Kia ora

Since returning from Europe, we were in the head space of visiting destinations based on cheap flights. And on this particular occasion, this meant that we got some absolute bargain flights to Wellington; however such have a different cost, notably the flight times. After a long week of work, we made our way to the airport for a 0045 flight. Being well after dinner, we decided it might be nice to enjoy some refreshments, but no sooner had we sat down then there was a call over the PA explicitly asking for us to board the plane as we were the last; not a good start. The flight itself was a race to sleep, as the flight time was a touch over three hours, but with the time difference, we would arrive at 0605 and have a raft of things to do. Predictably, sleep was hard to come by, but we arrived at Wellington airport for sunrise, picked up our hire car and set out for our adventure, dull eyed and flat tailed.

Step one of any adventure is to find a shop and stock up, but shopping is the last thing you feel like doing when tired. In any case, we did not have a choice as our schedule was full and we had places to be. We had locked in a few days in Wellington at the back end of our trip, so our plan was to blast on through. Not much was happening in the early morning other than us struggling to navigate the one-way road system, but once we had spied a New world in the centre of town, we had a convenient place to both park and shop. The non-trivial aspect of the shopping was finding fuel for our stove, but there was a nearby hardware shop which had us covered. Foolishly, we did not indulge in the cities' well-known coffee and instead started our adventure north.

Our destination for the day was essentially National Park in the island's centre and about four hour's drive north of Wellington. We had anticipated that we were going to be tired on the trip, but had not anticipated quite how exhaused we would be, nor how demanding the driving is in New Zealand. I saw that it was 300 kilometres plus change and assumed that it would just be sitting on a highway the entire time - which is largely the case - but the State Highway 1 North is not the hefty arterial road of which the name conjures an image. Consequently, there came a point we wanted to actually see something other than road, but also we had to see something other than road to be safe. So 120 kilometres to the north we headed due west to the black volcanic sands of Foxton beach. The beach was pristine, the weather amenable but there was nothing we could do other than sleep; as so it was that we napped for an hour or so in the car park in an attempt to recharge.

After our revival, we thought it best to continue adding fuel to the fire by finding a café and caffinating. Fortunately, there was a cherry joint, the little white rabbit, just on the way out of town. This would place us well for continued driving, especially when we decided to take the scenic route. As recommended by our travel guide, we could make the trip more interesting by following Whanganui River road, which was not a major detour, although it would make the driving substantially more challenging. Up to this point, I did not feel as though the country itself felt anywhere different to Australia, sure there were volcanic black sand beaches, but aside from that it seem not seem that different. The scenic road departs state highway 4 just after Upokongaro and it just goes up: our poor rental car was likely not ready for the punishment that it was about to receive. Before long, we arrived at the saddle which hosts a glorious lookout over the Whanganui River and valley, for which I did not have the reflexes to stop and pull over - but the image was seared into my brain. That was also the moment that the country felt distinctly different.

The road wends it was next to the river through mountainous terrain, much of which is within the southern section of the Whanganui National Park. The valley is wild and lush, there are rocky outcrops and shelves which have been carved by the river and countless waterfalls are hidden away along the hillside. Parts of the road were a bit sketchy and finding a place to pull over to have lunch was actually rather difficult, but the scenery and solitude were absolutely worth it. Once we hit the hamlet of Pipiriki, we had arrived at the end of the tourist drive and were forced to travel out of the wilderness and into farmland. The terrain is rugged, but was largely bare and rammed with sheep. As we were navigating the roads, the sun was getting lower and the lighting was delightful. Perhaps one of the most memorable moments was coming out of the valley and being treated to a break in the clouds and having a view on the horizon of Mount Ruapehu. We were not planning on climbing Ruapehu, but we were planning on climbing nearby Mount Ngāuruhoe, and were uncertain about the amount of snow that would be on the summit. Seeing Ruapehu made us thing that there may indeed be quite a bit on Ngāuruhoe, but we would see. In preparation for the climb I had sent out a few emails to companies in the area asking about conditions at this time of year and everyone said crampons were not required, so we were hoping that was the case as we didn't have any.

The driving continued until it once again hit national route 4 at Raetihi which we followed until the bizarrely but aptly named town of National Park on the western flank of Tongariro National Park. By this time it was dark and the clouds were settled over the peaks, but occasional breaks allowed for light to stream through from the mostly full moon. We settled in a very "rustic" but now defunct campsite - which has since been replaced by the Mangahuia Campsite or Tongariro family holiday park - for an icy night and steeled ourselves for the use of an outhouse which would not even be occupied by evil spirits.

