UncleTravellingMatt: New Zealand North Islanding

Watching this landscape go past, I constantly had the LotR theme playing in my head

Welcome to The Shire!

Watersports on the lake

There was a bit of rain overnight, and the temperature had dropped a little, but the day was mostly clear, and everything looked fresh and clean. Today we were heading South towards Wakapapa village to see some volcanoes, so hopefully the weather would be fine for that. We cruised around Lake Taupo, which isn’t small, and had to stop a couple of times for some photos and time to appreciate how beautiful it was. The wind was up and about, and so were the windsurfers and parasailers, making the most of a cloudy day on the lake. As I was watching and taking pictures, a guy rocked up with a wing foil, something you don’t see every day. Wing foiling is a combination between windsurfing with the sail and board, and sailing a catamaran with the ‘foil’ part in the water and lifting you up and over the surface of the water. I watched these guys wiz around for a bit, then jumped back in the van and continued on. Lake Taupo is just beautiful, and it was hard not to stop again and again to take pictures, with a combination of the water, sky and green land, with the occasional outline of a volcano making for a very beautiful view. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t stay nice for very long, and the rain came in.

Van and tree

We arrived at Wakapapa village to rain and nearly complete cloud cover, so we couldn’t see anything. Without losing heart, we got prepared for a cold and wet walk, but stopped in at the visitor centre to have a look around first. I asked one of the helpful ladies inside about short walks, as we didn’t want to do the whole volcano loop (a multi-day hike) or anything over 2 hours one way because the weather was pretty crappy and unreliable. We settled on the Taranaki Falls Track, which was a 2 hour, 6km loop. We were hoping to get a good view of at least one of the volcanoes, the conical Mt Ngauruhoe, which stands at 2287. Although I wanted to see Mt Ruapehu, made famous by hiker William Pyke’s story, I wasn’t hopeful, but wanted a bit of a hike anyway. I had actually read about William before coming on this trip, and although I had no such grand plans to hike to the top of a volcano and back, I did get a little more interested in NZ’s wild landscape, and wanted to see the volcano that nearly took his life. A very inspirational story, as he made it back alive after being trapped in a hut on the side of the mountain, saved by his mate who rushed down to get help, while only partially dressed, in the darkness, and just after an extremely violent eruption. Small hike today, and nothing dangerous, but I had that story in the back of my mind, ever looking for that beast of nature so I could say that at least I saw it.

Wakapapa village

Reminds me of Scotland

Walking in the 5th oldest national park in the world

The Taranaki Falls

We started off on our walk, dry so far, but prepared to be rained on. Although the clouds were hanging low, and the temperature was quite chilly, it was a pleasant enough walk and still beautiful. There were small, hard-bristled scrubs everywhere along the path, covered in moss (or possible lichen), and the walk was along well-tended gravel paths. It was easy going, and even when we entered a rainforesty area, the path was well kept and the views interesting. There were huge ferns everywhere, clumps of moss growing high up in trees, and you could almost forget where you were. Although you would think that in this kind of environment there would be animals everywhere, there wasn’t. Not even a bird call, a scurry of something in the brushes… and I kept my eyes open in the hope of seeing a Kiwi, even though I had no idea what their habitats were, or if they even came out during the day.

Welcome to the jungle!

I’m going to confess that I know nothing about Kiwis, apart from that are small flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, as possibly named after the fruit (both small and furry). Oh, I just realised that I do know something about this bird – they have the shortest beak of any bird; although, to a layman it would seem their beaks are very long, but as beaks are measured from the nostril to the start of the beak, the kiwis actually win this accolade. Back to the walk! The colours here were amazing, all deep greens, wet browns, and turquoise blue of the waterfalls. Yes, we made it to the falls! The rain let up just enough for us to get a good view of the water pouring down through the jagged rock walls, crashing into the pool below, and kicking up a fine, wet mist into the air. Some brave (or silly) soul had climbed down underneath the falls to get a closer look, but I was happy to stay up top and take pictures of him. Although the walk from here was only a 2-hour trip to Lower Tama Lake, which looked stunning on Google Images (but doesn’t everything?), the rain had set in again and didn’t look like it was going away. So, we headed back to the car for lunch, continuing on the circuit to get a different (still wet) view of the park. The landscape reminded me a little of Scotland and the highlands, with its flattish peaks, red and brown in colour, and with green and yellow grasses dotting the hillsides. We got back to the van, made some sandwiches and ate inside to keep dry.

Mount Ngauruhoe

What a view! Wow!

