Leg Four: Wellington to Auckland (28 March - 09 April 2010)
Wellington (28-31 March 2010)
Wellington came at just the right time, winning me round despite my determination to be bored of towns and cities. Not even the fact that our first day there was officially the most stressful of the trip so far could put me off this compact capital. Waking up with the threat of a hangover after a night drinking in the hostel bar and along Courtenay Place and wishing desperately that the hostel had invested in double glazing, it was possibly the worst time to discover that my phone was broken, having seemingly decided to adopt its own screening method and only accept certain text messages. However this was just crisis number one. I later tried to make a transfer from my current account over the phone only to hear the dreaded words "I'm sorry, that's actually been declined". Rang the fraud team who promptly transferred me to customer services which is where the frustration which normally accompanies any interaction with your bank began. A automated voice asked me to enter various details ending with my telephone banking pin. I don't have one. Naively, I pressed the button for "further assistance" only to be asked to "enter the four digit pin I selected for my telephone banking account". Clearly, the automated lady had failed to grasp that it was not my unfamiliarity with the term pin number that was troubling me. Having no alternative, I just entered anything in a desperate attempt to get through to an actual human. I shouldn't have bothered. The automated lady informed me again in her monotonous drawl that she had been unable to identify me correctly and as punishment I was put through to a human being who clearly thought that answering the phone to me was as irksome to him as finding some dog poo on his new designer shoes. I was unceremoniously advised that since I had entered the wrong pin, my account was now blocked. I went for what I hoped to be a reasonable response, explaining that I didn't have a pin. He replied that they had sent me a form which hadn't been returned. Trying to remain calm, I explained that since I was in New Zealand it would have been tricky for me to return said form. Clearly this was too difficult a puzzle for his one brain cell to tackle so I was simply informed that my account was now blocked anyway, nothing could be done until 8am and that I should ring back then. Therefore, my first day in Wellington was spent forming a plan of attack for operation "how to get money when your bank is being impossibly difficult". However, it turns out this was all in vain - when I rang back several hours later, I was informed by a chirpy young girl that it was only my telephone banking account that was blocked, not my current account. I had been able to access my money all along. This was delivered in a nonchalant tone as though I hadn't been running around all day worrying that I would never see my money again and would end up selling the entire contents of my rucksack just to pay for the flight home. So it was that poo shoe boy ruined my first day in Wellington.
I am pleased to say though that the next day was a roaring success. Spent the afternoon in the Te Papa Museum. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be one to rave about a museum but this one is an absolute gem with its inventive and intriguing exhibits and, best of all, it's free (believe me, every penny is starting to count). We saw the only colossal squid on public display in the world which was impressive simply because it has earned this title but, in my opinion, should be ten times bigger is its going to prefix its name with the term "colossal". We also crawled inside a plastic replica of a blue whale heart and took part in an earthquake simulation - in short, we made a beeline for all exhibits aimed at children!
We followed this with an afternoon relaxing in the rolling hills of the Botanic Gardens, the highest point in the city, where we soaked up the peace and quiet and the spectacular views out over the city before taking the cable car back down to the bustling centre. From here, we reluctantly headed back to the hostel from hell where the keys lock you out when you go to the toilet in the middle of the night, the lifts smell of old milk, the kitchen has just two working hobs and fridges resembling a game of cool bag jenga, and the internet crashes just as you're sending your email.
Lake Taupo (31 March - 2 April 2010)
Day one
Unfortunately, I can't say I saw much of Lake Taupo, unless you count the incredible birds-eye view I got of Australasia's biggest lake as I fell through the sky. Oh yes, I did a skydive! It was amazing, unlike anything I've ever done before which is hardly surprising since I don't make a habit of flinging myself out of planes at 12000 feet. We've been umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether we could afford to do it throughout the whole trip and kept reaching the decision to "wait and see how funds are looking when we get to Taupo". Then suddenly, we were on the bus to Taupo and writing our names on a clipboard to jump that afternoon!