One to cross off the list

Routinely appearing and occasionally toppling lists of the world's best day hikes is the Tongariro alpine crossing. I don't go in for that kind of thing at the best of times, but especially since the last time we did one of those hikes we had atrocious weather, if asked to rank that hike it probably wouldn't feature in my top-100 hikes. In any case, Tongariro crossing is well known for being a cracker of a walk and it was the reason that we had come to the Tongariro National Park. The base walk covers roughly 20 kilometres with a total of 800 metres up and 1200 metres down, with an additional three kilometres return and 650 vertical metres each way for climbing Mount Ngāuruhoe. Importantly, it is a one-way walk, so one must have transport either to the start or end of the hike. Numerous companies operate a one-way shuttle service, which is typically priced between 30-40 NZD per person and we organised to leave our car at the end and be taken to the start of the walk, which happens at about 0600. This meant getting up a fair bit earlier, cracking the ice off the tent, packing up and making our way to the Tongariro Shuttle car park (Ketetahi carpark). The crossing starts at Mangatepopo Carpark which takes about 25 minutes in the minibus. Fortunately for us, the weather was good, the sun had just risen and so we were ready to cross over.

In contrast to most other hikes I have done - with the notable exception of many hikes in Iceland - we were hiking on an active volcano, and consequently there are additional parameters in the list of conditions. In addition to weather, there are geological considerations, which are conveniently shown throughout the hike with a traffic-light-like system, indicating that everything seems normal, things seem funky and GTFO. We had the green light so set out into the volcanic wasteland. The first portion of the hike is in the shadow of Mount Ngāuruhoe, with a slow incline up a valley until a much steeper climb to the saddle between Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngāuruhoe. It is at this point one must decide if they want to climb Mount Ngāuruhoe, which is a short but brutally steep climb up a scree slope, meaning it really is two steps forward and one step back. But we were up at the saddle early and the conditions were mint so we decided to go up.

Overlooking the volcanic wasteland to the east

The climb was somewhat unique, as it starts in a forest of basalt outcrops and then just goes up, and up. There were patches of snow around, but nothing that was causing any problems until closer to the summit, which was completely covered in clear ice which had a topping of hoar frost. The conditions were pretty unpleasant as grip was pretty hard to come by, but the section was not so long and boy, we the views worth it. To the north, we had views over the rest of the crossing and Lake Taupō and to the west we could see Mount Taranaki rising up through the clouds. Also impressive was the structure of the ice under our feet, dealing with the freezing temperature of the air but the toasty temperature of the volcano meant that the clear ice was intricately formed on every surface.

Descending the volcano was a much greater task, as to do it with the greatest efficiency one had to loose control somewhat and basically ski down the scree slope. Whilst this was exhilarating, it was also very hard work and a bit sketchy, not to mention the large volume of rocks which would fill one's boots. Consequently, not everyone was embracing the rock skiing, and without it the descent is harder: it is slower and tougher on your legs, but at least you feel in control. But the time was a big factor, as it had taken us about 2 hours to climb, we stayed up top for about an hour and it took about an hour to descend, which was longer than most other groups, so we had gone from close to the front of the pack to much closer to the back of the pack, time was getting on and we still had a long way to go.

Continuing along, the walk has a flat sections either side of the Red Crater, a colourful volcanic crater which overlooks the picturesque Emerald Lakes, which is definitely the postcard view of the hike. The walking is relaxed, although we were a little concerned that the weather was starting to turn as clouds were starting to both form and break over the ridge leading up to Mount Tongariro. But there was little to do other than continue onward, past the Blue Lake from which point the path begins the long descent: a loss of some 800 vertical metres over 9 kilometres. The path is initially on open scree, which gives way to grassland and ultimately forest, with few landmarks other than fumarole of the Sulphur Lagoon which enchants the area with an acrid stench. By the time we were descending the lower sections of the track, the sun had set and we were happy to have our head torches as the path wound its way through the ombre of the forest, thick with roots and small streams. It was surprisingly hard going, but I suspect that was due to the length of the day and our underestimation of the walk - especially the climb up Ngāuruhoe. But we eventually reached the car and immediately set out driving south as we had places to be. Specifically, we were heading to the River Valley Lodge to do some white-water rafting, which was some 120 kilometres away. Thankfully the route was mostly via the State Highway 1 and moreover through volcanic wasteland, so the road was dead straight. We picked up a roadside meal and I did a little photography of the mountains in the dark; indeed, during a long-exposure photo I thought there was a small amount of the aurora australis visible, but that would turn out to be my lamp bleeding through my eyepiece cover and I would feel like a chump. Once we left the SH1, the driving became very difficult and slow, but thankfully much less stressful than an equivalent road in Australia due to the lack of mammals on the road. We arrived late in the evening, and beyond setting up our tent, we did little before hitting the hay.