Mount Doom (aka Mount Ngāuruhoe)

Road, mountain, cloud and sky

Overall, the day had been a mixed experience – it was good to get out and do some walking, but never, much fun in the rain and not actually getting to see anything. We were very happy to have visited though, as this park is the 5th oldest National Park in the world, with Yellowstone in the States being the first, and Sydney’s Royal National Park coming in second. Then the sun came out. I hadn’t even finished my sandwich, but it didn’t matter, I dropped it and rushed out of the van with my camera. To my delight, Mt Ruapehu had come into view through the clouds, and with the wet road, clouds and snowy peak, it made an extremely impressive and photo worthy sight! Snap, snap, snap, and the view had disappeared, but I had seen it and captured it. I wasn’t the only one either, as a Chinese tourist also had that same grin on his face and I did, big camera in hand, wife looking on not as impressed. Inspired, I dragged my wife out of the van and up the hill for a walk to get some more views (and photos). We got what we wanted – a sunny photo op and happy memories to leave on. It had been worth a little rain, some windy weather, and the drive. We got back to the van, still smiling, and then started to drive off past the grand old building that is the Chateau Tongariro Hotel. I’m so glad I keep looking for more, always looking for another photo (even while driving), because to the right of the road the clouds had truly cleared and Mt Ngauruhoe had come into view in all its volcanoey glory! I skidded to a stop, pulled over and got my camera out to get some pictures before it disappeared again (and forever, as we weren’t coming back). Fun fact about Mt Ngauruhoe - it was Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings films, home of Sauron (and his eye), and famously swallowing up Gollum and the ring in the final scenes of the third movie (spoiler alert!). Wow, what a day! Sometimes I think I have a lot of luck when travelling, and today felt like it for sure. Still on a high, we headed south (only one way to go really!) and stopped in Whanganui for the night. Although I hadn’t planned the stop, we quickly checked out the CamperMate app and found a cool sounding place on the river. This was where we met Bruce, a super chilled bloke who runs Caroline’s Outback Camping Grounds, which sits in the grassy field behind a cool pub called, you guessed it, Caroline’s. He only accepted cash (of which I had none and so had to run down to an ATM), had a few cats wandering around (that were friendly), and didn’t need any check in details apart from ‘that your van? Cool.’ We parked and went straight to the pub to have a sundowner before dinner. Sitting on the front porch of the pub was the perfect end to the day and was topped off by sipping on a lovely tasting beer (in a quart bottle!) called Export Gold. We’d done 600kms since Auckland over 2 days, and so we were very proud of ourselves. Tomorrow, the capital of Wellington!

Mountains Gandalf! Mountains!

Pure New Zealand

Beach time with the van

Welcome to Wellington: 'The Bum of the World'

Day 3 on the road and we stopped off at Paraparaumu and Raumati beach for a short break before getting to Wellington. The hills in this area were so green and hilly, and just so beautiful – quintessential New Zealand. We had to stop a few times for photos, but there was no way of avoiding this! Watching this landscape go past, I constantly had the LotR theme playing in my head (mountains Gandalf, mountains!), and easily saw how Peter Jackson thought this the perfect place to depict The Shire and Middle Earth. There were also plenty of sheep, so doubly New Zealand. We got to the beach, and although the weather was sunny, it was still a little windy, so no swimming. It was worth the stop though, as the ocean was so green and blue, and I could just make out the South Island (I think). We had a snack overlooking the beach and watched all the gulls diving at people for their food or sitting on cars waiting for someone to open a window. Its’s amusing when its not you! We walked down along the beach and were met by two super cute dogs – one little puppy that was so full of energy, and the other an older, slower dog, but just as friendly and cuddly.

Colourful sea huts in Wellington

I love patting dogs anywhere and go out of my way to do so – this made me think of Chile, when you’d get a stray dog for the day, and they’d be the loveliest dog ever, then they would just go and you’d never see them again. Completely free. Not quite the case with these dogs, both were owned and loved, so went back to their owners, and so we went back to our van. We headed away from the beach and beachside towns, and onto the main highway that ran into Wellington, the most southerly capital city in the world. Cutting through the hills, the road dropped down into the bay that the city was nestled in and opened up to show Wellington. The city was pressed between the green hills and the sea, with this road basically cutting the city in two, tall glass buildings either side. We cruised through the city, just looking around, and enjoying it for the first time while getting a perspective of where everything was. I like to do it that way – get an overview before hitting the streets and walking a place to really get to know it. I’d done some research before driving into the city, and had found a free camping site on the waterfront, on the other side of a hill to the city centre. We could park the van close to the amenities, get access to water and bathrooms on-site, and then walk to and from the city in no time. We go into the city around lunchtime, and all the parking had nearly been taken already, but we found a spot, organised some lunch, and then got ready to walk into the city. The route we chose was not the most direct way, instead following a path around the coast, which wound its way around cliffs, with houses looking out form their high vantage points on the hills - the scenic route! On the way back, we’d come a different way, a little more direct.

Wellington - The Windy City

Sea themed deco

Sydney beach vibes

The most southerly capital in the world!

Wellington sits on the southerly tip of New Zealand’s South Island, in a protected bay with the Cook Strait on one side and green hills on the other. It’s often called The Windy City by the locals, but I think there is a little competition between the capital and Auckland, as both locals complain about the wind. It is the administrative capital of the county, the 3rd largest city in NZ, and (after some research) is the WORLD’S WINDIEST city by average wind speeds (take that Auckland and Chicago!) With a population of only 450,000, its small by Australian standards, where Sydney has more than 5 million (more than New Zealand as a whole country!), but it still felt quite busy in the centre. We followed the path around Evan’s Bay, which would lead us into the city, and were very glad we did – the walk along the coast had some great views of the bay, the houses along the roadside and also those perched on the cliffs above (which had private lifts for access), but there was also cute little sea houses sitting on stilts in the water. Multi-coloured and unique, these pretty little shacks were small private buildings, serving as independent yacht clubs, or even holiday homes, and added a little more charm to the city.