We got picked up from Wellington early and made a quick stop in Bulls, a novel little town where the establishments have signs punning on its name - hence the police station is where you will find the "consta-bull". Then we pushed on to get to Taupo before the weather - which was apparently perfect for skydiving - turned. I didn't feel nervous like I expected; I think the adrenaline was going. Even when the plane took off with us packed in like sardines, I just chuckled and said "no going back now". It was only when I had my feet dangling out of the plane that I thought "oh god, I'm really doing this". I had my tandem master in my ear shouting "arch like a banana" and all I could think was "just get on with it and jump, will you - if I arch my back anymore I'll resemble a folding deck chair" shortly followed by "where is my little tub of vaseline when I need it". Turns out you don't know squat about chapped lips until you've done a skydive. My mouth was so dry I felt like I'd swallowed a sack of flour. In hindsight, this was probably largely to do with the fact that my face resembled a balloon mid-inflation (so glad I got the DVD, if only for the entertainment of everyone at home). The rush was incredible though, complete sensory overload as you tumble out of the plane and start your 45 seconds of freefall, plummeting towards the ground with the wind in your face. Then just as suddenly you feel a sharp tug and you're pulled upwards as the parachute goes up. After that, it's a leisurely three minutes of floating down, taking in the 360 degree views. It's simply amazing, so quiet and peaceful. We were on such a high afterwards, not even the fact that we had to be up at 5am for the Tongariro Crossing could bring us back down the earth.
Day Two
Tongariro Crossing - aka a day in the life of Frodo Baggins
Tongariro National Park was used as a filming location for Mordor and Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and its 16km alpine crossing is considered to be the best one day hike in New Zealand and one of the top ten in the world. It's easy to see why. It's an ever-changing landscape, a vast desert of black lava rock and scree, blasted craters, scorched volcanoes, lava flows and geothermal lakes. Similar to how I imagine Mars.
We started the hike at 7.45am (the 5am get-up wasn't as painful as expected - worryingly my body seems to be adjusting the sleep deprivation) following a rocky track and watching the sun come up, burning away the stubborn clouds for our first glimpse of Mount Doom looming in the distance. We soon reached the devil's staircase, a steep 5km climb up to the base of Mount Ngauruhoe, 2500 years old and New Zealand's most active volcano. From here, we crossed the barren south crater and began the steep rocky climb up to the red crater, the summit of our hike at 1886m above sea level. This ascent was more rough and ready, along a ridge with no stairs, just unsteady rocks and rubble. Worth it though for the incredible view at the top, real Lord of the Rings territory for miles around. Afterwards, it was scree-sliding through the dust down the other side of this vividly red crater to the aqua blue and highly sulphurous Emerald Lakes where we stopped to photograph the geothermal steam. Next came the perfectly tranquil Blue Lake after which our alpine surroundings gradually grew greener and we descended into native forest. After six hours of trekking (two hours less than the time recommended to complete the hike, I'll have you know) we emerged from the trees into the busy car park singing old motown hits at the top of our lungs, hopped onto a bus and headed back to Taupo to celebrate our achievement with a classy combination of spaghetti carbonara and cider.
Rotorua (2-4 April 2010)
Day One
Having had both air- and ground-based adventures over the past couple of days, it was now time to take our adventurous selves to the water - white water rafting through the grade five rapids of the Kaituna River. Arrived in Rotorua, the town famous for its wealth of geothermal activity and resulting distinctive smell, early in the morning and headed out for rafting that same afternoon. We started with a 2.5m waterfall, toppling over a 1.0m drop almost immediately afterwards. Then came the big one - 7.0m high! We landed the right way up, a tribute to our faultless rafting skills of course. However, we did go completely under, forced down by the sheer power of the waterfall. It's such a buzz - clinging on for dear life, feeling the raft fly off the edge, hearing the water thundering down, realising you're under the water then popping up suddenly in a calm lagoon. Loved every minute. Before I knew it, it was all over though and I was "rapid surfing" - sat at the front of the raft, face down in the freezing cold water while the back end of the raft stuck straight up in the air.
