Two At Sea

August 16, 2021

This is from Bob McDavitt’s Weathergram today. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a collection of storms with such ordinary people-names. Well, that is, except for sixteen and that’s just a tropical depression so far. If it becomes a cyclone, maybe it’ll be called Richard. -Rich

March 06, 2014

Next up on our road-trip agenda was the drive from Tongariro National Park to the Taranaki Region. While we could save a little time by taking the main highway, there was another route that sounded very intriguing: The Forgotten World Highway.

This historic highway was built along colonial bridle paths. It winds 96 miles through hills, valleys, a deep gorge, and a 1-lane tunnel. A portion of the road remains unpaved, and although it goes through one tiny town, there are no gas stations along the way. Since this road has been supplanted by more direct and convenient highways, it gets very little use and is considered a relic from another time, a trip through “old New Zealand.” It’s also billed as one of New Zealand’s most picturesque drives.

Since we weren’t in a big hurry and enjoyed driving our Audi through just this sort of scenic landscape, it was an easy decision to opt for the Forgotten Highway as our route to the Taranaki region.

Grassy hill scenery is very common in New Zealand, but as we headed along the road it quickly became apparent there was something unusual about this area. I realized it was the hills—it was like giant hands had come and smooshed the hills closer together, making strange-looking mounds I’ve termed humpity bumpities. These particular humpity bumpities were large, with rounded mounts and pyramid shapes.

Across this landscape were scattered trees, their leaves turning yellow with the approach of fall, but most of the land was grass, scattered with Middle-Earthy boulders. Not surprisingly there were plenty of peacefully grazing cows and sheep. (Below, a few photos from the drive; click to enlarge any photo in galleries that follow.)

For the next four hours we wound through this scenery, going up and down over hills and through valleys. During this time a very strange and wonderful thing happened: Our music playlist seemed to “sense” the mood of the scenery outside and played music to match, which included a fair amount of classical music and, as we crossed train tracks, a song about a train coming. It almost felt like we were in a dream.

As we neared the Tangarakau Gorge, we came to the unpaved part of the road, which ran about 7 miles. The vegetation became lush and green, a classic New Zealand tree-fern forest. We stopped to take photos of the Tangarakau river, the bridge that went over it, and then made the short hike to the gravesite of the man who headed this historic bridge project. Below some photos…

And a panorama….

Once back in our car we came to the Moki Tunnel, 180 meters long and hand-carved by pickaxes. We could see the lights of a car coming from the opposite direction; so we pulled over to wait for it to come through.

It was a guy in a truck, and he stopped alongside us and motioned for us to roll down our window. He then told us that in his 50 years here, we were the first car he’d ever seen coming the other way! Wow. It goes to show how little-used this road is. We had a friendly chat before we headed on through the tunnel.

After the tunnel, the hills took on an even more surreal look, like layers of pyramid shapes. We drove by the four famous “saddles,” which in this case seemed to refer to valleys amid the hills. We also went through the tiny town of Whangamomona with a few historic buildings and not much else.

The Forgotten World Highway ended in a town called Stratford, its key sight a clock tower. At this point we made the turn towards New Plymouth, ending our drive on this famous highway. It had been quite an experience, especially for Rich who called it the highlight of his driving experiences in New Zealand. That’s saying a lot, especially considering that Rich generally doesn’t like to spend hours at a time behind the wheel. I have to say the drive seemed to go by very quickly–I guess time flies when we’re passing through a dream world (and having fun).–Cyndi

March 6, 2014

It was exciting to look out our window and discover we’d gotten some snow during the night. We headed to the Chateau’s lobby to look at the mountains through their big picture windows. Mt. Ruapehu’s peaks were now blanketed in white. Meanwhile, low clouds were dramatically blowing around and over the volcano-shaped Mt. Ngauruho, as though from a gigantic smoke machine. Rich and I settled onto a window-side couch to enjoy our coffee and the mountain views.

Before we left the hotel, I ducked outside to take some photos of this beautiful alpine scenery. Below, my favorites, plus one of the volcano-shaped mountain, Ngauruho, taken the previous afternoon. (Click to enlarge any photo in galleries that follow).

After checking out of the hotel, we headed to the lodge and chairlift at the base of Mt. Ruapehu, happy to see everything was up and running this sunny, beautiful morning. Below, some photos of the ski lodge area.

We bought our lift tickets and found that the price included the rental of a warm jacket to wear for the ride, a very good idea as it turned out. This would be Rich’s first time on a chair lift; so I gave him pointers for getting on the chair gracefully and enjoyed that woosh feeling as the chair swung forward and sent us aloft, giving the feeling flying up the mountain’s rocky slopes.