View of the city from above

The sun was out, there was very little wind, and it was a great 6km walk that left us happy and truly enjoying the city. We turned the last of the winding corners and saw the city open up in front of us – it reminded me a little of Manly, with the beach promenade, with huge pines growing along the walkway. There were people running, sitting on benches having food, and just plenty of people out enjoying the weather. I couldn’t even remember what day it was, a weekday or a weekend, but it didn’t seem to matter to anyone. The water was crystal clear, and a few people were even swimming and sunbathing, with the backdrop of a glass city in the background. Wellington had instantly become my favourite city in New Zealand – it just felt so relaxed and Sydney-like with its beach vibes (minus the large crowds). The waterfront was very nice, and the whole way was pedestrianised and very walkable, with museums, parks, bridges, and pubs and restaurants dotting the way. It was a small city though, with only a few blocks from the water making up the CBD, then the hills started with houses. Along this thin strip of city there is plenty to see and do, restaurants, pubs, cool graffiti and museums, but its also business, so there are loads of offices and business ‘space,’ before that eventually gives way to the sports stadium, and then the working port and ferry docks. We walked all around the city before finding a nice place for a beer and snacks, getting in a bit of chill time before heading back to the van for dinner and bed. The walk home was not as scenic as the walk in, but it was different, and we ended up walking through a very long tunnel under Mt Wellington to get back to our side of the city, just in time for a bottle of wine and sunset at the marina where we’d parked the van.

The inter-islander ferry

Chilling with a view

Some grand old buildings in Wellington

Modern art in the city

We got up early the next day ready to spend half a day in the city before jumping on the inter-island ferry to get to the South Island for the second leg of your NZ Tour. We decided to have breakfast at the top of Mt Wellington, the hill that divides the CBD side of the city and the airport side (which we were on) and gives a great view of the whole city with almost 360 degree views. The drive was easy, and we took it slowly to enjoy it, and the view from the top was amazing. We weren’t the only ones up here early, with a few backpackers and their vans already, as well as a couple of tour buses. Apart from the scenic lookout, Mt Wellington has leafy suburbs for the slightly better-off residents of the city, with little wooden houses, picked fences and nice gardens. It was such a quiet area, this is where I would be choosing to live if I were to live in Wellington. It still wasn’t windy, even up here, so we set up our ‘breakfast table’ in the van and ate with the view. After a little bit of time taking in the views, we jumped back in the van and headed down to see a suburb called Newtown, which was supposed to be much like the Sydney suburb of the same name. Newtown in Sydney is famous for being ‘a little bit different,’ or some would even say 'hippy.' Situated in the Inner West, there are restaurants everywhere, make your own jewellery stores, 2nd hand clothing, café-bookshops (and bookshop-cafes!), cool pubs that have regular drag shows, and the list goes on.

The cool neighborhood of Newtown

Newtown was where I first had Indian and Thai in my life, and it has always had a special place in my heart – I now live a 10 minute walk from the heart of Newtown and all it has to offer. This Newtown, although different (and smaller), was just as funky and cool in its own way! Store facades were painted and made of timber, usually brightly coloured but sometimes a little weathered, there was cool graffiti on sides of buildings, bookshops, op shops selling all sorts of retro and alternative lifestyle products, and there was also plenty of interesting characters wandering around too. One guy was sitting on his mobility scooter, which was adorned with flags and stickers, chilling in the sun outside a café, and doing a crossword. There were plenty of little oddities; there was one nightclub/bar called ‘Come as you are,’ but the only way you knew it was a place was because it had some small writing on the wall next to the red door for the entrance. It also had a little balcony above with a metal ladder leading up to it from the street. The downside of this area was the homelessness, which there seemed to be a fair bit of, and there were also quite a few social services buildings. This happens in all cities, but at least it seemed that something was being done about it. It was nearly time to board that ferry, so we got back in the van and headed through the city towards the docks. We parked up in line, waiting to check in and, as we were early, I decided to quickly run and take a few extra photos (with the excuse of getting a snack or two for the boat trip). I had 30 minutes before it was time to drive on the boat - plenty of time! I ducked off to see Parliament House, which I hadn’t had time to before, and its an interesting building – two actually! The old building was built in 1929 to replace the previous building which burnt down, but there was a ‘new’ building which was completed in 1977. The old parliament building is a stern, marble / stone Gothic revival block, with pillars and an imposing façade, whereas the new parliament building is a round, concrete and glass construction, which is colloquially known as ‘the beehive.’ To be honest, that’s the name I would have called it too. Running around quickly, taking a few hurried photos, I realised that there was much more to this city that we’d had the chance to see. Sadly, it was time to get back to the van and get on that ferry. The good news of this was we would be on the South Island in a few hours!