Hello! Once again I write as we wait to be transported to our next stop. It seems like the only opportunity we really have to write as our days are so packed (and there’s usually wifi near the bus stop). We have just completed our time in Taupo and are ready for the 6 hour bus ride to Wellington. Taupo has been nothing short of amazing and officially contains our shared #1 highlight of the trip- Tongariro Alpine Crossing. But more on that in a minute…
We arrived to some cold rainy weather which cleared up on the 10 minute walk to our hostel. Crazy New Zealand. We took what we thought would be a short hike to Huka Falls but ended up being about 5 hours round trip. Luckily the hike was beautiful and well worth our time as was the falls. We made our way back to the hostel where the forecast on Tongariro the following day called for snow and hail. Wah. Wah. Clearly that would be a no go.
Monday was a lovely day. We walked around the lake and found a giant chess game near the library which provided almost an hour and a half of entertainment. Apparently we are matched really well at chess. Afterward we made our way to the Taupo Museum and Art Gallery which is small but packed with history, both natural and social. We had lunch in a little rose garden and hurried back to the hostel with our fingers crossed for good weather on Tongariro. We only had one more chance to go! We did a little dance after finding out the good news then left back to the harbor for a boat ride along 5 mile bay, around Lake Taupo, to see some lovely Maori carvings. We met a nice German couple on the boat who are taking a trip similar to us. We swapped stories and hope we catch them again in another country!
Tuesday. The alarm went off at 430 and off we went to the Tongariro Alpine Crossing! For those who don’t know this is considered the BEST day hike in New Zealand, one of the top 10 day treks in the world, and is home to Mt. Ngauruhoe aka. Mount Doom! It is a 19.4 km journey (12 miles) across almost every terrain you can think of. It is insane…and absolutely amazing. Because of all the snow from the previous days Whitecorn rented hiking boots for the occasion and thank goodness she did! The pictures are still being sorted out but when they are posted you will see the incredible changes in environment we went through. We completed the hike in 7 hours and 15 minutes. Not bad for beginners. Haha of course that included picture and food breaks. There aren’t many words to convey what we saw. Snow, rocks, mud, lakes, rolling hills of brown and yellow grass, volcanic activity, rainforest…it was truly awe-inspiring and, as I said before, the highlight of the trip. I will label Mount Doom when the pictures go up so you LOTR fans can superimpose your faces in.
Must go, but love and miss you much.
W&G
P.S for those interested: http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/
