Waitomo Caves & Whanganui

Day 1 - Going Underground

We hit the road around 7am as it was over a 2hr drive to the caves. We had made good time so parked up and got a bit of brekkie. To be honest, I wasn’t much looking forward to the caving trip we had booked as it was cold and the activity included being immersed in waters of 9 degrees for over an hour. And we had paid for this!

We went to the office at check-in time and was introduced to two other couples who were as mad as we were (and regretting they had booked). A couple from Oz and two sisters from the UK. After intro’s we were taken to get kitted out. This involved wriggling into very cold, very wet heavy duty wetsuit things, a jacket and booties. Just when we didn’t think we could look more ridiculous, we were given a skull cap type thing to put over our heads. Then top it off, a helmet with a flashlight.

We spent a bit of time laughing and pointing at each other, and then trying to learn to walk again (the wetsuits were quite constricting), before we jumped in the mini bus and set off for the caves.

We drove out across farmland and parked up some 15 mins later and then had to climb up a hill (in restricted clothing) where we had some obligatory pics taken by our guide…. I do remember thinking “I don’t know why you are bothering with the pics love, do you honestly think I’m going to pay good money for photo’s looking like this? Pics done, we then descended to the cave opening and after a few more obligatory pics, the adventure began

We each had to grab a rubber ring and then climb through a small narrowing into the cave and across a slippery surface to where the cave opened out. After walking a little further our guide asked us to turn off our head torches where we were treated to 1000’s of glow worms in the cave walls and ceiling. Glow worms, who are actually maggots, emit a green light by a chemical reaction going on in their pooh track! It’s to attract small insects towards their snare which is sticky thread they produce and hang from the ceiling. So whilst they look pretty, I’d suggest keeping your mouth closed when you look up! They live for about a year doing this before they cocoon and turn into a fly. The fly has no mouth so they either get eaten by other glow worms or die of starvation. I hope I don’t come back as a glow worm! After another obligatory pic, this time with the glow worm snares above us, we moved on.

We had to negotiate a few very low and narrow tunnels (particularly for Glenn, thank god we had helmets!) before we reached the water. Where, after wading into about waist height, we had to sit on the rubber rings. We were asked to form a chain by linking our feet through the person in front’s arms and then with flashlights off, the guide pulled us through the cave system. It was really cool drifting along looking up at what looked light green twinkly lights. Only mildly spoilt by the freezing cold water that had found a weakness in my wetsuit and was slowly seeping in.

We were quite enjoying floating along and looking up at the stars until we heard a waterfall and I suddenly remembered the activity included jumping off things! Arriving at the waterfall we were each asked to climb some steps, place the rubber ring behind us at bum level and then fall backwards into the dark deep below. We were told the drop was only a couple of metres as you couldn’t actually see the bottom as it was that dark!

Fortunately the two sisters went first and whilst there was a lot of screaming, they both survived. I was up next and proud to say I managed to keep my screams internal as did Glenn but the Oz guy let out a yelp and still looked scared/shell shocked minutes after.

Next there was more floating and then another waterfall. This one was about 30 feet but we had a slide this time so easy. The only problem was that it had a nasty turn right at the bottom which made you let go of your nose so you copped a load of dirty cave water up it as you hit the bottom!

The rest of the journey was spent pulling yourselves along on ropes. I’d just about lost all feeling in my hands when we saw light, yay! It was a long slippery climb back up but we had made it!

Back on dry land and after more obligatory photos we went back to shower and grab a hot drink.  It took longer getting that wet suit off than the actual caving trek did! We thought we might as well take a look at the pics even though we wouldn’t buy any which is when we found out they were free, damn!, means we have to post them in the blog now. How do you like our look?

We then set off for Whanganui where we were staying for the night to break up the long drive to Wellington. We arrived around 4 and as our accommodation was in the suburbs, we drove to town parked up and went for a wander. We found and Irish Bar (Yes I know, wherever you go!) and had a couple of drinks before heading to our lodgings.

Accommodation in NZ is pretty expensive so I was pleased that Id managed to get a good deal on this one, and it had an en-suite for Glenn’s midnight dash too. We soon found out why as we made our way through to reception, we passed various rooms with overstuffed armchairs, flock wallpaper, bad carpet, plastic plants and that unmistakable smell. We were then shown to our room, which although was nice had ramps, widened doors and extended light cords, we were in an old peoples home.