When the chairlift arrived at its first stop, we managed a good dismount from the moving chair (always a little intimidating even for someone who’s done it many times) and walked down to patches of snow. We threw a couple of snowballs; then ended up watching a group of teenage girls having snowball fights and making a snowman. I loved being around their energy; they were at that age where life is full of new experiences and endless amusements.

After a time we got back on the lift again, heading up to the next stop which featured “the highest cafe in New Zealand.” It also happened to be in one of the most spectacular settings! The dark volcanic rock here set off patches of brilliant white snow, while towering above us were dramatic snow-capped peaks and jagged spires. The lodge/restaurant, recently rebuilt, was perched on the side of the mountain, its deck jutting out over a rugged slope. Inside were tall windows amid vertical wood beams with a clear view of mountains outside. It was spectacular!

We ordered coffee drinks and went to set next to the windows and admire the view. Our lifestyle generally keeps us by the ocean; so it felt like an extra-special treat to be up in the mountains. I felt almost giddy to be up there and knew how John Denver must have been feeling when he wrote Rocky Mountain High.

After lingering and walking around outside, it was time to head back down the mountain. The ride going down was even more fun than the ride going up. As long as the chair kept moving I didn’t feel nervous about the height. Occasionally, though, it would stop (usually indicating someone was less than adept at a mount or dismount from the moving ski-lift chair), leaving us dangling high above the ground. I guess at that point, for me, it became a bit of a thrill ride. It was always nice to get going again. (Note: Since our trip here the chairlift has been replaced by a gondola-style lift: the Sky Waka gondola).

Now it was time to get back on the road. This trip had been going so well that, earlier in the day, Rich had asked what was next, and I’d broached the idea to tack one more destination onto this trip: the Taranaki region. Anchored by a large volcano mountain, this area features the artsy, garden-filled city of New Plymouth and the verdant Egmont National Park. Situated out on the far west point of the North Island, it’s also quite remote. It would be a 4-hour drive from our current location, but that was actually close compared to the distance from anyplace else! This really would be an ideal time to go. Rich agreed and almost before I knew it, he had found and booked us a Mystery Deal for a hotel in New Plymouth.

So now as we drove off to continue our travel through the North Island, we were treated to more beautiful mountain scenery as we headed back up through Tongariro National Park. Below, a few photos from today’s drive.–Cyndi

March 05, 2014

So far our only disappointment on this trip was our hotel, which as a Hilton, should have had a reasonably high standard. But our room temperature had been erratic through the night, and there was no extra blanket. The room, which had seemed fine at first glance, turned out to be fraying around the edges on closer inspection. The hotel itself had an unsettling energy, which I didn’t give much thought to until something strange happened.

I was in the bathroom when I noticed the light briefly change in the area of the shower stall, just out of my view. Moving light is not unusual so I didn’t think anything of it until it dawned on me that nothing could have caused that shift. After confirming Rich had been in bed the whole time, I wondered if I had experienced something ghostly. Later we were in the hallway waiting for the elevator when a vacuum cleaner, leaning against a nearby wall, suddenly fell over with no seeming cause. After our ride up and walk through another labyrinth of hallways, we were somewhat relieved to check out.

Hungry, in need of coffee, and heading out into a windy day, a restaurant called Dixie Browns came to our rescue. Located right by the water, this place had the look of an American Coffee shop plus a fireplace, giving it a cozy, welcoming ambience. The food was good, too. Now our spirits and bodies fortified, weird hotel energy behind us, we were ready for the day’s adventures.

Today we were headed for New Zealand’s oldest national park and World Heritage Area, Tongariro National Park. It’s an alpine region, home to three sacred, well-behaved mountains: Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and Ruapehu. I say well-behaved in that all three happen to be volcanos which are currently inactive. I figure as long as they aren’t blowing their tops, they’re being well-behaved.

The area itself has beautiful scenery and, like many mountain areas, becomes a ski town in the winter months and a hiking destination during warmer periods. Plus, it has something rare in New Zealand: a grand old hotel called The Chateau. In fact I think this is New Zealand’s only grand old hotel. I had visited this place on my previous trip to New Zealand, nearly 30 years ago, and loved it so much I hoped to return someday. Now that the day was here, I hoped it would live up to my memory.

We headed down to the south end of Lake Taupo, but instead of turning into the mountains I had a detour planned. It was yet another geothermal area, but this one would be different. While the others had been big operations, this was a simple little bushwalk, free of charge, with the sort of steaming pools actually used by Maori locals for cooking, bathing, and other assorted day-to-day activities. The place was connected to an area of public pools, presumably heated using geothermal energy.