A raft of driving

The River Valley Lodge is located on the Rangitīkei River, one of New Zealand's longest rivers. Their business seems to be running both horse riding tours and rafting tours, along with providing accommodation for those participating in said tours. Moreover, given the anything "extreme" is a must-do in New Zealand, the tours also operate once a large bus of backpackers have turned up. In any case, we were set on hitting the water and were happy to part with the requisite 189 NZD per person for a half-day Rafting trip. The basic premise is that everyone loads up at the lodge, drives upstream and paddles pack down to the lodge, which is a pretty good setup. That being said, when googling the company I came across some press coverage from an incident where a guide was killed in 2009 and the company was charged. Surprisingly, the guides were quite open to discussing this and other accidents, which gave me a level of reassurance. What gave me less assurance was one of the guides saying that the conditions were "a bit technical" out there following recent heavy rains, with a very knowing grin on his face.

After the drive, we unloaded the boats on the side of the road atop a large grass hill leading into the river. The guide said jump in, and everyone thought he was joking although it was absolutely clear he wasn't, but people were just a bit too timid - not a good sign for the rest of the trip. In any case, I just jumped in and then the ride started. The trip would be one of the best things I have done, easily the best in the category of "extreme" activities. Our boat was clearly the fun and semi-competent boat, with the other boat getting into a legitimately bad situation due to people being scared. Our guide was an absolute champ, and at one point mid rapid showed his true skills, ditching up on a rock and leaping of the bow of the boat in one fell swoop to snatch up the paddle of the other guide, which was apparently worth a slab of beer. In any case, we had a great time just fooling around and making our way down the canyon. I did have a slightly sour taste left in my mouth when the company tried to flog us the photos they had taken for an additional fee, but we simply told them to get stuffed.

A great thing about half-day trip was the we had done a major activity, had eaten our lunch and it was barely midday. The rest of our day was to be exploring the Hawke's Bay region; my mission was to get to Te Mata Peak, which I had seen online somewhere and it looked spectacular. Unbeknown to us, to drive from the lodge over to Hastings, which is only 150 kilometres is brutally slow going through remote farmland over some relatively extreme terrain. The route retraced our morning trip up the river, crossing near the impressive Springvale Suspension Bridge and would continue to follow the Taihape - Napier Road the rest of the way. Everything started out a bit like the English countryside in the peak district, with fences lining small roads - albeit more modern fences in the case of NZ - before they eventually gave out and we were just driving through farmland. The small foothills also gave out and turned from rolling mounds into craggy outcrops and the road became windier and steeper. The first incident was encountering a flock of sheep: they were just everywhere, using the road to get from A to B. I also think the term flock really undersells just how many sheep there were, with the road being completely impassable for many hundreds a meters. We badsically were stopped and watched the sheep diffract around use before the herder eventually at the back of the flock in the distance and gestured for us to just drive though. We hesitantly did do, trying not to nudge too many sheep nor leave to large a wake in the sheep wave crashing over us. As the driver I was quite stressed during the whole scenario, not least as I was cognisant that the drive was starting to take much longer than we had anticipated, and we had only just started.

It was not too long before the bitumen gave out and we were on single-lane dirt tracks, but fortunately, we did not see one other vehicle for the entire trip. At one point, the road drops steeply into the next major valley which is home to the Ngaruroro River, and the town of Kuripapango, which is seemingly named for the bridge, as there is little else. From here the road winds its way through the Kaweka Forest Park, home to a large mountain range of which I was largely ignorant. I remember thinking at the time "how could I not know the terrain was this mountainous?" The south island is well known as the home of the alps, and the north is well known for its large volcanoes, but I had assumed it was just a little hilly beyond this. On the latter point, I was very wrong. So on the one hand, we got to experience some beautiful terrain, but on the other hand, we spent all of our time driving.

