Hopping from Hobbiton to bubbling mud, to the volcanic plateau that took our breath away.
Welcome to the spectacular New Zealand’s North Island where we will take you on our journey from the houses of the Hobbiton, the forest of Rivendell and the breathtaking volcano's.
New Zealand started off as our Honeymoon but we did not know this would be the start of our 10 month story. That excitement you feel when you are packed and ready to go, stepping onto the plane and then the G-force kick in as you start accelerating at over 300km/h. The flight had a layover in Singapore. We had 24 hours available and we spent them exploring Singapore and ended the evening off at Supertree Light Show.
We had arrived in Auckland and made our way through immigrations and then checked into a hotel to catch up on some rest. The next morning we woke and stopped to collect our rental from Avis Vehicle Hire (before leaving SA we went to the AA and got our international drivers license). We were on the road, heading (South) along the lush fields and mountains.
The North Island is filled with plenty free campsites, (which you can be located find on an app called Campermate) we had arrived at the camp site we chose earlier than we expected, amped for a hike we started to explore the forest. We spotted a map and while passing a friendly local. He recommended we stop at the 1000 year old tree and on the way there is a cave to explore.
The ambience in the forest is soothing with the sound of the insects and the chirping of the birds. We had not seen or heard anyone else for the last hour. We arrived at cave, standing in front of the entrance, looking at our phones with less than 15% battery and no torch. We were a bit nervous not knowing the depth of the cave. Carefully making our way into the cave, we must have walked only 50 meters and BAM! there was light at the end of the tunnel. We just looked at each other and laughed at how much we stressed over such a small cave, we were amused at our dramatic caution.
It was nearing 6pm and the sun still high in the sky, we had been walking for quite long and now I started getting nervous. I turned to Odette and insisted we are lost and should make our way back. We were now racing the sunset and had a few hours to make up. We literally ran through forest and finally we found the starting point- we gazed at the map we were on an 11 hour hike to the summit...this was a 2 day hike. All we could do was laugh, this was our first day exploring NZ and we nearly spent it sleeping in the middle of an unknown forest.
Next the anticipated Hobbiton. We purchased our tickets and group by group we were loaded onto a bus and taken to the movie set. A crew of people are employed to maintaining the plants and houses all year round. They take you through how the movie was filmed, what made this place special to be selected and what made them decide to build Hobbiton. The tour guide lets you re-enact the scene from the movie, The Hobbit where the character runs down the road shouting “I’m going on an adventure.” Hobbiton is a must if you loved Lord of the Rings.
Finding more stories to create we made our way to Waitomo glow worm caves. You hop on a little canoe and they take you along the river through a cave, honestly it is like being transported to another universe. You have never witnessed something like this in your life, no starry night can prepare you for what you REAL eyes are about to see.
We continued through the dessert road, passing signs indicating this is a military area and another saying strong winds as you felt the car being blown from side to side. We were heading to Taupo lake. We arrived, I parked facing the lake and woke Odette. As she looked out the window Odette said, “Babe is this the sea?” The lake is so big honestly it fools you into thinking you at the sea.
Odette being an animal lover, she spotted some swans. We walked towards them and they walked towards her. The chase began. Odette ran and we jumped in the car. We had watched far too many Youtube clips and knew what a swan is capable of. Taupo lake is really a lovely place and there is a little town there with activities, shops and tourist attractions.
Nearing Rotorua area, it was my birthday. We arrived to the free hot spring by 7.30 am which meant we had it all to ourselves. Putting on our costumes we climbed in. Steam all around you, the sun still on the rise and the sound of only nature.
We then made our way to Huka falls. Only about an hour hike to the falls and you could find it by just following the sound of the raging water flowing. When you reach the Huker Falls you almost gobsmacked by the sheer power of the water flowing below you. There are tourist activities there where you go on a jet boat that takes you right up to the falls.
The next day we drove to Craters of the moon, with the natural geysers all around, you can see the pockets of steam escaping upwards high into the sky. Craters of the moon is about R400 per person but this is worth it. With a 2 hour hike one-way where you pass bubbling hot mud, steaming green pools and an incredible turquoise pond. The colour is something you cannot explain and can only be witnessed with your real eyes. Rotorua is famous for its distinct strong sulphur smell. We found this entire volcanic plateau extremely interesting and enjoyable.
“We turned the corner, gazing to the left out the window. Odette was breathless, no words could escape her mouth. In front of us as a sight we will never forget, the magnificent Tongariro volcano.”
We made our way along Tongariro national park. We turned the corner, gazing out of the window and we were left breathless. Odette tried to speak but no words could escape her mouth. In front of us was the most magnificent sight, one we will never forget, Mt Tongariro volcano. We drove up Mt Ruapehu which is still active, you can see the volcanic steam escaping out of its side. It was so high-up the lids of the bottled sauces in the back of our car were popping open.
From there we went on one of the many free hikes and chose to seethe Silica Rapids, which is regiment from the minerals that are left behind in the stream leaving the rocks a creamy white and gold colour. We sat down to absorb what we were seeing and our surroundings. Imagine being seated in the quiet nature situated between two volcanos it honestly is not something many people in the world can say they have seen. This is defiantly something we will forever remember and be grateful to have seen.
Wellington, it's not called the windiest city in the world for nothing. It puts Port Elizabeth to shame. Spending quite a bit of time here, we managed to hike Red Rocks, where you walk along the sea until you reach some seals basking in the sun amongst the rocks. I hesitantly edge my way closer to the seals to get a selfie before the seal barked at me, I fumbled, slipping to get traction, making my way as far away as possible from those large teeth .
One of our favourite hikes in Wellington is Makara. Not the easiest hike but the view at the top is worth every step it takes to make your way to the top of the mountain. Reaching the top, you can see some historical sites of the war and the lookouts that was built for the soldiers during the war. Along the way you walk next to a wind turbine which towers into the sky. This hike is prohibited on very windy days as there is a risk of being blown off the cliff.
Few other things we did in Wellington:
There is a beautiful Botanical garden that is free to walk through if you spend a little bit of money you can take a cable car from the city centre to the Botanical garden.
The Te Papa Museum which is honestly out of this world, with 4 floors each with a different theme. You can spend 4 whole days there and possibly still not have read or viewed everything. The most realistic statues, dinosaur bones, skeletons and an earthquake simulator. The best part is this is all free and totally worth it if you into museums. At this time we had never experienced a real earthquake only some mine tremors in South Africa so we were kind of hoping to experience it as New Zealand sits on a fault line.
We hear this rumbling roar out of nowhere, deeper than thunder coming towards us. You then hit with a jolt and everything starts to rattle, you can feel the intense shockwave move through you. We experienced two (luckily not big) earthquakes while in New Zealand. The second one, Odette was at home alone, everything started to rattle as the house gave good shake, it leaves this feeling of respect for nature. Hard to comprehend it’s actually the earth beneath your feet moving!
Wellington is really great, a bit like Cape Town to be honest, everyone chilled and quaint coffee shops everywhere. Wellington in particular we found is EXPENSIVE so spend your money and time wisely.
If you planning to visit New Zealand’s North Island enjoy the freedom and safety that South Africa does not offer.
Comments