We were happy to make the stop in Nelson on our way back up to the North Island. We arrived last Friday and dispersed for the day to enjoy the town/surrounding countryside. Just northeast of town, I did a solo hike up a very steep pastoral terrain overlooking a pristine marine reserve. It was a tough climb, but the views were awesome (see photos below).
I also felt the need to document the thorny, thistle-like flower below, as it was vegetation like this that made the hike a bit more uncomfortable in my sandals. Pretty flower though.
I did run into a problem--after a 45 minute ascent, I realized had come to a crossroads with a fenced area to the left and a seemingly well-beaten path to my right. I went with the more obvious choice, but when I started to climb the trail to the right I realized that the gravel was unusually loose. What made matters worse was that this path was literally on the edge of a very steep drop off and it became less and less beaten as I progressed. Finally, the path disappeared altogether and I found myself surrounded by sheep that seemed very surprised to see a human. This is where I realized that I had made a wrong turn. Getting back through the thick brush was difficult, and I had nearly lost the path that I had just left. All in all a slightly stressful experience, but I made it out with only a few cuts and bruises (I slipped and fell once, luckily not off the mountain).
When I got back to the fenced area (previously the path to the left), I realized that there was a gate allowing passage for trekkers. I felt pretty foolish at that point, but I was happy I finally found the correct route. From that point forward, the hike was a real pleasure, and very relaxing despite the relentless increase in elevation. I was taken through bright, lime-green pastures housing goats, cattle and, of course, sheep. The animals didn't even seen to mind my presence, allowing me to get a few photos with them (below).
It was a great hike and a much-needed workout compared the lethargic city life that I had recently experienced, and I completed the loop in about an hour and a half.
The next morning, we left our beloved South Island to finally begin back-tracking. It was sad leaving the wilder island, but there was still enough left to see up north to keep us optimistic. Our main goal after arriving in Wellington (North Island) was to check out some of the local sites from the filming of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Well, we were told ahead of time that if we did not invest in a guide book (complete with GPS coordinates for each and every film site in the country) we would be hard-pressed to find any of these locations. This advice proved to be correct, and the first two sites that we had been given directions to eluded us completely. We ended up having to give up until the next morning.
Luck was on our side this day (Sunday), as the first place that we stopped, Harcourt Park where they shot Isengard in the movie, had a private tour guide leading a few people around and pointing out significant areas. We eavesdropped as best as we could without drawing too much attention and were able to ascertain that the tree below was in fact in the movie (I know it doesn't seem that cool, but when you spent the previous day driving around aimlessly with no results it was spectacular).
The same goes for Rivendell below (there were actually sign postings for this site).
Not too impressive, but if you are a Lord of the Rings geek like me and Brian, it was a grand experience. Oh, and speaking of geekiness, I got another great shot of a fern frond below on the way out of the park (I think it is safe to say that I am obsessed with these photogenic plants).
I will keep the next dismal part of the story as abridged as possible. So our next stop after Wellington was going to be Tongariro National Park, a volcanic playground complete with three active sites, visible lava flows and steam vents. This area is also home to the best day hike in the country: The Tongariro Crossing. Needless to say we were very excited. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side and the day after our late-afternoon arrival to the park, a large system passed over, reducing visibility to zero. Such is the weather in this region, we were told, so we were not too surprised but certainly disappointed. The weather was predicted to worsen daily, with possibilities for snow--not a good omen for an alpine trek. Reflecting on the great weather that we'd had at other locations, especially Milford Sound, helped to alleviate our moods, as we regrettably made the practical decision to leave the park and continue north.
Though we did not get to see active lava flows, we experienced the next best thing on our subsequent stop in the geothermal hot spot of Rotorua. Here we got to see (and feel) natural hot and cold springs, but we could not go in all the way, as the sign explains below (just to fill you in a bit more, the parasite that the sign below refers to swims into your ears/nose and burrows into your brain--yeah, not worth diving in).
