The four of us (Kathrin, Silva, Masumi and I) had an awesome time together. New Zealand is simply too beautiful – we saw so many breathtaking landscapes on our way north to Rotorua, it’s hard to believe. I’ll get Wireless installed on Monday, so hopefully I’ll be able to share my photos once I don’t have to pay by usage anymore…
But here’s a quick run-down of what we did the past three days:
– Wednesday: Picked up car, failed to meet the fifth girl who wanted to come along (she’d given us a wrong mobile number), then headed 6 1/2 hours north. Kathrin and Silva are luckily both very experienced drivers, and everyone was kind enough to let me ride in front the whole time, making my motion sickness a non-issue (I only drove for about half an hour on the third day). Among other things we drove passed the Tongariro National Park, which is dominated by breathtaking snow-capped mountains. Then we finally reached Lake Taupo, the biggest lake in NZ and simply gorgeous, especially in the lovely weather that contrasted very agreably with the cold, wind and rain in Wellington… In the evening we reached Rotorua, where we stayed at a backpackers’ hostel. We rounded off the day with a trip to the nearby Polynesian spa, where we enjoyed the hot springs that give the air in Rotorua its sulphuric taste.
– Thursday: Spent the morning in Te Whakarewarewa, the functioning village of a local Maori hapu (sub-tribe), where we had the chance to see a cultural show and take a guided tour through the village with its many thermal attractions (and about 60 remaining inhabitants, from 6 months to 97 years of age). These ranged from boiling pits over natural steam cookers, communal baths and healthy mud holes to two impressive geysirs. Our guide, Rangi, is the third female generation to lead tourists through the village, and she was very proud of what the hapu had accomplished after the government-run Te Puia “Maori culture and geothermal visitor experience” tried to monopolize the area. I also used the opportunity to buy some locally made Christmas gifts… 🙂
The afternoon we drove around the area for a bit, with the idea of visiting another one of the many geothermal attractions. But the insane prices (they’d almost doubled since my last visit only four years ago) made us reconsider, so instead we spent some time at the lake front in town. Me and Masumi ended the day in the hot tub at the hostel, together with a German girl we’d met. Lovely!
– Friday: Our first stop was Kerosene Creek, a bit off the beaten path. It’s a lovely river running with hot water – and although it was raining, we were tempted to go in. In the end we didn’t, though, because it would have meant driving on wet and dirty. Still, will definitely keep this spot in mind!
After that we drove further south towards Taupo, to the Aratiatia Rapids. These are behind a big dam and can only be admired 3 or 4 times a day, when they open the floodgates for half an hour. We were right on time and enjoyed the spectacle of the almost-dry gorge turning into wild rapids enormously.
We then proceeded further along the Waikato river and to the Huka Falls, where we went for a hike along the riverside, through lovely forest, bringing us to another creek filled with hot water. Here we took off our shoes and enjoyed a little rest before heading back to the falls. We hadn’t planned on this excursion, having gone off the wrong way in search of the Falls at first, but it was totally worth the two hours walking!
However, the day wasn’t over yet! Kathrin had seen a postcard of Maori rock carvings on Lake Taupo, so we took a 2-hour boat trip once we reached Taupo. It was awesome – the water was calm, the sun came out, and we could hardly believe our luck! Afterwards we drove along the lake to Turangi, where we spent the night.
– Saturday: This morning we left at 8am and drove back through the beautiful landscapes to Wellington. We made such good time that we even managed to help Kathrin move into her new dorm room (her first one had been so freezing she’d caught an awful cold) before we had to return the car. Now I’m back, checked my email and am trying to decide whether to cook something or just get a sandwich or something.
Unfortunately a lot of stores already close at 2pm on Saturdays, so I can’t run the errands I should. But luckily I don’t have uni on Monday, so I should be able to get everything done by the time my first class starts. I’m quite nervous about that, btw, but I’m hoping for the best.
Edit: Went out, had a sandwich and peppermint hot chocolate (Subway and Starbucks should be giving me mass discounts!) at the harbour, where I sat for almost 2 hours enjoying the sunshine and a good book. The weather here changes so quickly, one has to make the most of it whenever possible.
Back home I heard a TV going next door, so I knocked and introduced myself to my neighbour, a girl from Malaysia (there are a lot of Malaysian students here, as well as Chinese and Japanese). Unfortunately she’s living in a week, so we won’t have much opportunity to get to know each other.