We parked the car and set off on the path that wound through the pools. Scrubby growth surrounded us–low trees, bushes, and striking tall grasses. Steam wafted off some of the pools, while others were still—you wouldn’t know they were hot unless you stepped in one. One notable thing was the lack of wind. It had been windy in Taupo, but here the air was perfectly still. This quiet and stillness, the only movement from the shifting steam from the pools, gave this place a lonely feeling. In all it had been interesting to visit, but I wouldn’t call it a must-do. Below, a few photos from our walk here (click to enlarge any photo).

We headed south to rejoin the highway, now gaining altitude as we headed up into the mountains. We stopped at the Te Ponanga Saddle Viewpoint over the lake, then continued on our way to higher elevations.

After we gained altitude the road flattened out. In the distance we could now see two of the mountains, rugged Tongariro and the perfectly volcano-shaped Ngauruhoe, their peaks dusted with snow. The land that spread out below them was a lava field, covered in native bush and mounds of pampas grass that seemed to go on forever. There was a taller forest of trees on the other side of the highway, but the mostly-low growth on the lava field made for a clear view of the mountains.

Soon the snowy third mountain, Ruapehu, came into view. By now it was cloudy with periods of sun, and the temperature was dropping. The scenery, though, was stunning, so gorgeous we didn’t mind knowing it would be cold when we finally exited the car.

We turned off the highway and drove up the road leading to the Chateau. It came into view, as majestic as I remembered it to be. Parking and going in, I was relieved to see this place has been kept up beautifully.

We went to our room and the first thing we did was get the heat on before heading to lunch in the hotel, getting the curry of the day (beef vindaloo) and fettuccini. I’ll mention here that it’s common for New Zealand cafes to have a “curry of the day,” as it’s not unusual for kitchens to be staffed by immigrants from Southeast Asia or India. Generally these dishes are delicious and a safe bet for tasty meal, while some of the more “creative” combinations can be hit-and-miss.

Our room was lovely, well-maintained, and comfortable. We may not have had a mountain view, but the garden arrangement outside our room was very pretty. Below, a photo of our room and the view outside our window.

I had a possibility planned for this afternoon, and it involved what may be New Zealand’s most famous trek: the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This trek covers 12 miles over rugged, moonscape terrain with many steep grades and extremely changeable weather. It’s a difficult walk, but the scenic rewards include volcanic peaks and the glowing-green Emerald and crystal Blue crater lakes, quite a striking sight when offset by the reddish-brown, rocky terrain.

This walk is so famous that both local and international tourists, determined to experience this “must do,” regularly overestimate their fitness and underestimate the changeability of weather, making it the number one spot in New Zealand for search and rescue operations, not to mention a number of deaths. Adventure Magazine, concluding in their article about the trek, surmised that responsibility lies mostly with the hikers themselves, asking, “Will our egos allow us to admit that the exercise is outside our ability levels? Or will we make what could be a fatal error of judgement?”

Adventure Magazine need not worry about my ego as I knew that Rich and I weren’t quite up to the fitness level required. My ego, however, did hope to take a small plane fight over the area. Unfortunately with this wind, it wasn’t looking good. The hotel confirmed my fears: the planes were cancelled for today and tomorrow. So we wouldn’t be seeing the Tongariro Crossing, but hey, maybe we’d do the gondola up the mountain instead.

After a walking to the nearby Visitor’s Centre (above), we drove to the base of Mt. Ruapehu to look into the chairlift and see the lodge nearby. It was too windy at this point for the lift, but they planned to open the following morning; so we could try again.

With the temperature dropping rapidly (39° F degrees at this point!), we decided to head back to our warm, lovely room and order a room service dinner and get a bottle of wine from the bar. While waiting for dinner and sipping some wine, I filled the tub, big and deep with Jacuzzi jets.

Money may not be able to buy true and lasting happiness, but it can certainly buy bits and pieces of it, like sitting in a deep Jacuzzi tub, sipping wine, after an afternoon enjoying beautiful alpine scenery and bracing mountain air. Better yet to have this followed by a delicious room-service dinner. Yes, the Chateau was more than living up to my memory of it.

Tomorrow we planned, one way or another, to see more of the mountains here. For now we settled in for a peaceful and comfortable night’s sleep. –Cyndi

March 4, 2014

Our next destination was Lake Taupo. This region is one of New Zealand’s major attractions, somewhat based on its location en route from Rotorua to all the other major draws in the North Island. That said, it’s a lovely lake and does have one key attraction: Huka Falls.

Huka Falls aren’t particularly tall or wide, but they are incredibly powerful, the result of the wide Waikto River getting funneled through a narrow gorge before plunging down to the river below. It’s rather thrilling to stand on a bridge above the gorge and watch the water thundering through below, or go to the lookout and experience the explosive power of these falls. What makes Huka Falls even more unique are the shades of turquoise and teal blue in the basin below, apparently caused by the minerals in this bubbling, churning water.

