Sailing away!

Having late(r) flights are seriously a luxury. Stark contrast to Annie’s 4am departure to the airport, I got to “sleep in” and run at the Auckland Domain again. I ran past the museum this time, getting a near 360 degree view of the place. The sunrise was beautiful and on my way back I took the full length of Lover’s Walk which was like a little piece of forest in the middle of the city.

Gorgeous.

Bye, bye Auckland!

Waiting, rather running, to the bus stop I saw a girl from our Hobbiton tour. Completely random.

Atlanta, here I come!

Well... he wanted to go to Fiji…

It was a little weird having a day with theoretically nothing on the agenda. In ten minutes that changed dramatically. 

Last night I had fully planned on going to church this morning at 10… but then I picked up a flyer on Rangitoto island, which is a short 25 minute ferry ride away from the Auckland wharf. So naturally I planned my entire day last night in the blink of an eye. 

The run this morning was twirly to give it a technical term. I spent way too much time getting completely lost past Albert park by taking the wrong turn (or rather no turn at all) to go directly to the Auckland Domain. I ended up running by the Fonterra building which is the international dairy company that I’m dying to do research (or work) for. Serendipity?

Finally orienting myself, and wishing I had brought my GPS instead of my camera, I ran through the University of Auckland campus (another place I wanted to go to) which was so adorable. While it is situated in the heart of Auckland, it’s completely homey. All the buildings are reminiscent of the quaint wooden Victorian style homes in old Marietta. The political science building looks like something right off of Whitlock Ave! I could also see the Old Arts Building and the Clock Tower which added to the unique architecture. 

Strange enough, to reach the Auckland Domain which is a massive green space, it’s mandatory to cross over a massive highway. I mean, Atlanta style roadworks, not New Zealand standards. A bit ironic, really. The domain is beautiful, I’m sure it would be even better given the proper weather conditions. The rain was spitting on and off which was tolerable but it made for some crummy picture conditions. Setting foot on the park path, I veered to take some photos of the pukekos which were pecking about in the grass and managed to catch a MASSIVE worm. I mean, epic. Running deeper into the property, I found the duck pond, winter garden, lover’s walk and a boardwalk. I went from running underneath oak-like trees to deep in a rainforest track with waterfalls. It was a varied park: it even had a military museum in the center. From the fragments and blurbits that I recall of DC it reminded me of the area because of the massive trees and the architecture. The winter gardens were unfortunately closed until 9 but then again I think I should have gotten my garden fix back in Australia.

I'm a sucker for gardens

Not letting a second go to waste, I stole the handicap shower at Base Auckland and got ready for the day. I meandered down to the Queen’s wharf, past the gorgeous Ferry Building, bought my ticket for the ferry and headed over to esquires for a morning coffee. I sipped on the deliciousness while pouring over the map of Rangitoto that came with my ticket. After scoping out a sushi place for dinner (helllooooo after lunch sales) I hopped on board the ferry: island-bound. The captain gave us a great tour of the harbor including the Auckland Harbor Bridge and the Princes wharf. Unfortunately the ladies behind me were chatting with extreme volume.. and I couldn’t hear half of what the captain said. Although he did point out a lighthouse in the middle of the bay which prior to 1912 had to have someone in it at all times to keep the light attended to.

Finally after enduring the piercing cold wind, the ferry reached the terminal. Getting off without a second to spare, I veered left on the pathway, bound for Flax Point which plays host to a black back gull colony. After tramping all the way out there over every miserable sharp lava rock, no birds. Nothing. Lucky for me the scenery was just gorgeous enough to make up for the lack of resident avians. Along the way there were all sorts of historic homes situated along the shore. Their residents have got to be the luckiest people alive- living on Rangitoto… what a dream.

Rain jacket: check. Umbrella: check. Game face: check.

Making the hike up to the summit a priority, I headed up the hill. Mind you, a very big hill. Stopping a few times to take in the scenery and read a bit about the place I learned about some rock types (aka lava, most is aa lava) as well as some little facts about the area. There are about 50 cones and craters all within 6 km of Rangitoto. That’s a LOT. Rangitoto is the newest and the most unmodified of the 50, being about 600 years old. The place is a conservation area, run by the loved Department of Conservation and is full of rat traps. The kiwis hate rodents and marsupials alike. When I say hate I mean a deep burning hatred which makes me wonder if the roadkill possums were on purpose or an accident…

Death to the rodents!