Well, what was recently an OAP home but it didn’t bother us, but a few of the current long term creepy residents who were wandering around the corridors and in the communal areas did. We decided to picnic on left overs in our room and watched something on Glenn’s laptop before turning in for the night.

Taupo

 Day 1 – Hitting the Slopes(ish) & Heading for Mordor!

We were leaving smelly egg town today and heading for Lake Taupo and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing which was pretty much the centre of the north island.

Once again it was a two or three hour drive but a large section of the drive was right alongside the lake which made it pretty scenic.  Following our sat-nav we made it to the start of The Tongariro Alpine Walk which was a 7-8 hour hike right into Lord of the Rings territory.

As I walked around the car park finding very little information about the hike, Shell suggested that we went on further to a village with an information centre so as to prevent us falling down a volcano.  It also meant that we got some great photo’s of snow covered volcano’s along the way (NZ scenery is starting to hit the mark!).

Shell’s suggestion proved to be a sensible one as the guy at the information centre told us there was some snow ridges on the hike and we would need some proper snow gear to cross it as it had snowed another 6 inches overnight. There was also risk of avalanche so the conditions were only for experienced Alpine Hikers.  So as we did not have either the experience, or the equipment, he gave us a few suggestions on how we could fill our day up, including doing part of the hike.

First though, the info guy suggested that we went a further 10km up the road to Whakapapa Village where we could check out the ski slopes and get a chairlift to the top of it.  So we took his advice and were soon ascending the snow covered volcano in a chairlift to a café at the top.

We got a couple of nice coffee’s and a muffin and just sat there watching the skiers and snow-boarders doing their thing on the slopes, which was pretty cool as I had never actually been in a ski resort before.

It was time to think about doing the hike so we left the café and bumped into the Guns ‘n’ Roses couple that we had seen twice before, this time we had a chat with them to see if they were stalking us!!  We then caught the chairlift down the mountain with a brief scare for me (I don’t like cable cars!!) as it swang out very quickly.

Back at the bottom we jumped back in the car and headed for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing which was just down the road a bit and then another 5-6km down an unsealed bumpy road.

Once at the car park we headed off for what we were told was a 3 hour round trip, we had been told we could get right in between the two volcano’s but to stop there or go on until we reached the snow ridge.

The walk was very pleasant with water streams/falls running alongside us and the two snow-capped volcanoes either side of us.  After about an hour or so we reached the place where it had been recommended to stop and return. So we stopped there and had our pack lunch sandwiches, took a few more photos of the old larva flows (this is where Mordor was Set) whilst we considered what to do next.

Other walkers were coming down the mountainside and on enquiring we were told the snow ridges were not that bad and passable, however they told us it was so misty up there that you could barely see anything worthwhile.

On reflection we thought the effort climbing up did not sound worth it so we turned back and followed the path back to the car park (no Mount Doom for us), doing very bad Gollem impressions.

Next we went to another place that had been recommended which was a crater lake about 20km up the road.  It wasn’t sign posted that greatly so after missing it as first we turned round and eventually found it at the side of the road.

It was supposed to be a short walk from the road, but ended up being about ½ hour up and down quite a steep track (I thought we’d done our walking for the day).  At the bottom we then got to see the craterlake which was fairly large, I would imagine it is very pretty when the sun is out and you can go swimming there on a hot day.

The final activity for the day was to visit a thermal hot spring area where you could take a dip in the volcanic waters.  We arrived there and as it was pretty overcast we thought we would look around the attached thermal park before plucking up the courage to take a dip.

We walked around the park and were once more entertained by boiling water pools, mud pools and sulphur gases coming out vents in the ground.  By the time we got back to the reception to enquire about the dip we were told they had problem with their plumbing and the pools were now closed as they were far too hot.

So as we could not take a rejuvenating dip we headed for our accommodation for the night which was in Taupo.  The location was nice as it was alongside the lake, but the accommodation was a bit more a backpacker hostel type of affair. However the receptionist did recommend their sister hotel around the corner for the cheapest beer in town and some cheap food.

As we had been pretty active today and did not feel like cooking for ourselves we thought we would check out the sister hostel.  It was another backpacker type affair but quite lively and had quite a nice vibe about it so we decided to stay for their meal and beer deal for around £5 each, which is about the best deal we have found so far in NZ.

