Road Trip on the North Island

So that last week has been pretty crazy between 4 days of road-tripping and 3 days of class so far. We left last Thursday at around 4 and picked up our red Toyota Yaris, the smallest car Toyota currently makes. It cost us $25 US a day and I don't think you could have lined up 25 one dollar bills end to end in that car. I happened to go with really tall people so I ended up feeling this most taking the middle seat for a good amount of the driving since the most confident driver was our smallest and I came in second. Nonetheless we started south to the town of National Park took about 4 hours and we had a pretty uneventful night, going to sleep early to rest up for our hike across the Tongariro Alpine Crossing next day.

The hostel/motel we stayed in provided a hardy breakfast, a diverse packed lunch, a steak dinner, a 30 minute spa (when they spa they mean access to a hot tub), transportation to and from the crossing, a t-shirt and two nights stay for $155 NZ or $78 US. It's a real steal considering the walk alone is the most fantastic 8 hours in nature you could imagine. I'm really just not a good enough a writer to give you a clue as to how unique and beautiful this place is. It's about 20km (12.5 miles) up and over an active volcano. You start out in these grassy hills and work your way up to these vast open dust fields and begin climbing the actual volcano and all the lava rock around it. From there you start to walk down into more wide open fields and out of nowhere these lakes appear. Out of nowhere is the best phrase for the whole thing because different scenery or landscape just literally pops up and doesn't seem to fit in with what's behind you. Anyways there are 4 lakes (maybe 5 but one just looked like a big a puddle from the recent rain). 3 of them make up the Emerald Lakes where we broke for lunch. The lakes are so vividly colored, the camera doesn't even do it justice. Also, there are sulfur vents everywhere because the lakes are adjacent to the largest (not highest though) crater on Mt. Ngauruhoe so finding a good place to eat lunch was a task in and of itself. From there you climb up a little more to the Blue Lake, a lake much bigger than the other three and a little above the other lakes at around 1800 meters up. After you get past this lake you sort of just end up in these Irish looking highlands and work your way down into the jungle. There's still sulfur spout out of the ground on your way down which really doesn't fit in but that's what makes it great. Really the best way to get an idea is look at my pictures thus far (I'll link them at the end of this post).

We did the crossing in about 7.5 hours including breaks. We got home at about 5 and soaked in the spa to relax before the best tasting (and bloodiest) steak I've ever had. Hunger really is the best spice there is. That night we wanted to see what the National Park nightlife was like so we walked to the only pub in town. Locals were watching rugby while we played pool and drank mugs of local beer at scarily cheap prices. That all said we were in bed by about 11 because we were so tired.

From National Park (FYI it got it's name because it was the first national park in NZ and maybe even the world but I'm not positive), we hit a down poor on our way to Lake Taupo, the biggest lake in NZ. I plan on going back there when it's clearer and skydiving if I work up the courage but we'll see. I'd even considering doing the crossing again because it was just that awesome. But anyways we played mini golf (I won by a stroke when one of my friends folded under pressure on the last hole) and ate lunch at an Asian take out. I've yet to really go and sit down at a real restaurant. Take is huge here and things close early. From there we drove north to Rotorua a place you can smell before you see. It's known for all of its geothermal wonders and Maori villages. Again it was raining so I only saw a water fall where one huge lake joins another huge lake and water just rushes through and it creates this teal color nothing like the color of the lakes. I'd also like to go back there. All things are kind of touristy but fun and it's only a few hours from me in Auckland. The Maori villages are supposed to be cool too. They're like Colonial Williamsburg, VA but for the native Maori culture.

We woke up after a night of BBQing and sleeping in a smelly room with two strangers (hostels are great) and it was a beautiful day. We had planned on going home by 4 that day but decided to rent the car an extra day and make the most of it. We started out Zorbing. Zorbing is pretty much jumping in a huge hamster wheel and running down a steep windy hill. There's water in the main compartment up to your knees (they change it every run so it's cleanish). You loose your balance and fall and then are pretty much subject to gravity and momentum. You toss and turn and jump and bounce and slip and fall. Sounds ridiculous but it's pretty awesome. If you ever wanted to know what a washing machine would be like...

After the Zorb we took gondolas up the side of the mountain outside or Rotorua and lodged. It was fun but after two runs down the track I was sick of it. The view was nice and it was an escape from the stench that is Rotorua. From there we drove east to the Coromandel Peninsula which juts out into the Pacific. We stopped at the Hot Water Beaches where hot gasses leak through the sand and if you dig deep down you can hit water and create a natural little hot tub. Sounds lame but it really was unique. The gas was so hot I burnt my toe but if you find the right spot it can be very relaxing. On the way home we pulled off at Hahie Beach to watch the sunset. Again just look at the pictures. It was pretty but I wish it was facing west instead of east. The last thing worth mentioning was the night sky on the drive back. I couldn't get a picture obviously but I've never seen more stars in my life.

We eventually made our way back to Auckland, had a late dinner, and passed out. Our last day was the longest but the whole trip was tiring. The whole trip was fun and for the most part being around new people for 24 hours for 3 days went well. I actually went with a diverse group of people. The US, Malaysia, Indonesia, Norway, and Canada were all represented on the trip. Some of the most fun came from talking to people from different places who all some how ended up in the same sardine can of a car on the North Island of New Zealand.

Getting back we wanted to take as long as possible because coming home meant facing the reality of class and a regular routine. I've had 3 of 4 of my classes thus far and they all seem to be very interesting. I'm excited and the teachers are very energetic. It helps I don't have to get an A down here since the grade doesn't transfer exactly. I feel like I've been writing forever so I'll call it quits. I'm heading out of town again this weekend on a camping trip out west. So the next time I find time to write I'll have more pictures hopefully.

The pictures are all the pictures I've taken since being here (well not all but several). I captioned most of them or at least captioned the first of a series of one place so hopefully it makes sense. Here's where you can find them.