I took the long way to reach the top, being sure to see everything around the crater before actually hitting the peak. I took Wilson’s Park Track around to reach the outer edge of the crater which was very woodsy, full of kidney ferns among other types of ferns. On the other side of the crater, I took the time to meet an Australian from Melbourne while I was exploring the lava caves. Yes, that’s right. There were caves formed by lava who knows how long ago and they recommend that people bring headlamps (“torches”) to do some off-roading. Not expected to need my headlamp in broad daylight, I neglected to bring it along but instead used the red pre-flash light on my camera which got me through the pitch black cave to the other side.

Salvation!

Leaving the caves behind, I took a tour about the crater which was WINDY. The tropical storm had decided to hit full force at that instant and left me windblown and cold. I went from short sleeves and shorts to shivering underneath my raincoat. Sad. 

I finally made it to the peak, which really didn’t mean a whole lot. Several other people were waiting in the sketchy old military building for the skies to clear. I met a family from Auckland who made fun of my accent (not hard) when I tried to pronounce “Coromandel”. I called it “Coro-man-dell” where the kiwi way to say it is “Coromandul” (say it like you’re trying to get it over with). Throw in a few y’alls and I’m the stereotypical southerner. I am what I am.

Waiting for the weather to change, I met another group comprised of about a half dozen six year old boys and the birthday boy’s mother. She explained to me, laughing, that her son wanted to go to Fiji for his birthday so she jumped at the idea of taking him to Rangitoto for a hike instead. It was precious seeing all the little kids run and take it all in. I would have loved that as a kid. Giving up on the hopes of seeing anything I headed back down for a bit until the weather cleared up. When the rains parted, I booked it back up the hill for a view round two. SUCCESS! I now completely can comprehend why they call Auckland the “City of Sails”.

The view onto the other isle

Having used up almost all my time, I made the descent back down (after getting lost first) to the main wharf. Exhausted, I plopped down in the middle of the inside part of the ferry, ready for Auckland. Upon my return I did some shopping, picked up sushi and headed back to write!

Get fire wise

Ever stand under a tin roof when it’s pouring and hear how deafening the rain is? Try sleeping under it.

 The night was full of gusting winds and pouring rain, an unpleasant experience for both Annie and I. However, the weather was about tenfold better than our last few locations temperature-wise. The run this morning was more suburban than the usual jaunt; I ran outside of the Settler’s campgrounds and simply followed the sound of the ocean. The beach would have been spectacular given the right circumstances, but for this morning it was gloomy. There were a few islands just off the shore which were covered in native forest- so unique. The seagulls were having a blast riding the wind despite the spits of rain. The rain was coming and going, and I got stuck in it for a bit but then it lightened up again. Heading back towards town, I ran the main strip to take in a bit of the local culture. Much of what I saw screamed surf town which makes sense considering that the beach itself is known as a surfer’s paradise. As I headed up the main strip I took note of the kiwi fire station which, unlike ours, was painted in vibrant colors and read “c’mon guys, get fire wise”. As distracting as the painting was, I was even more intrigued by the playground behind the station. Without a second thought, I leapt onto the “adventure” playground (for big kids I’m sure) and attempted to conquer each of the different monkey-bar obstacles in turn. What I didn’t realize is that the firemen, mid-breakfast, were all watching, mouths open. I’m sure they were wondering what a fresh out of college 21 year old was doing playing on a playground. They’re just jealous.

Our firestations are so lame.

Given the fact that NZ was being hit by a tropical storm, Annie and I opted to take the quick route back to Auckland and cut Cathedral Cove. It’s a pity, really, but since we had to be sure to have the van back by 4:30 and the weather was just horrid, it was the best decision. It was nice though, as we drove through the Coromandel Forest Park the recent downpours provided plenty of waterfalls for us to oogle at as I guided Congo around the many, many curves through the mountains. If you imagine Jurassic Park, that’s pretty close to what we drove though today.

Just on the side of the road. Whatever. It's normal.

Once we reached a more tame area, the landscape resumed to rolling green hills and cows and sheep as far as the eye can see. This scenery continued until we reached a highway closer to Auckland where we stopped to clean out Congo. This was an arduous process, since the non-stop-on-the-go lifestyle didn’t give us much, really any, time to keep him tidy.

Coming back into Auckland was bittersweet, it was good to know that I would be sleeping in a building and not have to go outdoors in the elements to cook or shower, but I really hate cities and leaving the countryside. Auckland on a sunny day (it actually got nice for us) is a pretty wonderful place to behold and I’m looking forward to exploring tomorrow.

It's not raining in Auckland... WHAT?!

Hello Panda

Morning came entirely too quickly. You know this is true when the alarm goes off and you find yourself completely disoriented, unaware of what day it is, much less where you are. We had a scrambly morning, yet for being 6am it was relaxing, trying to make sure we had everything. Elizabeth introduced me to the crumpet which is more or less a hybrid between an English muffin and a pancake: yeasty and doughy and delicious. Hitting the road promptly by 7am, I was only too grateful for the tea I drank in copious quantities.

