We left our rented car in Picton and made our way to the ferry to bring us to Wellington. The crossing can be quite rough between the islands, but we were lucky. Calm seas all the way with lots and lots of rain. When we picked up our car we had a lovely surprise. We had an upgrade to a lovely 4 door Toyota with a real boot. We stayed at the Aotea Lodge in Poirua. They had a dining room attached to the Lodge and we tried New Zealand venison. It was delicious!
Our next stop was Hawera near Mount Taranaki. This mountain looks a little bit like Mount Fuji in Japan. When we arrived, in very bad weather, the mountain was not visible. BIG disappointment. We had booked into a guesthouse with 'guaranteed view of the mountain', but even they could not change the weather for us. We drove all around the base of the mountain for maybe a glimpse from the other side, but no luck. When we woke up the next morning - I looked out of the window - and we had a mountain. There it was in all it's glory. It looked especially nice as there still was some mist hovering above the ground and it looked like the mountain was floating.
After taking lots and lots of pictures we set off for Rotorua via the Forgotten World Highway.
What a trip. This must be one of the most beautiful forgotten roads. O.K. it was a gravel road for about 12km, not easy to drive on, but the scenery made up for it. There were big grass covered boulders, I called them dinosaur eggs, lying all over the place. A kind of grass, looking like a featherduster and a flower, called Red Hot Poker, were lining the roadside. It was magic. Along the way we saw a very funny sign.
"REPUBLIC OF WHANGA'S CAPITAL IS ONLY 22KM, come and increase our population."
On the way to Rotorua we visited the Huka waterfalls and stopped at Lake Taupo for lunch.
At Wai - O - Tapu we saw our first mudpools, but did not go inside.
We got up early the next day to visit the "Volcanic Valley" in Waimangu to walk among boiling springs.
The next morning Wai - O - Tapu was on our list of things to do. What a place! Much, much better than the Volcanic Valley. We walked past bottomless holes filled with water and smelling of sulphur. We looked into the devil's cauldron and saw the steam rise from boiling waterfalls. And we did not put our fingers into the water to see if it was boiling!
Our next stop was Pairia and this place was going to be a highlight for me. I had booked to swim with wild dolphins. The only trouble was - there were no dolphins. Oh well, you can't have everything.
We had planned something very special for the next day. We were taken on a boatride by a real Ngapuhi Chief in a Waka to the Haruru waterfall. We had to row the Waka ourselves, but before we set off, he celebrated the welcome ceremony for us. What a special treat that was.
Back to the Hotel to pick up our suitcases and off to Auckland to visit friends and then the flight home to Australia.
I loved New Zealand and it is well worth a visit.
Our next stop was Hawera near Mount Taranaki. This mountain looks a little bit like Mount Fuji in Japan. When we arrived, in very bad weather, the mountain was not visible. BIG disappointment. We had booked into a guesthouse with 'guaranteed view of the mountain', but even they could not change the weather for us. We drove all around the base of the mountain for maybe a glimpse from the other side, but no luck. When we woke up the next morning - I looked out of the window - and we had a mountain. There it was in all it's glory. It looked especially nice as there still was some mist hovering above the ground and it looked like the mountain was floating.
After taking lots and lots of pictures we set off for Rotorua via the Forgotten World Highway.
What a trip. This must be one of the most beautiful forgotten roads. O.K. it was a gravel road for about 12km, not easy to drive on, but the scenery made up for it. There were big grass covered boulders, I called them dinosaur eggs, lying all over the place. A kind of grass, looking like a featherduster and a flower, called Red Hot Poker, were lining the roadside. It was magic. Along the way we saw a very funny sign.
"REPUBLIC OF WHANGA'S CAPITAL IS ONLY 22KM, come and increase our population."
On the way to Rotorua we visited the Huka waterfalls and stopped at Lake Taupo for lunch.
At Wai - O - Tapu we saw our first mudpools, but did not go inside.
We got up early the next day to visit the "Volcanic Valley" in Waimangu to walk among boiling springs.
The next morning Wai - O - Tapu was on our list of things to do. What a place! Much, much better than the Volcanic Valley. We walked past bottomless holes filled with water and smelling of sulphur. We looked into the devil's cauldron and saw the steam rise from boiling waterfalls. And we did not put our fingers into the water to see if it was boiling!
Our next stop was Pairia and this place was going to be a highlight for me. I had booked to swim with wild dolphins. The only trouble was - there were no dolphins. Oh well, you can't have everything.
We had planned something very special for the next day. We were taken on a boatride by a real Ngapuhi Chief in a Waka to the Haruru waterfall. We had to row the Waka ourselves, but before we set off, he celebrated the welcome ceremony for us. What a special treat that was.
Back to the Hotel to pick up our suitcases and off to Auckland to visit friends and then the flight home to Australia.
I loved New Zealand and it is well worth a visit.
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