Auckland to Rotorua:
On January 6th I started my Magic Bus adventure;
we began with a quick picture stop at the top of Mt. Eden then headed onwards
to Rotorua. The trip continued through
The Bay of Islands for a drop off point in Thames for connecting passengers to
the Coromandel. It was only a quick stop
and I grabbed a latte and sandwich from a café for the road. Another photo stop in Paeroa for a chance to
have my picture taken beside the “world famous in New Zealand” L&P Bottle
(stands for Lemon and Paeroa – a popular NZ soft drink). Next stop we let all the Lord of the Rings
fans get dropped off for the “Hobbiton Tour.”
The drive reminded me of the Okanagan Valley, with rolling hills and
lush green farmland, but it was very distinctive in color green everywhere with
beautiful purple flowers. This was
similar to what I found in Auckland too; the suburbs with historic white
bungalow houses, large fences, green shrubbery and large purple flowers. Back to the tour…we arrived in Rotorua late
afternoon the last stop before the hostels being a Maori historical center
where we were given a short history of the aboriginal people of NZ. While in Rotorua for a few days I explored
the lakefront, Government Gardens, The Polynesia Spa, The Redwood Forest and
Kuirau Park. The latter two were the
standouts for me and both were free activities!
The Redwood Forest was about a 40 minute walk from my hostel along a
geothermal pathway. Geysers, boiling mud
and the strong scent of sulphur accompanied my walk until I reached the entrance
to the park. A fresh air haven full of
California Redwood trees towered above as I set out on a 2 hour trek up the
mountainside. Meandering in and out of
the forest on the sandy white path there were beautiful native trees and
vegetation along the way. The view point
looked down at Rotorua with a bird’s eye view of the town center and volcanic
action below. Though the forest was
beautiful and it did remind me of the many forest walks I took on random days
in Tofino…I must admit it was not as impressive (old/large) as Cathedral Grove,
Lonecone or Meares.
A walk through Kuairu Park was also a unique
experience. It is a public park in
Rotorua filled with more Geysers, boiling mud and hot pools. I ended up there a
few times during my time there. The
hostel I stayed at was a lot nicer than in Auckland; it was like a big comfy
house and the staff there were great.
The bed was even comfortable!!!
Crash Palace proved to be a great a place to crash for a couple nights.
Rotorua to Taupo:
Leaving Rotorua we had an impromptu stop at our driver’s
mother’s Angora Rabbit Shearing Shed.
The thing to remember about this: it doesn’t hurt them and if they
aren’t sheared they will die. An
interesting experience all in all. Next
we stopped in Waitomo for a few hours. I
toured the glowworm cave by foot and boat.
Although learning that these glowing green creatures were not in fact
worms but maggots was not exactly comforting as I walked beneath them in the
dark cave, it was a very cool experience – they even pointed out their abstract
interpretations of the caves (a family, elephant, bird upside down, choir and
cathedral. Heading along the backroads
into Taupo through numerous switchbacks we reached the Huka Falls viewpoint for
a few pictures. This was a highlight for
me since I can’t get enough of waterfalls and the aqua color of the water. Arriving in Taupo we could see the lake for
miles, vit is larger than Singapore, and before it erupted over 26 500 years
ago it was taller than Mt. Everest. I
didn’t partake in too much action here in Taupo (although known as the Sky Dive
Capital of the World) just relaxed and took in the beauty of the area. I did the walk back up to Huka Falls and area
for an afternoon. Sadly my lovely
allergies decided to come back with a vengeance and I was forced to head back
to the hostel. Not the end of the
world…..I then ended up at the hostel lounge chatting with peeps on other tours
and those who partook in the Tongariro Alpine Crossing(one of the best day hikes in
NZ). I will do this on my way back
though (unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and I was not able to go
the next day).
Taupo to Wellington:
Not an overly exciting trip.
This portion covered half the north island in one day so it was
predominantly a full day on the bus (not so bad since it was rainy and
cool). The landscape did change as we
drove long Desert Road (although not an actual desert – this area was covered
in an abundance of volcanic ash which rendered the soil infertile). We did have a photo stop to see Mt. Doom
(LOTR), a lunch stop at Flat Hills Café
(yummy lamb burger) and finally at the top of Mt. Victoria in Wellington before
being dropped at the hostel. The views
from the top of Mt. Victoria were nice, everything there in Welly is build on
the hills reminiscent of San Francisco due to historical flooding. Back in the city there is not too much on the
itinerary except visiting the national museum (Te Papa) and planning the next
part of my trip. It is getting really
busy on the south island so it seems I will be forced to put a little advance
planning and bookings in place.
