus of the vast array of cafes and restaurants, ending up in a backpackers bar which was full of pensioners! We woke early in anticipation of catching a bus up to Cape Reigna and doing the 90 mile beach, but the tours had left for the day, so we hopped aboard a boat trip to explore the 140 odd islands that scattered the bay.

It was a great trip with some fantastic scenery - lush green volcanic hills, edged with white sandy beaches and surrounded by turquoise waters.  Dolphins leaped beside the boat and we also had a glimpse of a wild penguin which was amazing! We stopped for some lunch at Urupukapuka island and had some time to take a walk up to a small summit to marvel at the panoramic view - truly spectacular. We then headed through the hole in the rock and wished we had our fishing rods - there were fish waiting to be catched all over teh place!

Once we were back ashore, we decided to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway to Cape Reigna, stopping at Doubtless Bay for a spot of fishing.  The fishing was unsuccessful and we ended up losing our tackle to the weeds and rocks!

It was a long windy drive to the top of the North Island, we were blessed with beautiful rugged coastline as the sun was setting  We arrived in the dark and pulled up to site beside the Pacific Ocean and camped under the most spectacular canopy of stars i have ever seen.

Waipu & Waipu Cove

We've just got back from our first road trip in our White Wonderbus exploring the golden beaches, clear waters and very windy roads of the Northland.

We set off up North on Saturday with Dan & Sarah to Waipu ('coz you have to!) and hit Waipu cove to catch some fish.  As someone whose a bit squirmish, I wasn't sure what i'd make of it but after catching my first fish on my first cast, i was hooked!!  We spent a good half hour shouting "fish on!" as we hooked some little  Kahawai and we let them go in anticipation of catching a big un to cook for tea.    Realising the big fish must have scarpered, we decided to head to the campsite - Uretiti (even at 31 i still like to giggle at this!) and set up camp whilst it was still light.

At dusk, we ventured on to the golden sands where Rob and Dan tried their hand at Surf Casting in a last attempt to catch "the big one".  It was amusing to watch as they waded in to the sea, teashirts rolled up in to belly tops and watching them hop out of the sea as the waves hit the CDP (critical depth point!)  Unfortunately no amount of dancing around by the boys was attracting the fish, so we cut our losses and went to the pub for tea!

We woke to another beautiful sunny day on Sunday, enjoyed the best muffin ever for breakfast (peach, pinapple and rasberry) whilst having a brew on the beach.  Sarah and I went for a refreshing swim whilst the boys decided to try their new bigger lures to catch some bigger fish.  It was a great afternoon chilling in the sun and hanging out on the beach, even if we didnt catch anything. As we called it a day,   Dan and Sarah hit the road to Aukland whilst Rob and I headed north to The Bay of Islands to explore more of the Northland.

Aukland

Whilst it's officially day 2 in NZ, today (12/5) was actually the first day we realised that we are now on the other side of the World! 

The mammoth journey wasn't as bad expected, thanks to good entertainment (thank you Emirates) and sleeping pills (thanks for the tip Liz!).  We also had a welcome stop at Melbourne after 12 hours of flying, where we did some more sitting down (under), went through security, then got back on the plane 20 mins later. 

We landed Sunday afternoon in a delirious state, enjoyed a nice dinner in Devonport with Dan & Sarah then fell asleep watching the worst film ever made - Dollman! 

We woke early Monday morning and took the short commuter ferry from Devenport (where Dan & Sarah live) to the city. 

We had ruled out doing any sight seeing as we had a fair bit of admin to do like  visiting immigration, setting up bank accounts, getting a sim cards and such like, however as the Kiwi's are so used to the backpacker market, we had everything tied up in no time. 

We spent the day doing a city tour on foot, visiting the harbour, obligatory pics if the  sky tower, relaxing walk in the Aukland domain, the winter gardens and finished off at Parnell, the inner city chic area which reminded me of Boston and San Fransisco. 

If I had to sum up Aukland from just a day here, I'd say its a cosmopolitan city with a zen like charm to the place. A nice balance between city buzz and outdoor living. 

And we're off....

Its been an emotional and eventful day... plenty if panic stricken moments such as getting stuck in traffic en route to the airport,  having an emergency stop beside the motorway (lets hope im not caught in camera!) Then finding out we were 5kg over our weight allowance, which would cost £250!!  However panic and emergencies now over,  wine is in hand and we're 30 mins from boarding. New Zealand here we come. ....!!