Our visit to Hastings was for better or worse surgical, going in and out without leaving a mark. We had our plan to see Te Mata Peak, an iconic site of the region overlooking the Tukituki River. By all accounts Hastings and surrounds is a nice place to spend time, that was something of which we did not have an ample supply. Indeed, we had wanted to go to Cape Kidnappers where one can see a Garnet colony - you can even take tractors out there - but it was the wrong time of year. Moreover, on the drive I had managed to get become irritable and even almost angry and by the time we got up to Te Mata I was over it, knowing that we would have to do a similar amount of driving tomorrow and I felt that we had overextended ourselves by coming over to the east coast. Adding to the pain was us arriving at the peak after sunset: meaning I had missed photo opportunities, but we also had a very finite time to look around. The escarpment itself is impressive, and the Ngaruroro is impressive as it carves its way out to sea, but overlooking farmland and plantation forests simply does not do it for me, which really built on the feeling over extension, namely, that the trip to Hastings was simply not worth it.

As darkness settled, so to did my mood, with a sense of calm descending over me; however, we still needed to find a place to camp for the night. From searching around, we descided that the best option was the Hawke's Bay holiday park. This meant a little bit more driving, up north and passing through Napier, of which, along with Hastings we did not see a single bit, but we were able to set up a tent, wander down to the pebbly beach and admire a very full moon before going to bed.

Cascade country

After a long day sleep is delightful; for me an important aspect of enjoying sleep is waking on my own terms. Now it turns out that the Hawke's Bay holiday park is just to the north (3 kilometres) of the Hawke's Bay airport, directly inline with the main runway. That means when planes start arriving in the morning, not only are you actually deafened by planes coming into land, you are physically modulated, with every millimetre undergoing intense vibration. It is also surprising just the shear number of planes that arrive at the Hawke's Bay airport in the early morning, all of which were a recipe for us to be up at and atom.In the planning stages of the trip, I had wanted to visit wanted to visit Shine Falls and Papakorito Falls, but they were to be too difficult, as our destination for the day was Taupo and Rotorua, both of which connect to Napier via State Highway 5 and visiting the waterfalls would have meant more driving and backtracking, and given the already large amounts of driving, I was not keen to do more. Besides, we were to see more waterfalls as they are one of my favourite things; before we go on any trip we ensure to check World of waterfalls to find the prime sites. For a local perspective there is also New Zealand waterfalls, but in all cases choosing the top waterfalls can be difficult as there are so many cracking falls in NZ. But we were set for the coming days, as we were moving into the Caldera country and were going to see all things volcanic. But first we had to get there, which meant crossing the same mountain range as we had crossed the day previous, but at least this time we had a much more major road. Consequently, there was much more traffic, especially camper vans which struggle to navigate the terrain. Fortunately, said terrain is stunning, with lush forest and waterfalls hugging the road. We stopped at Waipunga Falls as they were simply too good to pass; I ended up having a great chat with a Norwegian in his camper van which did a good job of reminding me that there are actually other people in the cars on the road, something that is all too easy to forget.

The drive from Napier to Taupo is roughly two hours meaning that we arrived in the morning, but as usual we had no time for complacency as we had many activities planned, none of which were actually in Taupo. There are countless things to do in the region, where the town acts a hub for activities. There are all manner of extreme things as one might expect, but whilst I largely assume these to be a waste of money (looking at you jet boating) it is apparently the cheapest place in the world to skydive. Not that such a thing is our bag, it was quite surprising to see. Our first stop was Huka Falls, a set of falls which drain Lake Taupo through a narrow channel cut by the Waikato River, resulting in an enormous volume of water moving downstream. The falls are not the most picturesque, however the near 200 cubic metres per second pumping through such canyon 15 metres wide is truly impressive.

After our fill of rushing water, it was time to visit the nearby Craters of the Moon, a volcanic park where one can visit a series of volcanic craters. In such places one's mind is always drawn to the age of dinosaurs, with alien landscapes and lush but bizarre vegetation growing around brightly coloured outlets of noxious gasses. Depending on the wind strength and direction, certain locations can be pretty rough for a leisurely stroll, but fortunately us, there was a light breeze and few other people to crowd up the place.

Our next stop was the much-hyped Aratiatia Rapids: a set of rapids which sits below the Aratiatia dam, just before the first power station on the Waikato River. The river is little more than a trickle for most of the day other than a few fifteen minute blocks when water is released, making the gorge com alive. It attracts a disproportionate number of tourists, likely owing to various pop-culture outings and self-sustaining tourism from internet tourism. This is not to say the rapids are not impressive, it is just a strikingly odd thing for many people to come and watch. We watched, and then we moved on.