Got back to the hostel late afternoon with no time to rest - we had a Maori cultural experience to get to. Headed out of the town a few kilometres to Tamaki village, a replica of a traditional Maori village from the 1600s, for the Journey of the Cultural Ages Experience. It was a fantastic evening; we had to nominate someone from our group to act as chief. He was then to face the challenge of the warriors and win us the right to access their village. It was an eerie and impressive ceremony, conducted in a circle of sand before the entrance to the village, three paths constructed from tree trunks and partially concealed by the surrounding forest like an ancient fortress. The warriors came out, challenging the chiefs and showing their weaponry skills, while the women stood on platforms above chanting. We then accepted the proffered fern leaf and proceeded into the village which was fascinating - huts decorated with elaborate carvings, roaring fires and the villagers in traditional Maori dress. After learning about their warrior training methods and food capture and preservation techniques, we proceeded to the concert hall where we watched a concert of beautiful music and the iconic Haka dance. Although I could have stayed all night listening, I felt it could have been more rich in terms of storytelling - I went away wanting to know more. Dinner followed the concert, a delicious Hangi - a meal steamed in the ground over hot rocks. We ate soft carrots, lamb and chicken so tender it fell apart, potatoes with a distinctive smoky flavour, stuffing, gravy and bread. I went back for seconds and would have been tempted for thirds but they brought out dessert: pavlova with fresh fruit salad or steamed pudding and custard. Naturally, I had both. We then learnt how to prepare our own hangi meal, listened to the staff sing one final time and watched a presentation of beautiful carved necklaces to our chiefs before heading back to the hostel. There was something so moving about the whole evening, the pride and ferocity with which these people respect the past and preserve their heritage is not something you see very often. I don't think we have such determination in the UK, but then perhaps that is because our cultural identity has never really been under threat? I guess you don't strive to protect something unless you fear losing it?
Day Two
Waitomo today and black water rafting. Hopped on our bus at 7.15am, greeted by a very friendly driver originally from Southampton who wanted to chat to us a lot more than was appropriate at such an unsociable hour! Arriving at Waitomo, we sat with our guide for half an hour listening dutifully to his dramatic "five near-drowning" stories and promising to try our best not to break a leg because he wanted a quiet day at work. We then wrestled our way into wetsuits designed for borrowers and headed down to the caves. It was brilliant, although despite our guide's dramatic tales, the only real danger I felt was the threat of hypothermia.
We started off walking, ducking the stalactites and stumbling through the rocky shallows. We then jumped backwards over a waterfall - previously described as death-defying but which actually turned out to be no more than a couple of metres high - formed a long chain on our rubber rings and floated idly downriver in the dark, looking up at the ceiling twinkling with the light of thousands of glow worms. To finish, we turned our head torches off and had to navigate our way out in the pitch black (clearly these guides had little regard for health and safety; the tales of "near-drownings" begin to fall into place). Emerging outside, blinking and shivering, we headed back for hot showers, soup and toasted bagels. Just what the doctor ordered. Then, just when we thought things couldn't get any better, we discovered that the clocks go back one hour tonight so we get an extra hour in bed. Jackpot!
I am pleased to say though that the next day was a roaring success. Spent the afternoon in the Te Papa Museum. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be one to rave about a museum but this one is an absolute gem with its inventive and intriguing exhibits and, best of all, it's free (believe me, every penny is starting to count). We saw the only colossal squid on public display in the world which was impressive simply because it has earned this title but, in my opinion, should be ten times bigger is its going to prefix its name with the term "colossal". We also crawled inside a plastic replica of a blue whale heart and took part in an earthquake simulation - in short, we made a beeline for all exhibits aimed at children!
We followed this with an afternoon relaxing in the rolling hills of the Botanic Gardens, the highest point in the city, where we soaked up the peace and quiet and the spectacular views out over the city before taking the cable car back down to the bustling centre. From here, we reluctantly headed back to the hostel from hell where the keys lock you out when you go to the toilet in the middle of the night, the lifts smell of old milk, the kitchen has just two working hobs and fridges resembling a game of cool bag jenga, and the internet crashes just as you're sending your email.