Dinner was Chili, rice, nacho’s and a beer which was OK, but not as good as mine!  After dinner we stayed for a couple more jugs of beer before heading back for the night.

It was a shame that we had only planned on one night here as there seemed to be quite a few activities to do and the scenery was really pretty, but we had already booked a trip for the next day so would have to move on.

Rotorua

Day 1 – Rotten Eggs!

Moving on again today we were heading for the volcanic centre of the north island, Rotorua.  It was another 2 or 3 hour journey with nice scenery along the way.

On arriving in Rotorua the overwhelming thing you notice is the smell of rotten eggs due to all the sulphur gases escaping from the earth.  In fact as we drove into the centre of town heading for our motel we noticed a park which had plenty of gas vents coming out of it.

We were lucky enough to check in early but we were starting to learn that our accommodation budget was not going to keep us in the lap of luxury.  The room itself was clean enough and devoid of mad people, but it had two singles wedged into a room where you would be lucky enough to swing around a mouse in, let alone a cat!!

Feeling claustrophobic we decided to head straight out and saw that there was a volcanic park about half an hour away, so we jumped back in the car and headed for Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland.

On the drive there it was amazing to see sulphur gas escaping from everywhere, on mountains, at the side of the road and a nearby golf course.  When we started to approach Wai-O-Tapu gas clouds were coming out from everywhere and it looked like something out of Jurassic Park.

We parked up, paid our entrance fee and then started to walk around seeing craters with boiling water and sulphur gas coming out of them, we are going to smell like burnt matches!

One of the highlights here was The Champagne Pool, which was a large pool where the water was boiling giving the effect of champagne bubbles, accompanied by massive clouds of gas and colourful mineral deposits.

The walk was about an hour or so with boiling water and gas everywhere, with the odd scenic lake thrown in for good measure.  In all it was pretty amazing, but at the end of the walk we realised that we were going to fit in with the town as we must have stunk.

Leaving the park we headed for the mud pool as we had seen this sign posted on the way down.  We were pleased to see when we arrived here that this was a free attraction, it was a large pool of boiling mud which was quite fascinating and mesmerising at the same time.  Once again though it stunk of sulphur (and it was raining, hard).

It was getting late in the afternoon by now, beer o’clock so we headed for a nearby pub for a drink.  On arriving in the car park we were again amazed to see sulphur clouds coming out of the side of the road and hills behind the pub, I’m guessing you can get away with being very flatulent in this town.

A quick drink later and we headed back to our motel, dropping into a supermarket along the way to pick up some cold salad, chicken, cheese (for Glenn), pate and biscuits so we could have something to eat that wouldn’t be too costly.

Arriving back at the motel we plated up our buffet and cracked open a couple of bottles of red (we haven’t cut this from our budget yet!!) and settled down to watch Lord of the Rings on my PC (well we are in New Zealand) before hitting the sack.

Day 2 – Hello Geeeezer!!!

Today we had decided to visit another volcanic site, Te Puia which was only about a mile or so out of town which meant that we did not have to get up that early.

We drove down the road and paid our entrance fee, to give you an idea of how expensive things are here the entrance fee was $50 each, so just over £50 for two!

Fortunately we had just arrived in time to go on a guided tour, the guide was part Maori and had a great knowledge and seemed very proud that he could pronounce the name of the area which was pretty much as that silly town in wales ……GoGoGoch!

He first took us to the point where you could see the parks famous geyser (the highest in the southern hemisphere), as he knew it well he could tell that it wasn’t due to erupt for a bit so he took us to show us some other stuff before the main event.

We visited a traditional Maori wood carving workshop where they teach traditional skills to 5 new apprentices every year.  Apparently you have to be male, between 18-30 and of Maori descent or have Maori values to apply, but the age restriction is so that they can return to their part of NZ and teach the skills learned for another 30  years. 

After this we visited a workshop where the women wove flax into various things such as garments to wear and mats.

Returning to the geyser our guide pointed out that the small geyser at the side of the main vent was starting to erupt which meant that the main one was going to start up very soon.  So he took us very quickly to the viewing platform right next to it and waited.

