North Island Road Trip

We managed to definitively prove the maxim “ the world is a small place” on our flight from Sydney to Auckland. Smack in the middle of the busy Sydney international airport almost half way around the world from South America, we ran into our friends from Buenos Aires, Lucas and Luis. We had first met them on our Machu Pichu hike, and when we visited Buenos Aires a few months later, Lucas was kind enough to act as our tour guide for a fun day of sightseeing. So you can only imagine the odds of not only running into each other in the airport, but also being on the same flight! They were on their way back home having finished their vacation in Australia. We did our best to catch up while smiling in amazement at the chance encounter…

So it was that our trip to New Zealand was off to a great start, which was a good omen given the shenanigans that occurred prior to us arriving. It all started with an innocent email that Patricia had sent to our friends Mel and Joe, who live in New Zealand and were the main reason that we worked in a short visit to this island country. The email contained details of our flight into Auckland so that Mel could pick us up at the airport. It was therefore a big surprise when Mel emailed back, asking how it was that we were planning on getting to Wellington, since that was where she and Joe lived…not Auckland, as we had apparently assumed! Oops!!!  Looks like after arriving back in the western world, we had let our guard down. Interesting since Wellington is a good ten hour drive from Auckland. 

After the initial shock followed by many embarrassed chuckles, we decided to make the best of it and rent a car from Auckland to Wellington, taking a few days to explore the sights in between. We booked a night into the Skyway Lodge Airport Hotel, which was a fantastic place to spend a night and leave our surfboards in storage before heading south.

It was certainly a very spontaneous road trip - we made our plans over about five minutes while sitting in the Ace Rentals parking lot using the available brochures! We had heard about a one day hike, the Tongariro Crossing that passed by the base of “Mt Doom”, the volcano used for the epic Lord of The Rings movies. It was supposed to be the “best day walk” on the North Island, and we looked forward to getting into the fresh mountain air.

The countryside in New Zealand is the most verdant, jewel green you can possibly imagine. Dotted with white fluffy sheep, criss-crossed with dark green perfectly trimmed hedges, we never got bored of gazing out of the windows, sometimes laughing in amazement at the beauty around us.

The weather was crisp and cold at night, so it was a surprise when we took a break from the drive for a short one hour walk in the forest, to see tropical ferns, palm trees and climbing vines surrounding a gushing clear creek over water-smoothed rocks.

One of the perks of traveling in New Zealand is the coffee culture – even a small town will have a really cute, kitschy coffee shop with delicious baked goods and even better espresso-based coffee. We took full advantage in the tiny town of Piopio with a stop at the Fat Pigeon Café.

 We pushed further south to Mt Taranaki, also known as Mt Egmont, which looks like a miniature version of Mt Fuji - a snow-topped (hopefully) inactive volcano that rises majestically out of the rolling country side. We spent the night at a beautiful spot called the EcoInn, just outside of Egmont village. The owners have worked hard to get their home off the grid, relying on solar, wind and hydro power, and also did a fantastic job creating a cosy hostel that has the feel of a log cabin. With the cold weather, it was a treat to have a wood burning stove and cozy quilts to lie under while gazing at the stars through the skylight in our bedroom.

The next day we traipsed around the property exploring all the cool features, which included an outdoor tub!

Thanks to a tip from the lovely owner, Linda, we went for a hike along a trail that led up to the base of the volcano through pastures and grazing cattle, followed by thick sub-tropical forest. At the end of the path we were rewarded with a picturesque waterfall, its misty spray watering many green-hued ferns before tumbling down into clear pools. As you can tell from the flowery writing, New Zealand has a beautiful landscape which is difficult to capture on film, and therefore has to be imagined or ideally seen first hand to be truly appreciated.

We then headed to a nearby lake where a lookout provided the perfect opportunity for a photo with Mt Taranaki in the background. We may have fallen in love with this striking landscape as it reminded us a little of home in Vancouver, with the snowy peaks surrounding the city in winter time.

We continued south, choosing to take the slower but more scenic drive on the Forgotten World Highway. The road was very winding (Patricia was thankful for Ben’s superb driving skills), and the views of the farming countryside made it very worthwhile.  One of the stops was in the small town, or “Republic” of Whangamomona.  With a quirky history that saw the town declare itself a Republic, holding annual elections for a president which in the past has included a goat and a pet dog, it also boasted an old-fashioned hotel and bar.

We sat on the patio and enjoyed meat pies and drinks, enjoying the feeling of freedom and relaxation that one gets on a fun road trip through beautiful sights on a sunny day.

That night we made it into the town of National Park, where we were staying the night at the Plateau Lodge before attempting the Tongariro Crossing the next day. The lodge had a hot tub that we booked out for a blissful half hour soak, easing our travel-sore muscles with the heat and a view of the nearby snow-capped volcanoes through the windows.

The next day we would attempt the crossing, with a ride from the lodge owner to the start of the trail, and a pick up at the end of the trail seven hours later.  As it would be a long day, we made dinner in the communal kitchen, chatted a bit with the other guests and had an early night.  We had a long walk ahead of us the next day, and we were really looking forward to the experience!