Lake Taupo (31 March - 2 April 2010)
Day one
Unfortunately, I can't say I saw much of Lake Taupo, unless you count the incredible birds-eye view I got of Australasia's biggest lake as I fell through the sky. Oh yes, I did a skydive! It was amazing, unlike anything I've ever done before which is hardly surprising since I don't make a habit of flinging myself out of planes at 12000 feet. We've been umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether we could afford to do it throughout the whole trip and kept reaching the decision to "wait and see how funds are looking when we get to Taupo". Then suddenly, we were on the bus to Taupo and writing our names on a clipboard to jump that afternoon!
We got picked up from Wellington early and made a quick stop in Bulls, a novel little town where the establishments have signs punning on its name - hence the police station is where you will find the "consta-bull". Then we pushed on to get to Taupo before the weather - which was apparently perfect for skydiving - turned. I didn't feel nervous like I expected; I think the adrenaline was going. Even when the plane took off with us packed in like sardines, I just chuckled and said "no going back now". It was only when I had my feet dangling out of the plane that I thought "oh god, I'm really doing this". I had my tandem master in my ear shouting "arch like a banana" and all I could think was "just get on with it and jump, will you - if I arch my back anymore I'll resemble a folding deck chair" shortly followed by "where is my little tub of vaseline when I need it". Turns out you don't know squat about chapped lips until you've done a skydive. My mouth was so dry I felt like I'd swallowed a sack of flour. In hindsight, this was probably largely to do with the fact that my face resembled a balloon mid-inflation (so glad I got the DVD, if only for the entertainment of everyone at home). The rush was incredible though, complete sensory overload as you tumble out of the plane and start your 45 seconds of freefall, plummeting towards the ground with the wind in your face. Then just as suddenly you feel a sharp tug and you're pulled upwards as the parachute goes up. After that, it's a leisurely three minutes of floating down, taking in the 360 degree views. It's simply amazing, so quiet and peaceful. We were on such a high afterwards, not even the fact that we had to be up at 5am for the Tongariro Crossing could bring us back down the earth.
Day Two
Tongariro Crossing - aka a day in the life of Frodo Baggins
Tongariro National Park was used as a filming location for Mordor and Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and its 16km alpine crossing is considered to be the best one day hike in New Zealand and one of the top ten in the world. It's easy to see why. It's an ever-changing landscape, a vast desert of black lava rock and scree, blasted craters, scorched volcanoes, lava flows and geothermal lakes. Similar to how I imagine Mars.
We started the hike at 7.45am (the 5am get-up wasn't as painful as expected - worryingly my body seems to be adjusting the sleep deprivation) following a rocky track and watching the sun come up, burning away the stubborn clouds for our first glimpse of Mount Doom looming in the distance. We soon reached the devil's staircase, a steep 5km climb up to the base of Mount Ngauruhoe, 2500 years old and New Zealand's most active volcano. From here, we crossed the barren south crater and began the steep rocky climb up to the red crater, the summit of our hike at 1886m above sea level. This ascent was more rough and ready, along a ridge with no stairs, just unsteady rocks and rubble. Worth it though for the incredible view at the top, real Lord of the Rings territory for miles around. Afterwards, it was scree-sliding through the dust down the other side of this vividly red crater to the aqua blue and highly sulphurous Emerald Lakes where we stopped to photograph the geothermal steam. Next came the perfectly tranquil Blue Lake after which our alpine surroundings gradually grew greener and we descended into native forest. After six hours of trekking (two hours less than the time recommended to complete the hike, I'll have you know) we emerged from the trees into the busy car park singing old motown hits at the top of our lungs, hopped onto a bus and headed back to Taupo to celebrate our achievement with a classy combination of spaghetti carbonara and cider.