Almost as we got there the geyser started to do its thing, shooting jets of boiling water into the air, but with so much steam and the wind blowing into us the view was a bit obscured.  Our guide then took us to a higher vantage point where we could see it clearly just as it reached its full height of around 30 metres (it can get up to 50 metres) so we could get some better pictures.

The geyser was amazing and it was the first time that Shell or I had ever seen one of these, when it started dying down we headed off but thought we would come back later to see if we could see its next eruption (every 1 to 2 hours).

The final point of the guided tour was going to see the native Kiwi bird, we were taken to a nocturnal enclosure where there was one of these birds to see.  So that means that Shell and I wasted a lot of time trying to spot them in fields as we drove along, we didn’t realise they were nocturnal!!

Anyway the tour finished and its was pouring down so after checking out the model of a traditional Maori village we didn’t fancy waiting around for the next geyser eruption so we decided to head off.

On the way back to the motel we stopped off at the supermarket to pick up some breakfast bits. We then went to a shop where we picked up some towels and Shell determined to do some proper cooking persuaded me to buy an electric like hot plate like what we had in our campervan.  Her argument being that it was only $35 and we’d make it back in wholesome casseroles and the like?!

We headed back to our box room hoping that we would go out and visit the nearby park so see the volcanic pools they had there.  The weather was against us so I ended up blogging for the rest of the afternoon whilst Shell did some NZ research.

The evening was spent in pretty much the same way, with a buffet dinner, some red wine and watching the next in the Lord of the Rings trilogy before bed.

Whitianga

 Day 1 – Beach Spa!

After being woken up during the night by the clampit’s next door having a row. Then first thing by their screaming smelly kid who looked like he hadn’t seen a bath for some days, we left horror hotel.

We were setting off for the Coromandel region where there was a beach with hot springs beneath it. Basically you dig a hole, let it fill up with hot water and then you sit in it dumbly looking at each other and wondering what to do next. It sounded right up our street J

After another long but really pretty drive, we arrived at hot water beach and headed to a café to grab a late b/f and hire a spade for the dig. There were a couple on the table next to us. He stood out as he had a Guns and Roses T-Shirt. We didn’t get talking but we ended up bumping into this couple for the next few days.  

Swim togs on and spade in hand we then headed to the beach and the point where the hot springs were. You couldn’t really miss it, loads of people either digging or sitting in the pools looking dumbly at each other.

Feeling with our feet, we found what we thought was a hot spot and Glenn started digging. Rather too enthusiastically as it turns out because after digging something the size of a small crater, I felt the water and it was cold. It seems Glenn had taken a de-tour on his digging and was now letting cold water in through the sand.

After feeling around, digging with spade and hands, we finally had a small puddle to lie in which barely covered your bum. Deciding to just concentrate on boring our bums into the sand as low as we could get, we finally achieved a water level to just below the hip. Everyone else had steam emanating from their puddles (even the Guns and Rose’s couple)  where ours was just luke warm. Glenn, who was by now pretty exhausted and more than a little frustrated, decided to get out and explore recently vacated holes to see if we could nab one (like a cuckoo with a nest).

He promptly jumped into a pool and then even more quickly jumped back out again, trying to stifle a scream. It was boiling hot, even bubbling on the top which is why it was vacant! After I stopped laughing I suggested he get back into the luke warm one and we would make the best of it. He did, we sat there for a bit, looked at each other dumbly and then wondered what to do next. 5 mins later we were out and dressed and heading back to the car.

Our next stop was Cathedral Cove via pretty Hahei Beach where we stopped briefly to take a look.

Cathedral Bay itself was down a steep and winding 45minute track where you got glimpses of the cliff face, really pretty. We overtook Guns and Rose’s couple on the track (fancy seeing them here) and finally at the bottom, we were treated to two really stunning bays with rock formations, caves and even a waterfall.

Probably the prettiest beach we have ever seen. We spent some time wandering around down there before we climbed back up the track to the car.

As it was getting on, we then headed to our motel for the night to check in before we set-off to look around the town. It had turned really cold so after wandering up and down a street for a bit we opted for a healthy kebab (cheapest thing) which actually turned out to be pretty healthy with lots of salad, decent meat and falafel.

Fed, we then went in search for a pint. The town itself was lovely but as its winter was pretty quiet. We managed to find an Irish bar (isn’t there always and Irish bar wherever you go?) with a few people in it so had a couple of drinks before heading back for the night.