We also got to see some really cool natural boiling mud pools (see pic and video below). I could watch these crazy bubbles all day, but the inescapable scent of strong sulfur was definitely the limiting factor of our visit.
We spent the night in Rotorua (indoors, due to the very volatile, often wet weather conditions) and set out the next day on a mission: see a kiwi, the very endangered national bird of New Zealand. Just to give you a brief background on these adorable fuzz balls, they are basically flightless birds that sleep about 20 hours a day and then spend four hours poking around dirt to find worms to eat. They are lazy, slow, fat, and easily the cutest bird I've ever seen. But as the kiwi's major vice is sloth, it is no wonder that the population (native only to New Zealand) has been nearly wiped off the planet due to introduced land predators, chief among them are dogs.
Now that I've bored you with the details, I'll tell you about our encounter with the animal. We decided to check out a Kiwi recovery center/zoo in Rotorua called Rainbow Springs. I'm glad to say that the cheesy name of this place did not negatively outweigh all of the fine exhibits that it had to offer, showcasing all of the famous wild residents of New Zealand. While the swan below is obviously not endemic to the area, it was the tamest I've ever seen, allowing me to get within inches to take the nice macro shot.
Below is the New Zealand pigeon, or the 'King of all Pigeons' as I like to call it. It is basically a normal pigeon with a stomach about 5 times the size of those in the U.S. though with the same size head as its Western cousins.
The native Tuatara lizard below is a small wonder it itself. Dating back to the Jurassic period, these lizards are estimated to live up to 300 years. They are hence referred to as a 'living fossil.' Look at that eye!
While we did thoroughly enjoy checking out the animals above, obviously our main purpose for our visit to Rainbow Springs was the kiwi. At the end of the path through the zoo, we finally got our first glimpse of a live one in the nocturnal exhibit (below is a photo from the web, just to give you an idea--I was unable to catch my own due to the darkness).
We were also allowed to return to the park in the evening for the open kiwi exhibit, featuring four of the birds in large pens, allowing them to roam freely and behave as they might in the wild. We were very pleasantly surprised by this encounter, and we got to watch the birds, up-close as they patrolled their enclosers, foraged for worms and even loudly communicated with each other.
It was great seeing the Kiwi finally, and we watched them for over a half hour--their movements reminded me of a dinosaur and at the very least something from a pre-historic era.
The following day was our last in Rotorua, and we took advantage of an abrupt break in the foul weather to do a quick 3-hour circuit up to the peak of Rainbow Mountain. The hike was no Tongariro Crossing, but the steam vents, crater lakes and red cliffs made it well worth the effort (see photo below).
That night, we drove through the Shire (I apologize for yet another Lord of the Rings reference) on our way to a very beautiful free camp site. This was may favorite campsite yet, and the sunset on the adjacent stream pictured below helps to explain why.
Since this was to be our final night camping, we decided to celebrate and cracked open a few cases of local beer and enjoyed the scenery. Part of the landscape was a swing bridge crossing the stream from above, which I decided to use as a vantage point to take one of our last group photos. The problem was, in order to capture the beautiful background as well as the four of us, I had to position my camera on the center of the swing bridge and sprint down to the riverbank where my three travel companions waited. The first time this did not quite work out--I almost made it before the 30 second timer went off! (see below--I am the blur out to the left)
As you can see below, on the second attempt I got my head in the game and got their in time, somehow avoiding a sprained ankle/head injury while dashing through the sloping, rocky field.
It is hard to tell if I speak for the group when I say this, but I will sincerely miss camping in New Zealand.
We are now back in Auckland where we have spent the last two days preparing to sell our beloved Abe (car). We've put up postings in hostels, put the car in a resale garage and even went to the trouble of renting a cellular phone to make the transaction easier.
Keep your fingers crossed for us! I'll let you know how it goes.
Mike
Keep your fingers crossed for us! I'll let you know how it goes.
Mike
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