 

The drive to Matamata was uneventful in comparison to all the amazing scenery we’ve had thus far. We did cross a fault line on the way out of Elizabeth’s but we had no idea where it actually was… just that it existed and we crossed it. However, on the way out of Taihape we drove on the eastern side of Tongariro national park which gave us some spectacular views of the mountains. The areas around the peaks was desert, the Rangipo desert,  but not like the sort we normally think of;  these were desert regions due to the presence of the volcanoes. This area is also known as Mordor, or at least the outskirts of it. We also drove past Lake Taupo, a volcanic lake that was formed in 186 when a massive eruption took place and shot up the stone 30 miles into the air. Apparently people around the world wrote about it including the Romans. Wild!

Super comforting. "At any time explosions can occur on either side of the road"

 We somehow managed to squeak into the Shire’s Rest Café literally with no time to spare. The tour began at 11:05… we arrived at 11:02. Just enough time to run to the bathroom, which were hobbit themed, and get our tickets!

The tour began with a leisurely drive out to the Alexander’s farm to the set. Peter Jackson’s crew began re-building for the Hobbit filming in February of this year and lucky for us, Peter got a little sick and they can’t begin actual filming there until November though everything is ready to go. I feel bad for the poor mastermind, but thanks to him not feeling so good we got to take the tour. We were able to see every aspect of Hobbiton, all 40 hobbit holes, the party tree, the green dragon, the newly built stone bridge (the one in the LotR film was styrofoam) and quite a few little gardens. Our guide pointed out some important film spots including where Gandalf set off the fireworks for the children, where Bilbo gave his speech (Annie and I have a great photo there), where Merry and Pippin quarreled, and of course- BAG END! It was amazing. It was like the hobbits had gone on vacation and left the property for us to check out!  We also got a sheep shearing demonstration from a very very attractive kiwi. Then I got to feed little lambs before realizing that I had left the lights on AGAIN and the battery was dead. Lucky for me, the sheep shearing guy jumped the car. What a way to leave the Hobbiton tour….

Feeding the sheepies!

From Matamata, Annie and I hit pedal to the metal and headed to Rotorua. Even nearing the town the entire ground steamed. Looking out into the forest were patches of steam that seemed to come from the middle of nowhere. We checked out the town, reeking of sulfur, and then headed south again from there to the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland (I didn’t make this name up) where I took the whirlwind tour bolting from one spectacle to the next, snapping photos at rapid speed. Annie took a little drive about the area, looking at the surrounds and finding thermal pools. The park itself was amazing-  steam and bubbles from every corner of the 18 square kilometers. My personal favorites had to be the Lake Ngakoro waterfall or the Devil’s Bath. The former of the two was a cascading waterfall of hot thermal water (some upwards of 100 degrees C- YIKES!) and the latter being a still pool of water with a neon green hue. The park boasted sulfur caves, a greenish opal pool, geysers, and steam as far as the eye could see. I also stumbled upon (not in thank goodness) the Champagne pool which is the iconic red shore that comes up in so many photos of Rotorua surrounds. On the way back into town Annie and I stopped at the mud pool which was literally as it sounds: a giant pool of boiling grey mud. Exciting.

The steam seemed to come from nowhere!

The rest of the night we occupied with mad chases for dried fruit (delicious here), hello pandas (Annie’s favorite food EVER), meringue/pavlova (I don’t even want to know how much I’ve eaten on this trip), and McDonalds. All three: success.

Trying to get an edge in for tomorrow’s trek, we drove up to Whangamata which consisted of windy bits and curves that were unimaginable. Taking these at about 25 km/hr was necessary, something that I prefer not to do, especially when a local is riding your bumper. The winds here are unbelievable considering as I write this the van is actually shaking back and forth from the gusts: this is what we were driving in, in the dark, up and down a mountain, possibly (likely) on a cliff. But before hitting up these lovely pathways at warp speed, we drove by a town of Te Puke, where a few km south of it is a GIANT fluorescent kiwi. It was fabulous.

The Party Tree

Pahiatua was an interesting place to run this morning, a little sleepy town, slow to start. I ran throughout the main drag which didn’t take long. During the run I heard all sorts of various birds chirping at one another and on my way back to the luxurious “carnival park” (yes, the actual name) there was sheep as far as the eye could see. No surprise there. Of course, as is typical, as soon as I headed back to Congo, I noticed a little gate in Carnival Park- a scenic reserve designated by none other than the Department of Conservation. Taking a minor detour on the way back to the van, I ran throughout the reserve, darting in and out of giant tree ferns and felled trees, trying not to get lost. The park was a rainforest, better termed an absolute maze.