Bay of Islands

 Day 1 – Paihia

It was time to leave Auckland and go exploring New Zealand. So after making some breakfast and leaving the dirty apartment (now cleaner than when we arrived) we went in search of the hire car firm that we had booked a rental car from.

As we had to rent the car for around three weeks and given that NZ appears to be very expensive we opted for the cheapest car we could find.  The car turned out to be a very beaten up Silver Nissan Sunny and after checking how much an upgrade would be (about double the cost) we decided to stick with it.  It’s not that bad and I could always moonlight as a mini cab driver in this carshould we need the money.

So we headed out of Auckland heading north for our destination of the bay of Island, whilst listening to our ‘teach yourself Spanish book’ as we have to gem up for South America.

About an hour into our drive we started to see the countryside that NZ is famous for, climbing twisty hills and getting some nice views over coastlines and lakes.  Also noting the amount of cattle and sheep in the fields. We should be OK for lamb here (and have room in the boot if we decide to supplement our budget by doing a bit of lamb wrangling!!).

The drive took about 3-4 hours in total and then we were arriving in the town of Paihai, which on first sight appeared to be a nice, but out of season, tourist town.  We found our accommodation for the night which was a motel where we had quite a nice big room with some cooking facilities, well I should say a microwave and toaster.

Being greeted by a very friendly receptionist he gave us some details about a couple of trips we could do whilst staying there. After checking what the weather was doing for the next couple of days and finding out that the next day was going to be pretty wet, we decided to book for the trips rather than stay stuck in the motel.

Now that we knew what we were doing for the next couple of days we headed out to have a look around the town.  The waterfront would have been very pretty if it was not so overcast, with loads of little islands out in the bay.

We walked around the town that took all of five minutes, popped into a pound shop where we were lucky enough to find a tape converter for our cassette/radio (yes the car is that old!!) so we could get a jack lead into Shell’s phone for music/talking books. 

After a quick drink in a nearby pub which had some lively locals in it we then headed for another bar/restaurant that we thought we may have dinner in.  It only had a burger menu so we had a glass of draft alcoholic ginger beer before heading back to our motel room, picking up an Indian take-away menu on the way.

As I mentioned NZ seems to be really expensive and after looking at the take-away menu and realising that it was going to cost about £ 30 – 40 for what we wanted we decided to self-cater and go to the local supermarket.

Shell did a sterling job with the microwave and we were soon tucking into scrambled eggs on toast followed by a nasty pot-noodle (Glenn not Shell) and a bit of a chocolate bar (Glenn not Shell).  It doesn’t look promising for culinary delights for the next few weeks!!

The rest of the evening we spent watching a bit of TV and a couple of glasses of wine before having an early-ish night as we had to get up pretty early the next day.

Day 2 – Rain, Rain Go Away!

Today was a coach trip to take us up to the most northerly point of NZ, Cape Reinga.  We had decided to do this trip as it would have been around a 600km round trip in the rain if we did it ourselves and I felt like a break from driving.

It didn’t start that great as we were being picked up around 7am and the weather was cold and very wet, also the coach was about ½ hour late.

We started the journey north in pretty miserable weather and because of this there was not too much to be seen out of the rivulet covered windows, but after an hour we were getting out to get a spot of breakfast, coffee and cake.

On returning to the coach there was then a little spat as the driver pretended to drive off when one of the passengers did not get back on the coach in time.  The person’s travelling companion a Belgium girl took offence to this joke and started hurling abuse at the driver. When her friend finally boarded the coach the driver had words with them, telling them they could get off the tour here if they wanted…they didn’t.  It looks like this coach trip is going to be fun!!

After breakfast we then continued the rest of the way to Cape Reinga (in the rain) whilst the driver/guide gave us all the information on local culture and history along the way.  He also gave us a very detailed history of his life, his wife’s life and his children’s life….very thorough!  Although his soothing voice did mean that Shell and I did have the odd nap along the way.

Arriving at Cape Reinga in torrential rain we were then given the option to walk down to the lighthouse viewpoint where hopefully you would see where the Tasman Sea met The Pacific Ocean which resulted in very large waves.  Given that it was a 20 minute walk in misty/rainy conditions and the fact we couldn’t even see the sea from the edge of the headland we decided to give it a miss. This turned out to be the right decision as when some bedraggled coach mates returned stating they had seen absolutely nothing.