We had already visited the Carters of the Moon, but this was only a small-scale geothermal park and we wanted to visit one of larger, more adorned parks. Deciding which park to visit is not easy are there are many, but we ended up choosing the Orakei Korako Geothermal Park & Cave based upon the recommendation of our guide book. The park is roughly halfway between Taupo and Rotorua, once again on the Waikato River, nestled in the wetlands and hills surrounding the river. The park entrance is on the western bank of the river, but the geyser field is on the eastern bank of the river and so like it or not, the trip includes a boat trip across the river to the duckboard trails. The ride is short, but the captain was very charismatic in a way on people from NZ can be in addition to being outrageously skilled at parking a boat. Thankfully the skilled parking was not the high point of the trip: the thermal park was active, with colourful extrophile organisms decorating geysers, hot springs and bubbling mud pools. The mud pools would go down as some of the most satisfying things to witness on the trip, with small troops of regularly bubbling mud piles and the more sporadic, exploding kinds of mud piles keeping things lively. I cannot recommend watching the mud bubble highly enough.

Finishing up at the geothermal park, we continued north to Rotarua, our destination for the evening. I had heard a fair bit about the town, mostly that it smells pretty fresh but also it is a party town, à la Las Vegas albeit tongue in cheek. We were not going to find out about the latter claim, but the former was clear. We pulled into the Rotorua TOP 10 Holiday Park and immediately the acrid smell of sulphur was thick in the air. It was not debilitating in the way it can be when near a fumerole; however the background is nothing if not consistent. But an unexpected benefit of the volcanic surrounds was the thermal spring which was used to heat the pool, meaning we could spend what would otherwise be a very fresh evening slowly roasting with the other caravan park residents.

Caldera country

Perhaps a strange first activity for the day in an area of high volcanic activity, but our first stop was the Redwoods Treewalk to the south of town. Having been taken with our last visit to a redwood forest and having heard that there was one essentially in town, I was keen. The history of the plantation is much that that of all redwood plantations, when people around the turn of the 20th century thought there was a buck to be made harvesting the timber of large trees, and sent seeds to all corners of the Earth to see if desired varieties would thrive anywhere outside their natural environment. It was via this process that the plantations of Rotarua were spiced up, with only the coastal redwood surviving. Given the rate at which sequoia trees grow, they are still comparatively small compared to their thousand-plus year old relatives in North America, but they are still impressive, and there is infrastructure to ensure you enjoy a walk to make you feel very small.

After the woods, we visited the nearby Lake Tikitapu and Lake Rotokakahi - the blue and green lakes respectively - which had a very ethereal feel due to the low and thick blanket of cloud. It would turn out that we were unintentionally going to circle Lake Rotorua, with our next stop to the northeast: Okere Falls. The access to the falls is top notch as the area was home to a power station, initially powered on in 1901 and supplying power to Rotorua, but now serves as a location to view the pumping falls.

Continuing our tour of the lake, at the 12 o'clock position is the Hamurana Springs Nature Reserve, which as one might guess is home to some springs. The most impressive of which is Te Puna-a-Hangarua, a fissure dropping into the depths below with crystal clear blue water visibly welling upwards. It is a sight to behold, but is plagued by the scourge that is people throwing coins into the well which really detracts from the wonder. The rest of the park was stunning, once again evoking those dinosaur vibes, especially along the banks of the Hamurana stream, although the presence of golf course did do its best to pull you into the present day.

Our plan for the rest of the day was to make sure that we actually got out and did a bit of walking. Strolling around shorter walks is all well and good, but our bag is definitely longer walks. Given for time, it would have been great to visit the Coromandel Peninsula and do some hiking, but that was going to have to wait. The was however a walk to Wairere Falls an hour or so north of Rotorua, scaling the Okauia fault line. The walk starts near the small town of Matamata and climbs through thick forest for next to a stream, which is absolutely delightful. Large boulders dot the area; however one's sense of scale is readjusted upon seeing the falls, which tumble some 150 metres off the tablelands into the rift below. Best of all, we were all alone in what felt like a remote area, which after visiting Rotorua and surrounds was a welcome change.

Our next major stop was yet another waterfall; however this was the waterfall that I wanted to see on this trip, namely the Bridal Veil falls. These had been spied on the world of waterfalls top 10 NZ waterfalls and they just looked ace. Unfortunately this meant a little more driving, but it was very vaguely in the direction we were ultimately going: the Waitomo Caves. The trip was a touch under two hours and took us via Hamilton, but also via Hobbiton as Mia was keen to check it out. We were not willing to part with $80 to visit the set, but were thinking that perhaps we could see something from the road which passes by, but beyond the car park, one cannot see anything.