It's about time I posted a photo of Congo's interior

During breakfast, Annie and I got to talking to a resident of the park about America. Unusual as it seems, he had a thick Scottish accent and a love for American history that I feel only a select few have. He had a number of speeches given by American presidents memorized, a rarity in our own country.

Not wanting to spend too much time in one place, we headed west towards Palmerston North (aka Palmy) and then pointed north from there. Palmerston North is home to Massey University, a well-known collegiate center in NZ especially for agricultural studies. I want to go.

The normal scenery- so blase. Ha!

Somehow the time seemed to disappear today; it certainly doesn’t help being here in the winter when the sun sets no later than 5. We finally reached Taihape, and did some shopping around. Here they are all about their cities being the capital of something- in Taihape’s case it’s the gumboot. Apparently back in the day the Taihape residents, today there are 2000, used to get massive amounts of rain (and thus needed the boots) and to keep themselves occupied they would throw gumboots as far as they could across the paddocks. What a great way to entertain. We did a few errands in town and then headed back south to see the Rangitikei River where there is a massive bungy jumping spot. The view of the bridge was spectacular; it’s no wonder why the LotR film crew opted to use it for the River Anduin in the films. This riverside (if you can call a 20 meter drop a riverside) was a fantastic spot for a picnic lunch which is coming a bit of a norm for us.

Kiwi thought: mountain in the way. Time to grab the explosives.

People voluntarily jump off the bridge into this.

Time being of the essence, we made a stretch to see Tongariro national park, but only made it as far as Okahune. Okahune was a lovely little village that just screamed ski resort. Little did we know, but we were very fortunate to see Mt. Ruapehu as well as Mt. Tongariro and Mt. Ngauruhoe since these three are often shrouded in cloud cover. All of these were previously (or still are) volcanoes; one of which erupted in 1995, covering the surrounds in ash. The place was absolutely frigid, only too appropriate. The greeting into the city was a giant fiberglass carrot, since the city is known as the carrot capital of NZ. Weird.

Mt. Ruapehu in all of it's glory. Stunning! On the east side is a desert.

 Trying to make it to our next destination by nightfall, we drove back to Taihape as fast as we could, abiding by all the traffic laws of course, and followed Elizabeth’s directions to her house. Following the directions, we found their home after driving around many “curvy bits” and passing a teeny little village, population 100. Elizabeth is Annie’s boyfriend’s mom’s best friend. Try saying that five times fast. She’s a southern belle from Georgia and her husband is a native kiwi (can I have her life please?). The pair invited us to stay at their farm here in the middle of nowhere, NZ (the official name of course) and it has been absolutely phenomenal.

Reaching the farm, we were greeted by Mark and his crew of stock dogs while he was out feeding some of the animals. Elizabeth greeted us both with open arms, far exceeding our expectations of anything we could have imagined. Their gorgeous country home was filled with warmth from the two fireplaces that they had running for us. Elizabeth fed us appetizers and kawakawa New Zealand tea while telling us all about their Romney sheep and other farm occupants. Mark also told me stories about the ’95 ash which covered the area back in the day. Since this region is so close to the volcano(es), all the trees around here are actually planted. We passed the time before dinner sipping on pinot noir courtesy of Australia and chatting around the fire. I made good friends with their indoor dog, Bailey who was very snuggly and loved having new playmates. I even retrieved the frisbee that the campervan company gave us- I’m sure she will enjoy it much more than Annie or I ever will!

They welcomed us into their home like family- I will never forget them! I hope I can go back soon!! :)

Dinner was quite an event in itself. Elizabeth made us roasted kumara (the orange sort), pumpkin, onions, potatoes as well as leeks in a cream sauce, green beans, and the roast lamb. The lamb itself was delicious; it absolutely melted in my mouth. She also made gravy to accompany the lamb and I’m glad she insisted that I try it. SO GOOD. It was great eating a meal that didn’t come from a can or a bag. REAL FOOD! And for dessert we tried some ripe fejoas, a treat that I haven’t had in three years. Fejoas taste near to a pear, but much more “perfumed” as Elizabeth described it. I would say that they have a pear’s texture combined with an apple’s sweetness and with a heavy floral note. Wonderful. Just GREAT!

Early morning tomorrow- we’ve got to make it to Matamata in time for a… HOBBITON TOUR!!!

The rocks are moving...

