The crossing from Wellington was for us a blessed relief as the, albeit grand, city had been a draining experience. We had spent 5 hours in a hospital waiting room for my knee to be seen and Cesca to have her toe looked at. They say that you should really try and get off the beaten track in the countries you visit, but I say there is no way better of understanding a people than by being caught in the gears of their bureaucracy. Nothing I said to the lady in the hospital helped speed anything up. Of course we were hardly bleeding to death on the floor but when I gently inquired – after 2 hours of waiting – what the suspected total wait would be she informed me that she had not even put us in the system yet. Anyway, when the doctor did arrive she was magnificent and I got my knee X-Rayed within 10 minutes.
Not surprisingly then we wanted a break from city life and boy did we find it.
A short (10 minute) film highlighting New Zealand. Includes whales in Kaikoura, Fjords, Glaciers by Helicopter, The far north, the Volcanic heart, the sounds and a trip through the forests of this magical country!
Central North Island simmers and steams, bubbles and spews. The pungent smell of sulphur emanates from the rising hot steam in a harsh and uninviting landscape. Lakes have formed in the calderas of volcanoes where once mighty eruptions occurred the likes of which we have not seen in our lifetime of which epic stories are told. Mud pools bubble at the surface, great fountains of boiling water charge out from large pools below the earth’s crust and minerals colour the bare craggy rock in rich primary colours.
There is a cleanness to the air found in mountains; a fresh taste. This freshness can bring both the snows that cover the peaks and the rains that obscure them. Rains turn to fogs and clouds, so that the vistas to been seen from the peeks can only be momentarily glimpsed. Their elevation has drawn many men to seek the highest vantage points.
I have always loved mountains. Either looking up to their framing of the valleys below or being able to stand on their summits and view the distant vistas they offer. New Zealand has offered some of the most amazing mountains I have seen outside the ski fields of Europe and I share with you now some of those discoveries here.
North Island - Mount Tongariro
Mount Tongariro is actually an entire volcanic complex and World Heritage site. It is located 10 miles southwest of Taupo, and comprised of three active volcanoes dominating the landscape of the central North Island. We first saw the complex from the van on our arrival at lake Taupo. Its snow caped peeks were visible in the far distance over the lake above the shoreline. The park itself is roughly split into two parts. The main mountain town of Whakapapa is half way into the mountains and the base of the ski fields that sit atop its leading road. It has all levels of accommodation and comfort but we made tracks straight for the DOC campsite that sits between the road and a river. The average DOC site is a simple affair, but this one was much more. It had hot water – one of the few! – powered sites, a laundrette and a shop. All unlikely findings in a DOC camp. It also had one of the greatest views in the world.
The majesty of the Cape was long lived in our minds, but we had to move on eventually. We climbed back into The Mammoth and headed back down the coast towards Hokianga Harbour, which marks the lower end point of 90 Mile Beach and the start of the Kauri Coast.
The journey down took the best part of the day and it was getting dark and raining hard by the time we got to the road leading to the Kohu Kohu ferry. As we drove down the access road I heard the sound I had been dreading; the sound of a flat tire. We managed to limp onto the jetty and look at the time table. A ferry was due in 5 minutes – no way to change the tire by then – and the last of the day was due 20 minutes later.
The ferry did arrive and the crew offered their apologies but insisted that we must change the tire before boarding. I could hear a slight chuckle in their voices and they whistled and shook their heads.
Thus we had our challenge: could we change it before their return?
For normal people the hiring of a campervan is simple. However, for us, well…
We did our usual thing of arriving a full day ahead of the booking and yet somehow wangling ourselves a free upgrade and not being charged for the extra day. I think that this is something to do with the puppy-eyed faces Cesca can pull when things seem not to be going her way. People all around rush to her aid, anything to protect the innocent gentleness behind those eyes. In another time such a power would have been called a mighty and terrible witchcraft - and perhaps I would have agreed with this Inquisition were it not for the fact that Cesca simply does not know that she does this! (and, of course, she has those eyes ready for me too…)
Anyway, after a little haggling we were given this:
[Cue A-TEAM intro music] “De de de… de de de… de-de-de-de-de… de-de-de-de!”
“Ten years ago, a crack commando unit was sent to New Zealand for crimes they didn’t commit. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as backpackers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire…
Franco Dominic Princi: Ciao! there Francesca and James, How are you both? I do hope fine in all your travels; now in Asia I think! Anyway thank you so much...
TB: Hey! Thanks very much for this article, that’s exactly how I feel about it all; web 2.0 and so on. Glad there are people out there that feel the...
Friedel & Andrew: Hi you two - it was great to meet you the other day and sorry we didn’t get to say goodbye in the morning. Expect you were still...