Unfortunately for us, the spirits were against us and it was clear we were not going to get to the falls before sunset. It was going to be close, but we would again just miss it. Upon arriving at the car park, I grabbed my camera and we made sure to grab our torches as light tends to be fleeting in the dense forest and we hauled ass down the track. It is always an odd experience seeing something that you want to see, and moreover want to photograph as there is a strange mix of what is actually happening and what you thought would happen. In this case, everything more-or-less surpassed my expectations: a gorgeous waterfall, plenty of water, and sure it would have been nice to be there 15 minutes earlier, but you can't have everything! Once I had wrapped up taking my photos we were back in the car for a final slog down to the caves, clocking in at 90 minutes, which truly was a slog. But at least the campsite was great. Less so was the large school group watching the finale of the bachelor in the camp kitchen; however, the teachers giving us a slice of brownie as an apology was well received.

Wet wet wet

Our trip to Waitomo was a bit out of the way; however it was the only time that we could obtain a booking to go into the caves. My friend Guido had thoroughly recommended the "black abyss" with the The Legendary Black Water Rafting Company, stating that it was the highlight of his multi-week trip around NZ, and given all the things he did during his trip, the recommendation carried some weight. Moreover, visiting the glowworm caves was sounded pretty neat, despite having seen them in Australia, a county to which they are also endemic. Still I had never been in a cave in the pitch black floating down a river in a tube looking at the glowworms. The trip involves abseiling, zip lining, swimming and a little climbing and was an absolute blast. Given the experience is improved by not knowing all that much about it, I do not intend to say much on the topic, other than I was lucky in that I got to do many of the activities first, which added much to the experience. We were also lucky in that the group got through the set of activities faster than had been programmed, which meant that we could do a bonus caving and climbing section. The climbing in this part was by far the best climbing, but if I ever needed a reminder that caving is not for tall people such as myself, that was it.

Up until this point, we had been fairly lucky with the weather, with good conditions and little rain, but during our caving trip the rain started to fall and by the time we had finished, the heavens had opened. The lust forest gives an insight into how much water must fall, but hitherto we hadn't really seen a drop. After the caving trip we were toasty warm thanks to a shower; but this would be challenged by our afternoon activities. Continuing west along a tiny road past the Waitomo caves, we made our way the 30 minutes to the Piripiri Cave, an impressive cavern requiring torches to navigate. Following a spot of lunch here we made our way to the nearby Marokopa Falls, which were another set of falls on world of waterfalls top 10 NZ waterfalls; however the rain was pretty oppressive. I still wanted to to take a photo of the falls, which Mia left me to do and I got absolutely soaked. My waterproofs were doing their job, but there were a few small holes, which combined with exposed parks resulted in me returning to the car pretty wet and cold. Luckily the only thing left for us to do was drive, we cranked the heater and set out.

Our destination for the night was the Otorohanga Kiwi Holiday Park, basically as it was the only camping close to Maungatautari Mountain, despite still being 30 minutes drive. We thought that given we might have a relaxing evening due to doing fewer activities during the day, but the weather made short work of that idea, with the rain developing into a deluge the likes of which I had never experienced. The concept of driving was laughable, so we simply had to pull over and watch the waters rise in the surrounding lowlands. Listening to the radio there were flash-flood warnings for all regions in our vicinity, but all we could do is sit it out. Despite the sun ostensibly still being up, there was no light and it was an awesome sight, but luckiliy the heaviest rain did not last that long and we could finish the 50 kilometre drive to the campsite. In a surprising twist, the rain eased up long enough for us to set up the tent, albeit of very soggy ground, before once again starting up and making for a loud night's sleep.

Sanctuary

The morning brought light, but not much of it as the rains continued to fall. We moved swiftly to the camp kitchen to have our breakfast and ended up meeting some locals and having quite a yarn. They were an older couple that were originally from Christchurch, but had been travelling around in their caravan since their house was badly damaged during the 2011 earthquake. Hearing a first-hand account of the disaster was very intense, but especially the description of the aftermath and ongoing effects; the spoke openly about their genuine fear for both their and their children's safety being in the city, which is why they hadn't returned. There is little one can offer in situations such as those, but in stereotypical NZ style they somehow put a positive spin on it.