They weren’t kidding when they said that Harcourt Holiday Park was next to Harcourt Park. On my run this morning I literally stumbled onto the place. Running through the park I crossed some earthquake fault lines on my way down to the Hutt River. I ran along the riverside, taking in the view of the rocky river to my left surrounded by native forest dotted with tree ferns. It would be incredibly easy to picture LotR’s Aragorn lying on the creek bed after being in the heat of battle. After all, they did film that clip in the Hutt River!

Harcourt's autumn trees

Harcourt Park was quite tiny, much smaller than I had imagined but beautiful. It was much greener than I had originally thought, and was covered in lush grass. Part of the park was designated for frisbee golf- it made for some interesting running paths. 

Ever-planning (I don’t stop), I poured over maps and guidebooks at breakfast. Given our time constraints I opted to cut the Putangirua Pinnacles which would have been another 3-4 hour’s drive out of our “way”. Instead we will be seeing more of the east coast than originally planned. Or that’s what I had thought.

After Annie and I had breakfast we headed back over to Harcourt Park where I made a spectacle of myself tramping around in circles, talking to myself, trying to find the exact location of the Isenguard gardens as well as two clips of trees being felled in the film. I was indeed successful.

Where Gandalf talked to Saurman

On our way out of the gardens, we were distracted by the giant sized swing set which came equipped with a “Flying Fox”. What is a flying fox you might ask? It is the BEST SWINGSET ADDITION IN THE WORLD. We wasted plenty of time zipping back and forth, time well spent.

Annie feeling the G forces!

The next little bit of our tour was spent finding various scene locations around the area including some river bank scenes, and the one where Aragorn was actually washed ashore. We drove up to Kaitoke park where we found the real Rivendell, as it still keeps the name. Taking some time to explore a bit, we crept across a swinging bridge into a rainforest as well as climbed around some gigantic rocks into the creek bed.

Rivendell

Swinging bridges are everywhere!

Desperately low on gas, we set off praying for a convenient gas station to be nearby. Lucky for us, the rest of this segment of the road was MOUNTAINS. Not only mountains, but mountains under construction, and such high winds that the van rattled as it hugged the precariously situated roads carved into the mountainside. The entire drive consisted of me biting my lip going between checking the speed, the mirrors, and the fuel status and Annie holding her breath or squealing in terror. Featherston wasn’t too far off the base of the hill which was a relief as we cruised into the Mobil with no gas to spare. The man at the station was extremely helpful and asked if I had been to the southern coast. This is the very same area that I told him I had cut off the schedule today. He insisted that today would be a glorious day to see the coast and that I had no excuse not to pay it a visit. It didn’t take much convincing: Putangirua Pinnacles, a lighthouse, and a fur seal colony. When I asked if the seals would be out at this time of year, he simply replied that I would have to try very hard not to step on the creatures as they were so plentiful.  

So, with new instructions in mind, we re-evaluated the plans and headed south. It wasn’t a long drive, but once we got to the coast it was windy and full of one-way bridges. Veering off the coastal road, we headed for the pinnacles. We stopped to have a picnic lunch, sitting on the floorboard of the van, before hiking out into the riverbed. The pinnacles themselves were a little farther back into the ravine, but were absolutely incredible to see. It is probably the most stunning geological formation that I’ve ever seen. And I mean... ever. That’s saying something. The components of the peaks were mixes of rock which was very unstable to the touch. I’m shocked that we didn’t witness an all-too-common rockslide while in the area. Here the LotR crew filmed the segments for the Dimholt road, or for you non-nerdy types, the place where Aragorn and company go to recruit the green people. For you real non-nerdy types, you probably shouldn’t be reading this.

Path to the Paths of the Dead

See that tiny little dot?

Continuing our trek south, we went over a lot of gravel roads with interspersed patches of normal cement. In one of the towns there was a large line of bulldozers, each attached to its own personal towing apparatus for large boats. In this same town we also found a cow on the side of the road, gone rogue, chewing on the grass next to the sea.

Since we had already come so far, and made it across so many roads that we probably shouldn’t have driven on, we reached the end of the road before we headed back. Cape Palliser is a beautiful, rugged, place where the mountains meet the sea. The coast is rocky, treacherous and is constantly accompanied by the sounds of crashing waves meeting the shore. From the seaside, it was possible to spot the south island (more specifically Marlborough Sounds) as well as a mountain of which remains nameless. We stopped to get a photo of the lighthouse before heading back to the rocky outcropping. In said outcropping I suspected the seals would be there but I had no notion of just how many there were. Venturing into this “seal-paradise” I stumbled upon the seal nursery where one big, giant, momma seal watched over at least a dozen smaller juveniles.

