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