Our activities for the day were once again centred around volcanoes, albeit in a somewhat different context. During my research for the trip, I had read about an ecological sanctuary in the heart of the North Island; one with a pest-proof fence, old-growth forest, and an active wildlife program to make something the approximated NZ before the arrival of people. That is absolutely my cup of tea, so we were willing to make a detour to go to Maungatautari Mountain; however, we had already made the detour. The park is just to the southeast of Hamilton, meaning it would have been best to visit a few days earlier before we started to head south, but for booking reasons this could not be done, so we were lumped with it. From Otorohanga it is only half an hour to the southern reach of the park, which is where one of the sanctuaries is located; the Maungatautari Scenic Reserve is a much larger park, with two enclosures forming "sanctuary mountain".

The rather heavy rain had kept away other visitors, and we were the only people in the carpark. We happily parted with the 20 NZD per person fee and the made our way inside the sanctuary. The first thing that one notices is jut how legitimate their pest-proof fence is. Living in Australia, one sees such pest-proofing infrastructure regularly, but this was simply another level. The interior of the park was in immaculate condition, but the downpour had not only kept the people away, but seemingly all the animals had hunkered down as well because we did not see a trace of an animal and the only thing we could hear was the rain lashing the dense forest. We completed all the available walks and climbed the observation tower, but basically only succeeded in getting ourselves rather damp. The walk through the forest was enjoyable, but I had been pretty psyched about seeing some birds - or anything really. But it was not to be.

Adding to the list of activities that we were doing as I had seen some photos and become entranced by the idea of seeing the site: seeing Mount Taranaki. The isolated sibling of Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu is located on the west coast, just to the south of New Plymouth. The volcano is well known for being one of the most symmetrical stratovolcanos, as well as having one of the most circular national park boundaries in the world, making for amazing satellite imagery highlighting the transition from forest to agricultural land. We were not going to have enough time to climb the mountain, and given Mia's enjoyment of Mount Ngauruhoe I am not sure there would have been much will either; however we would do an overnight hike up to Pouakai Hut.

The drive from Maungatautari to the Egmont National Park was not shirt, coming in at roughly 250 kilometres and taking some 3h30, but I can honestly day I do not remember much of the drive. Looking on a map, it is clear that we must have passed through some impressive terrain, but perhaps it was the weather or being on a mission, but I recall little other than the podcasts we were listening to on the drive. What was clear, or at least become clear was the weather; the clouds broke and revealed blue skies, which was rather surprising given that the region is much wetter, but we would take what we were given. We dumped the car at the Mangorei Track Trailhead and started out on the Mangorei Track which gently climbs the secondary bump of Mount Taranaki, Pouakai. The track climbs some 600 metres over the five kilometres to Pouakai Hut in a uniform fashion possible only on the slope of a volcano. We had no idea how many other people would be out and about, but we were planning on camping at Pouakai Hut which is close to some of the most spectacular view of Mount Taranaki. Notably, I had hunted around for information relating to the then somewhat under-publicised viewpoint with the Pouakai Reflective Tarn in the foreground. By no means was I early to this party, but finding out exactly where it was took some effort, whereas know its location is widely publicised. I wanted to be there for sunset, which would happen; however the clouds were not going to be playing nice, allowing me to get some great light during the golden hour but not giving me any colour for the sunset itself. In any case, the location is one of the most remarkable views I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

Back in the hut, we decided that we would not camp outside but rather sleep inside as there were not so many people and those that were around we a very friendly lot. We did have a small hiccup when we, as we hadn't planned on staying in the hut did not bring any hut tickets, so instead we just stuffed cash in the box and the others scoffed and said "you know you don't have to pay for the huts, nobody actually checks". But once we were past this, we spent the evening playing an Israeli card game with some (unsurprisingly) Israelis and Germans, the later having just been to South-East Asia and were very keen to show their photos. I also returned to a viewpoint of Taranaki to do some astrophotography and they happily came along for a lesson in "how to" which they seemed pretty stoked about, especially when I lent them my tripod, but there is only so much one can hear about Borneo in a given evening before you are forced to go to bed.

Civilisation

I am an early riser, but especially so when out hiking, as I want to see the sun rise. I had warned everyone that I would be getting up early and everyone assured me that they would be staying in bed. Sure enough though, when I was getting up everyone else decided that the sunrise was something that they could not miss. I suppose that the joke was on them in the end, as the cloud was low and thick and one could not see anything. It was worth going up to the tarn to see it in such ghostly circumstances, but I would have taken a glorious sunrise in preference.

We returned to the hut and then retraced our steps back down the hill; I was desperately hoping to see some wildlife given that we were up early and the first people on the track. We could certainly hear the calls of birds, but given how dense the bush is, it is not surprising that we could not see them. The return trip to the car was relatively speedy given we were coming down the hill and the quality of the track is top notch. Once arriving back, we wanted to head into town - New Plymouth - and have a brief look around. I didn't know much about the place other than its recent successes in attracting offshore petrochemical investment and the sudden influx of wealth, which is very evident in the city: lots of shiny houses and shiny cars.