A bit of a hike to the top

The seal nursery: best playground ever!

 Wanting to explore the greener areas of the cape, I started to walk in among the rocks. Peering out into the environs to spot some seals, I no more than looked to my left when I was met face to face with a lounging seal, staring me straight in the eye. I let out a scream and clambered up the nearest rock where a moment of hesitation allowed me to see just how many there actually were. The rocks seemed to move- just like ground seems when observing an anthill.

Minimal zoom. I think I interrupted his nap with my screams...

Not wanting to leave, but fully aware that we didn’t want to drive the coast at night (hello… one way bridges), we departed Cape Palliser. Of course, we snagged some excellent sunset photos before we left!

That's the other side of the North Island

Don't want to be driving this at night! This is the safer segment of the road.

So, not knowing where we were staying for the night, I being the pilot pointed north with Annie at navigation. She luckily came across a place in Pahiatua (adorable little town) which provided us a place to park for $8 a person. Not too bad for bathrooms, showers, a kitchen AND a tv!

Get off the road, quick!

Another day, another run. Except this morning I decided to run downhill, mind you, to the Aotea Lagoon park. It was a cute little place, completely populated with white geese, quite reminiscent of James Herriott scenery. There was also an adorable little windmill, and, despite the horribly terribly long and drawn out hill that I ran back up on the return trip, there was a great view of Porirua. 

The morning went on a little slower than intended but the day progressed all the same. We arrived in Wellington in just enough time to hunt for parking (easier said than done) and meet up with Logan and some of his friends. The crew gave us a Wellingtonian tour of Te Papa which was both comical and informative. They showed us where the best interactive exhibits were as well as pointed out some rather unconventional displays, even one that is supposed to play host to a sweater-wearing sheep in the near future. Interesting.

We also took some time to see the gardens attached to Te Papa which, having seen the authentic New Zealand wilderness via Congo, was a bit yawn-esque. 

From Te Papa, Annie and I drove in maddening circles trying to find our way up to the Mt. Victoria lookout. With the help of some serious map skills and a handy iPhone GPS, we were there in a matter of minutes. It was a steep climb, full of drop-offs and very narrow streets with inadequate parking. Not a surprise. 

Once we reached the lookout we walked around and absorbed the view. It was just spectacular- you could see for miles around! At the peak of the lookout we ran into another American pair, these two from Philadelphia. Ironically, they attend school at the same University that Annie is going to do her teach for America training… not only that but he also just got done studying abroad in Brisbane. The world is very, very small.

A beautiful city!

Continuing on down Alexandra Street, we headed towards some of the famed film spots for The Fellowship of the Ring. We saw the location, and walked around there, where Frodo warned the rest of the hobbits to get off the road before the Nazgul came. Clambering up the hill, I sat in the film spot for the following scene where the hobbits hid from the Nazgul underneath the tree roots. Annie and I also skillfully stalked another tour group where we found where they had filmed the hobbits finding mushrooms previous to the other two scenes and a third film site where Frodo and Sam watched the elves leaving. Of course, the last one is the extended edition.

Nazgul?

I wouldn't want to get off this road- too pretty!

Leaving the Mt. Victoria area, we went over to Miramar and saw the Weta Cave. This little house-like mini-museum is close to a LotR, Narnia, Last Samurai, Kingdom of Heaven (does it get better?) shrine. They had the original Sauron chain mail and armor as well as all the sword props from the movies. I also got the privilege of making the acquaintance of an Uruk-hai.

Friendly bloke, really. My new BFF.

Driving back through town, Annie and I drove past the Oriental Parade and passed the Beehive (Parliament building) before heading north to Upper Hutt. We didn’t get as lucky with this campground, but at least it has showers, a kitchen and bathroom. I really can’t complain.

That is the luckiest cow in the world.

I thought I had felt cold before. I was wrong. 

Last night was about as close to unbearably cold as a human can get. The entire night I remained in a sort of semi-slumber, somewhere in between asleep and awake, fully aware of how freezing my feet were. When I awoke (officially) after having fallen off the bed into the crack between the floorboard and the door, in a mummy sleeping bag no less (I should have been named “Grace”), my feet were completely numb until I started my morning run through the most beautiful rainforest trails. 

I started my run by crossing the Paetahi stream and merged into some glorious trails that wound around ferns and moss-covered trees. The entire first portion of my run I constantly wondered when I was going to see Mt. Egmont. I kept trying to orient myself, wondering which way I should look when all of the sudden the trail opened up next to a cow pasture. In the distance was Mt. Egmont, a clear view. The mountain absolutely commands attention, it’s impossible to miss.