Another river attraction is the Aratiatia Rapids. These rapids are actually created by a river dam that opens several times a day, creating an powerful expulsion of water that rapidly fills the riverbed below. Basically you can say the key theme of Taupo is the power of water.

Aside from these key attractions, there are museums, a prawn farm where you can learn all about the lives of prawns before eating them, hot springs, a modest thermal park, boat rides across Lake Taupo to an impressive Maori rock carving, and of course, all the usual thrill seeking activities (bungy-jumping, river rafting, jet-boating, etc.).

My plan for Taupo was for us to see Huka Falls and the Aratiatia Rapids before taking a lake boat ride to see the Maori carving. I was also looking forward to a night at the Hilton Lake Taupo, our “mystery hotel” located in a heritage building that’s been modernized.

We arrived at Huka Falls, taking a walk across the bridge that goes over the gorge. The water below was thundering through at high speed. It was impressive, but unfortunately someone had told Rich how amazing these falls are, making his expectations very high, and now he was wondering what all the fuss was about. We continued on to the lookout, right next to the falls. They’re beautiful if you’re not expecting Niagara Falls (like Rich was).

Actually the falls, combined with the amazing shades of blue at their base, are undeniably impressive. Once Rich got over his initial letdown, he found them beautiful, too. We lingered awhile, taking in the scenery and the falls. Below, photos of the falls. (Click on a photo in any of the galleries that follow to enlarge.)

Now, we had to hurry and drive to the Aratiatia Rapids. We arrived just before the dam opened and watched from the bridge above it. It was neat to see the water released, its power and turbulence as it hit the riverbed which rapidly filled. A black swan floated in an area just off to the side from the turbulent water, seeming to enjoy the ride he was getting. We were to find out later that black swans are quite playful.

We walked down a path to another viewing area, which I realized would have been a better place to watch the dam open. I climbed out on a huge boulder to the edge to get some photos (words that may end up on my tombstone someday) and took some time to admire this scenery. Like Huka Falls, there is a feeling of rushing water, huge boulders, and surrounding forest, river scenery at its grandest. In my opinion this rapids area was worth coming to see even without witnessing the dam opening.

Our next stop was the hotel. We took the road that goes along Lake Taupo. This lake is pretty, very large with view of low mountains on the far side. To the south we could see larger mountains, actually volcanoes, in the direction we’d be headed tomorrow. The lake itself is usually placid, but today the wind had come up and I could see it was very choppy. This wasn’t a good sign for our boat ride scheduled later this afternoon.

The small town of Taupo sits on a slope above the lake. Our hotel was further up a hill. As we approached, I could see part of the heritage building it used to be interspersed with the part that was new. This worked well from the outside but after  checking in, we walked to our room and found the layout really bizarre. It seems the meshing of old and new hadn’t gone smoothly, making for some awkward and strange hallways that made me think of the Winchester House. Frankly, it had a rather bad energy. Thankfully our room was nice, overlooking a lawn and canyon behind the hotel (Mystery deals aren’t generally “view” rooms, and that was fine with us.)

We were now hungry and headed to a place called Plateau. They had just closed for lunch, but the bar was open and the chef said he’d make us what we wanted. How nice! We opted for the day’s curry (red chicken curry), fish and chips, and beer for Rich while I had a chardonnay. This particular eatery didn’t have a view, but the food was fabulous and they were so nice that I’d definitely recommend it.

After lunch we headed to the town’s marina, located at the mouth of the river that led into Lake Taupo. What a pretty little place, but we got the bad news that our boat trip had been delayed for the time being. We were advised to come back in an hour and check again, so we headed back to take a rest at the hotel.

As we headed back later we drove by the lake. By now the wind was stronger and the lake awash in whitecaps, little waves starting to break near the shore. I noticed black swans were swimming in the waves and was surprised to realize they were actually surfing them! Who knew swans were so playful?

By now we were getting tired and weren’t feeling up to a boat ride in this wind, even if it was a motor boat; so we were actually relieved to find our outing had been cancelled. Amazingly, another tour boat trip, in a sailing yacht, had not been cancelled. Ugh. I wouldn’t imagine that would be a nice ride!

So what now? We decided to check out the swans we spotted on the way over here. We found them, going to the beach to watch them. Apparently they had no fear of people and didn’t seem to mind sharing the beach with us. The sky was shades of gray, the water shades of blue, and the slight of black swans surfing on the waves was just something to behold. This, I suspect, may have been better than the boat ride!

Satisfied with our day, we returned to the hotel and enjoyed some wine and our view of the now-golden evening outside, complete with a rainbow.

Today had been magical in so many ways, and it had only been one day. I hoped tomorrow would be just as good. –Cyndi