Tongariro

Our campsite woke foggy and hungry. Cold leftover Thai and hot showers to start the day, yum! The odd trees looked even more Seuss-like sticking above the fog. The odd colored birds added to the mystique.

As we drove south, we became aware that corrugated steel is not just a building material. It is also a decorative option, good for colorful sineage, and many more uses. In fact, even entire buidings shaped like sheep and dogs can be made from corrugated steel.

We gradually worked our way to Taupo, a moderate sized town on the eastern edge of Lake Taupo. Our goal was a hike, aka tramp, in Tongariro National Park. We checked the iSite for options after a stop at the “Super Loo,” a coin operated man/woman room. It was such a fancy coin-op bathroom it was noteworthy.

We settled on a hiking plan after only two stops, one at the Taupo iSite and another 20K down the road at Turangi. The plan involved entering the park and driving up to Whakapapa village, one of the two ski areas on the north island. We had considered a tramp called the Tongariro Crossing but it was a 7-hour, one-way hike. Alice offered to drive to meet us at the other end but we decided it was too long and would take up some of our precious time with Alice. The short walk was a 1 ½ hour loop to Waitonga falls, a 39 m waterfall.

Mt. Tongariro is a volcano in the middle of the north island. Beside it is Mt. Ngauruhoe (which I still can’t pronounce), and Mt. Ruapehu. I’m not sure when tngariro and Ngauruhoe were last active but Ruapehu last erupted in September of this year while skiiers were still on the mountain. Needless to say, the landscape was one step off lunar with lavabeds as a base. Foliage was sparse other than the beech forest along the riverbed. Ruapehu itself was still snow capped though our views of all three volcanos were limited by dense cloud cover. We did manage to get a few glimpses of the Whakapapa ski area which we mistook for Turoa, the only other ski area.

Waitonga falls was amazing. Little did we know it was just a taste of what was to come later in the trip. We came to the top of the falls first. There were rocks to walk above the falss and the view was dizzying looking at the wate dropping away. A long staicase took us to the bottom of the falls and its lovely aqua pool.

This walk was our first introduction to the trails in NZ. Their trail maintenance is incredible. Diversion berms are made with wood sides and open tops for cleaning. A trench is often dug down the side of the path or track. Stairs of one sort or another are well build on most steep area, some quite elaborate. Alice told us that workmanship in NZ is usually of this quality.

Our next stop was Okahune, the ski town below Turoa. It’s tiny and like mose NZ towns, the carpets roll up early. Shops in all but the largest cities close at 5 p.m., grocers close at 7 or 8, and eeryone else by 9. Most restaurants say they are “open late” which means they serve until 8 or 8:30 depending on how busy they are. The larger cities stay open 3-4 hours later and Auckland apparently never sleeps.

Okahune is the carrot capital of the country and has a giant carrot to prove it. Even with this tourist draw, they follow the small town rule with only bars and restaurants open after 5. We stopped for a beer and snack at a local pub. The menu for snacks was limited so we thought we’d try fish and chips and something called squid rings, which turned out to be just like those old frozen fish sticks only formed into rings. Fully loaded with grease, we rented a luxurious two-room backpacker with a double in the living room and a twin in the bedroom (odd). The sower had a wonderful rainbath showerhead AND as shower massage wand. We were high on the hog that night but after all, it was my birthday.

Alice relaxed while Guy and I went to dinner. The only place with reasonable food for a pesceveggie was a pizza joint but they had just closed the kitchen. They must have seen the dismay on my face as they considered our other options and re-opened the kitchen for us. My birthday dinner was a yummy salad and a pizza with sundried tomato, feta, and pumpkin. And odd combo but good. Alice even enjoyed the leftovers. Our grease quota was met for the next week!