Continuing my run, I provided some serious entertainment for the cattle in the adjacent pasture that curiously looked on as I hopped from grass patch to grass patch, avoiding the mud that the late rains had brought. I also stopped to cross a lovely sketchy swinging bridge which was erected in 1902 to honor King Edward VII. What a glorious way to start the day!

Leaving Stratford, Annie and I went on a wild goose chase to find the perfect location to snap pictures of Mt. Egmont. Luck presided and we snapped some great ones before heading southwards toward Hawera. Checking in at a local McDonalds for an internet fix, we pressed on as fast as possible to squeeze in as much as we could. Don’t fret Mom, I’m only going 100 km/hr. 

After passing breathtaking view after view we made another stop in Wanganui which was an absolutely delightful little town. We quickly ran in to the Park n’ Save which had ALL kinds of candies, dried fruits, chocolates… fruits, vegetables… heaven. Like Costco… but better. 

Pressing onwards we finally made it to Waitarere, a teeny tiny little town, another one easily missed by an excessively long yawn or possibly blinking. We pulled off the side of the read to hop a fence, completely legal I’m sure, and enter into the plantation forest where many shots of the Trollshaw and Arwen walking through the trees took place. Taking a few last-minute photos of Nintendo mushrooms, we headed back out again racing the daylight to make it to Otaki Gorge. 

Fortunately we made it to the Gorge on time, passing sheep and cattle, where they had filmed leaving of the Shire in the first of the trio of Lord of the Rings movies. This was the area where they filmed the It was quite easy to picture Frodo, Sam and Gandalf tramping around the wooded area before bidding one another adieu as the place was rugged and full of lush greenery and trees. We also drove by mountains, waterfalls and even crossing a ford before we hit the really difficult part of the trail. The road was gravel, narrow, and consisted of many sheer drop offs- each time put Annie into a near heart attack. The child part of me took each turn with a bit of excitement, not allowing myself to dream of the consequences.

That's a road, I promise.

Finally we reached the gorge itself, well really we drove alongside it the entire way, but this location had a great bridge for us to cross where we could go play in the creek! The water was crystal clear, and consisted of a large pebble bottom, offering glorious views of the underlying streambed. The river itself looked like a shot out of the movies and for all we know it certainly could have been.

No fear!

Gorgeous waterfall into the Otaki river.

 Leaving the gorge we were again racing the sun for a spectacular sunset. I’d say we made it.

You can't see him, but there's a cow there.

In need of somewhere to stay, Annie and I stopped again at a McDonald’s (the third one today) to check the internet. We decided to wing it, heading to Porirua to stop for the night. By happy mistake we found some signs for the Aotea Campgrounds where Annie managed to talk the excessively nice owner down from a $27 fee for our van to a $15 fee. She has a new job on this trip.

The campground owner is possibly the nicest person yet, and that’s say a lot for the Kiwis. We have yet to meet an unfriendly person here, they all seem to want to stop and chat! 

Annie and I wasted no time in using our stove to cook a wonderful spaghetti dinner (hooray! It’s hot!) and settled down to watch Shorthand Street, on the only channel (of three) that was playing a TV show rather than TV noise or an infomercial. That program was terrible. The acting was so laughable that it was hard to follow the storyline. It was more or less a terrible form of Private Practice (which I already don’t favor) or Grey’s Anatomy. Just plain painful.

 

So now, here I sit enjoying the semi-indoors and watching a local play darts while hearing information about (another) horrendous earthquake in Christchurch. I got the opportunity to talk to a local about his family who is now moving to Welly due to the quakes! It’s a tight knit community on the campgrounds, everyone seems so friendly. They even have a little dart "league" in the community, the youngest player being about 12 or so. He was practicing while I was eating dinner- just adorable.

As usual tomorrow is up in the air- all part of the adventure!

That’s weird. The mountain is named Rob Tucker. Oh wait. Nevermind.

So, after moving our car to a less conspicuous location, the cop car came. Uh-oh.

In his delightful kiwi accent he asked me what we were doing… and then I put on my tiniest, most pathetic little voice and told him we had no idea where the camper park was and had nowhere else to go. He gave me a little bit of a loathing but understanding look, said it really wasn’t okay but “OK” and drove off. Well played.

In the middle of the night apparently it absolutely poured. I was sound asleep through it, enduring my nightmare about people coming and mugging us. Cozy. 

This morning was foggy, but it was incredible seeing the beach from where we had parked. Brushing my teeth while looking out onto the ocean and seeing the day slowing grow lighter was just fantastic. Heeding the words of the policeman, Annie and I left Raglan promptly after getting ready for the day.