From here we headed to the west coast of the peninsula towards the beach where there were some large sand dunes where we stopped for our next activity…sand boarding.  Luckily the rain had briefly stopped so we got off the coach and grabbed a boogie-board and then tramped to the top of a steep sand dune, well some of us did (Glenn not Shell).  I was the first one up and was told to lie on the board then launch myself down the dune using my feet as brakes. This was very good advice as there was a large cold looking pool just a few feet away at the bottom.  It was really good fun and after a couple more goes we were getting back on the coach again.

Our next destination was 90 mile beach, which isn’t 90 miles as Captain Cook’s ruler wasn’t that accurate, but it was pretty long at around 108km.  We drove onto the beach where we were told we could get off and have a wander around for a bit, it was very windy and wild so we were quite happy to board the coach again 15 minutes later.

Next we stopped for lunch which had been pre-ordered on route and we had some fish and chips in a restaurant alongside a pretty estuary before heading off again.

The next stop was not all that exciting as it was a wood carving shop, the selling point was they used the oldest timber in NZ which meant that everything on show was very expensive.  It included a staircase which was carved out of a very large tree stump that was retailing for $ 2.5 million, needless to say we did not buy anything here.

We then headed back south and our final stop for the day was a small rainforest area where these old trees grew.  It was a small walk around the forest which turned out to be very quick as it was once again raining.

It had been quite a long trip and we arrived back at our motel around 6.00 and as we had spent quite a bit on the trips we decided to self-cater again, Shell managed to rustle up some jacket potatoes and baked beans for dinner (She’s becoming quite a dab-hand with a microwave!).

Day 3 – Boat Trip/Old Mate

The second trip we had booked was a boat trip around The Bay of Islands and started at a more respectable 9.00.  So after a bit of breakfast we headed off to the Jetty to catch the boat.

The weather had improved slightly, well it wasn’t raining, but during the captains briefing he pointed out that it may get a bit rough further out in the bay and we may not be able to get to our final destination of ‘the hole in the wall’, at this point two tourists decided better of it and got off the boat.

For the next couple of hours we cruised around quite a few pretty islands (which would have been a lot prettier if the sun had been shining) whilst the captain gave us the history of the islands we were seeing over they tannoy system.

As predicted the sea started to get more choppy and it wasn’t long before we saw crew members disposing of sick bags and the captain announced that  we would not be going to the ‘hole in the wall’, which wasn’t that disappointing as until a day ago we didn’t even know it existed.  Instead he took us into an Island with a sheltered bay where apparently Dame Kiri Tikanawa (excuse spelling) lives when she is in NZ.

We then headed for another island where we moored up and were allowed to get off and have a look around. As it was bitterly cold and there was a wind blowing, Shell and I just grabbed a coffee from the boat and found a sheltered spot on this island to drink our drinks before returning on-board.

From here we then cruised back through the islands before returning to the jetty in Phihai around 2pm.  We quickly found a sandwich shop to grab a bit of lunch before hitting the road again.

I had arranged to meet up with an old school friend who lived just outside Auckland, so we drove back south to meet him.  The drive was about 2 ½ hours and back through the pretty countryside and we listened to a talking book as we went (already being a bit lazy with the Spanish lessons).

Orewa was the town where my friend lived and when we arrived we checked into a motel, which turned out to be in the top 3 of horrible hotels we have stayed in on this trip. There were guests hanging around outside that looked like the cast of shameless!!  The room itself was not much better and we ensured all our luggage was well locked up before we went out.

We met Greg Bohen (a school friend from the age of 5) in a pub just up the road, I had not seen him for about twenty five years.  As with Yan in Australia we started chatting over a couple of pints about old school mates and teachers and what we had both been up too in the past 25 years. 

Unfortunately Greg had his 14 year old son with him and he had to be up early to take him to school the next day, so he could only stay for a couple of drinks.  As Shell and I did not particularly fancy going back to the Motel of Horror’s we stayed at the pub for a couple more drinks and some pub food.

As I may have mentioned before NZ is very expensive so this drove us back to the Motel for a fairly early night as we decided we should get up very early the next day and head back on the road.