Rotorua (2-4 April 2010)
Day One
Having had both air- and ground-based adventures over the past couple of days, it was now time to take our adventurous selves to the water - white water rafting through the grade five rapids of the Kaituna River. Arrived in Rotorua, the town famous for its wealth of geothermal activity and resulting distinctive smell, early in the morning and headed out for rafting that same afternoon. We started with a 2.5m waterfall, toppling over a 1.0m drop almost immediately afterwards. Then came the big one - 7.0m high! We landed the right way up, a tribute to our faultless rafting skills of course. However, we did go completely under, forced down by the sheer power of the waterfall. It's such a buzz - clinging on for dear life, feeling the raft fly off the edge, hearing the water thundering down, realising you're under the water then popping up suddenly in a calm lagoon. Loved every minute. Before I knew it, it was all over though and I was "rapid surfing" - sat at the front of the raft, face down in the freezing cold water while the back end of the raft stuck straight up in the air.
Got back to the hostel late afternoon with no time to rest - we had a Maori cultural experience to get to. Headed out of the town a few kilometres to Tamaki village, a replica of a traditional Maori village from the 1600s, for the Journey of the Cultural Ages Experience. It was a fantastic evening; we had to nominate someone from our group to act as chief. He was then to face the challenge of the warriors and win us the right to access their village. It was an eerie and impressive ceremony, conducted in a circle of sand before the entrance to the village, three paths constructed from tree trunks and partially concealed by the surrounding forest like an ancient fortress. The warriors came out, challenging the chiefs and showing their weaponry skills, while the women stood on platforms above chanting. We then accepted the proffered fern leaf and proceeded into the village which was fascinating - huts decorated with elaborate carvings, roaring fires and the villagers in traditional Maori dress. After learning about their warrior training methods and food capture and preservation techniques, we proceeded to the concert hall where we watched a concert of beautiful music and the iconic Haka dance. Although I could have stayed all night listening, I felt it could have been more rich in terms of storytelling - I went away wanting to know more. Dinner followed the concert, a delicious Hangi - a meal steamed in the ground over hot rocks. We ate soft carrots, lamb and chicken so tender it fell apart, potatoes with a distinctive smoky flavour, stuffing, gravy and bread. I went back for seconds and would have been tempted for thirds but they brought out dessert: pavlova with fresh fruit salad or steamed pudding and custard. Naturally, I had both. We then learnt how to prepare our own hangi meal, listened to the staff sing one final time and watched a presentation of beautiful carved necklaces to our chiefs before heading back to the hostel. There was something so moving about the whole evening, the pride and ferocity with which these people respect the past and preserve their heritage is not something you see very often. I don't think we have such determination in the UK, but then perhaps that is because our cultural identity has never really been under threat? I guess you don't strive to protect something unless you fear losing it?
Day Two
Waitomo today and black water rafting. Hopped on our bus at 7.15am, greeted by a very friendly driver originally from Southampton who wanted to chat to us a lot more than was appropriate at such an unsociable hour! Arriving at Waitomo, we sat with our guide for half an hour listening dutifully to his dramatic "five near-drowning" stories and promising to try our best not to break a leg because he wanted a quiet day at work. We then wrestled our way into wetsuits designed for borrowers and headed down to the caves. It was brilliant, although despite our guide's dramatic tales, the only real danger I felt was the threat of hypothermia.
We started off walking, ducking the stalactites and stumbling through the rocky shallows. We then jumped backwards over a waterfall - previously described as death-defying but which actually turned out to be no more than a couple of metres high - formed a long chain on our rubber rings and floated idly downriver in the dark, looking up at the ceiling twinkling with the light of thousands of glow worms. To finish, we turned our head torches off and had to navigate our way out in the pitch black (clearly these guides had little regard for health and safety; the tales of "near-drownings" begin to fall into place). Emerging outside, blinking and shivering, we headed back for hot showers, soup and toasted bagels. Just what the doctor ordered. Then, just when we thought things couldn't get any better, we discovered that the clocks go back one hour tonight so we get an extra hour in bed. Jackpot!
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