The morning view

Next stop: Bridal Veil Falls. We drove for a good 13 km off the “highway” before reaching a middle-of-nowhere carpark where I haphazardly left Congo while we hiked to the falls.

The view opposite the park entrance

The gravel walkway meandered through the ferns and over a muddy creek until we reached the dropoff. 

Breathtaking. 

This stunning waterfall actually drops 55 meters until it reached the pool at the bottom, 5 meters deep, occupied with eels and fish. Annie and I took some timid photos from the top lookout before climbing down the 261 steps to the bottom vantage point.

It's big.

The view from halfway down

Thoroughly pleased with our decision to stop and see the falls, we headed back to our awaiting Congo. We both plopped in the seats, ready to go. I turned the key. NOTHING. Dummy here had left the lights on. 

Annie, much better with motor vehicles than I, began to look for jumper cables. Me, being the more panicky sort, immediately thought of the worst case scenario and did a mental checklist of how much food and water we had to get us through a day of walking to find help. As Annie was rummaging through the van (something we should have done before departing from Auckland…) I waved down a car. The truck, speeding along, smoothly swerved into our little parking spot and had a look. He greeted us heartily with a smile and exclaimed, “What did you two do this time?” Without a second thought he told us he would return in 5 with jumper cables.

In the meantime, another park-goer planted her rental car next to us. The woman was from Germany, surprisingly Heidelberg! Without getting too much more information from her, our savior, Zaine returned with jumper cables and his daughter Zara in the passenger seat. In a quick blink he had our car running and raring to go! What a blessing!

Calming down from the aforementioned panic attack, we journeyed south through several little towns and got stuck behind an adorable old lady. Just precious… but SLOW. Now I know how all the other kiwis feel as they zip by us at warp speed. 

Driving along, we traveled for hours through winding mountain roads speckled with rock fall warnings and a few little tunnels. We passed through several scenic reserves which practically take over the half the land here- no complaints from me. Of course it was dotted with patches of cattle and sheep as well as sheer cliffs, valleys, rolling hills.. the list never ends.

Stopping in a local town along the western coast we made a little pit stop for photos. Feeling the time crunch, we didn’t stop long until another “OOOHHH” moment came up right before the official “Three Sisters” stop.

Just hanging out.. on the side of the highway

After what seemed like forever and a day, we finally reached New Plymouth which was like an industrial surf town. We wanted to see the Sugar Loaf Islands, a marine park, so we continued to drive in circles, abiding by the frustrating one-way streets (I got to drive on the right side of the road!) when we finally gave up and drove straight. Seeing as it was 4pm already I felt quite defeated having missed seeing some GIANT islands. Annie saw a sign reading “Beach, 2km”. She recommended we turn, settling for “generic” beach scenes instead of turning around completely empty handed. 

Right as we passed the cow pasture, we saw it. Somehow again we managed to literally accidently find our intended location. How this keeps happening, I don’t know, but it surely is a blessing. 

I’ll try not to waste my breath on how amazing the sights were, but instead let the pictures show you a little. It’s quite hard to explain though, since it was just so spectacular. 

Along the way we saw a beached blue-bottle and stopped to chat with a cute old man walking his dog. The beach was near vacant but dotted here and there with families and their canine companions.

Perfect timing

Annie taking in the scenery

Absolutely terrifying in the water

Glorious

Reaching the end of the beach, we did some rock climbing along the edges before it began to rain, watching the glass green waves crash against the gigantic rock face. The sights were so incredible it was hard to make myself head back along the sparkling black sand.

End of the line

Freezing, wet, and confused we drove over to the McDonalds, as any American does, to get some internet. We were able to connect with the real world for a bit and then headed further south, to Stratford.

Now Stratford is interesting. It’s a little town with Shakespeare lights and a small glockenspiel which plays scenes from Romeo and Juliet. The streets are named from Shakespearian plays and if you blink, it’s likely you’d miss the town entirely. 

Arriving a lucky 15 minutes before the next playing of the “famed” glockenspiel, Annie and I awaited the moment with excitement. Finally when the moment came, 7pm sharp, we were waiting in the cold, cameras in hand. I’m not sure what was more entertaining, Annie’s comments of “OMG this is the COOLEST THING EVER” or watching the little plastic figurines act as the speakers played behind us an interesting version of the last scenes in Romeo and Juliet. What. A. Riot.

Annie enthusiastically snapping picture after picture

AT LAST! Hot water! Indoors! It’s heaven- we arrived just in time at the Stratford Holiday Park where the jolly little man provided us with a site for our van. The visitor table was precious- covered in China collectables and little trinkets from all over. It feels like a real home and more importantly, very secure. Hooray for a good nights’ sleep!