Once we were in town, we parked and found our way to the town's main attraction, the New Plymouth Coastal Walkway. The much touted path runs (unsurprisingly) along the coast and has numerous installations along its length, perhaps none more impressive than the Te Rewa Rewa Bridge, a modern monster that is simultaneously hideous and striking.

Our fate for the rest of the day was sealed as we were required to back back in Wellington, meaning that we had to drive the 4h30 and 350 kilometres back. Consequently, we did not hang around as I was not looking forward to the driving but also we wanted to explore the town, so we set out. We were planning on driving non-stop, but as it happens, state highway three runs though Whanganui, so with a short detour we could return to the Whanganui River lookout which we passed but at which we did not stop first time around. Thankfully, it was as impressive as I remember it being and the detour was worthwhile.

Arriving in Wellington it was right around rush hour, but thankfully it was a Saturday so things were not too crazy. Or at least traffic-wise things were not crazy; the roads in Wellington can be a little crazy, especially in the hills behind town where we were staying. We had found a traditional Air BnB, that is a room in the house of hosts, both of whom were very pleasant but very much kept to themselves and did little to make us feel at home at their place, so we spend very little time there. We stopped in, had a shower and then headed into town to have some dinner. We ended up at the The Malthouse which was well worth it, but given we were exhausted and had plans for our last full day in NZ the following day, we did not hang around.

A special effect

As already described, I had compiled a list of must-see items prior to our trip, and thankfully Mia was amenable to my suggestions; however, she did have one of her own: Weta workshop. The workshop is to the east of the CBD and is home to the special effects studio responsible for (among many other things) The Lord of the Rings trilogy of which Mia was quite the fan. To gain access to the so-called Wata cave, one must book a tour which we did for the early morning. Given my lack of engagement with movies in general, I had little idea of what were the artefacts at which I was looking, but that did not make them any less impressive. There were spectacularly detailed miniatures as well as life-sized models and a whole host of other neat things, although the cave and tour were respectively smaller and shorter than I had expected.

Our next destination was the Red Rocks, a colourful outcrop of rocks south-west of the city. There is a coastal walk leaving from the Owhiro Bay Car Park which takes you out there and given we had a glorious sunny day, we were not going to let it go to waste. I remeber starting the walk a little miffed due to reading about NZ's general policy about self-contained car camping (there is a free-camp next to the car park) which states the caravans can stay for free but not tents, which is despite the fact they have serviced toilets on site. As someone that has never used a camper van and always camps with a tent, it just rubs me the wrong way that there is much infrastructure for campers but very little for camping, especially in the free camping world. Despite this, we set out no our walk - which was choccas given it was a nice Sunday morning. Out at the rocks, I had been hoping for some marine life in rock pools, but I seem to be constantly dissapointed whenever I have this as an expectation. Perhaps this stems from having spent much of my youth at Wilsons Promontory National Park, which up to this point in my life has not been surpassed for exploring rock pools. In any case, we enjoyed our lunch out on the rocks before heading back.

Our final destination for the day was Zealandia, a large park situated in a valley just to the west of town. Much like Maungatautari Mountain, the area is a fenced sanctuary with the aim of restoring the valley the state it was in prior to human arrival in NZ. I love supporting ventures such as these, so it was a great cause to which I was happy to put my money and in addition, we were guarantee to see some wildlife! Sure, not quite in the wild, but not quite in captivity either. By the time we arrived we only had a few hours to look around, but we had sufficient time to encircle the park and see the flora and fauna, although no kiwis. I understand that we were not there at the right time of day, but it doesn't mean one can't hope. But overall the park was fantastic and it is an initiative: an idea that I genuinely hope catches on around the world.

We returned to our accommodation and began the task of packing and cleaning: our flight was early the next morning and we did not want to be a bio-security risk. Australia does not take customs quite as seriously as NZ, but it doesn't mean that we as individuals don't take it seriously. Cleaning gear is tedious but necessary. The next morning saw us on a 0645 flight back to Melbourne, landing at 0835 so it was straight back home and then right into work: a very rough transition. But our trip across the ditch had been everything that we had wanted: some excitement, meditative (in the sense of the sheer volume of driving) but mostly just enjoyable.

Adventures

Te Ika-a-Māui, New Zealand