New Zealand

Wellington/Napier/Taupo/Rotorua

June 6 - 14
Wellington
June 6-9, 2001
We crossed over to the North Island on the Lynx Ferry. This ferry was a very large catamaran with several decks for the cars and a luxurious top level for all the passengers. We met our friend Gabriella in Wellington. Gabriella happened to be in the country at the same time, so we decided to meet up in Wellington. I met Gabriella while she was living in Mexico City. She's originally from Auckland, but now she's living in London. We spent a nice day with her touring a bit of the city...the cable car ride to the hill top botanical gardens... and the pubs. This city definitely has a "San Francisco - like" feel to it. Everybody seems quite fashionable here... I couldn't help but feel a bit sloppy in my converter pants and fleece shirt. After traveling in the more remote areas of the South Island, it took a while to adjust to the city life again. Gabriella gave us some good tips on what to see on the North Island (Gabriella - thanks again!).
Napier
June 9-11, 2001
Napier is the Art Deco capital of New Zealand. The town was wiped out by a major earthquake in the 1930's. However, the city records were saved...andthe town was rebuilt as it was before the earthquake. It's a very scenic town beside the water...and, it's in the Hawkes Bay wine region. So, of course, we hit a few wineries. We took Gabriella's suggestion and had lunch at the Clearview Winery. The food was great and the setting was very beautiful. It was a very short visit in Napier...just 2 days. We also went to a sheep skin factory and took a tour of how the skins are processed. It was very interesting...and a bit smelly.
Taupo
June 11-14, 2001

Volcanoes, thermal pools, geysers, mud pools, and steam escaping from the ground...that's what this region is all about! We stayed at the Orakei Korako Lodge our first night in Taupo. We had the entire lodge to ourselves...a large kitchen, fireplace, dining tables, dance floor, and juke box. After a very nice lamb dinner, we cranked up the juke box! We got lucky when the lodge manager dropped by...he opened up the juke box and gave us all the coins inside so that we could play music all night long. Since I had possession of the coins, the songs were my choice for the first two hours...a Bee Gee's Marathon!

Our lodge was directly across from the Orakei Korako thermal pools. We spent the next morning touring the geysers, boiling mud pits, and bubbling pools.

We then headed south along Lake Taupo to the town of Turangi. We stayed here two days so that we could do the famous Tongariro Crossing. This was a day hike (approx. 7 hours) which led us up a very steep mountain, onto the saddle (between two volcanoes), then around the rim of a crater, and down the other side. We were lucky again with the weather...there wasn't too much snow and ice, so we didn't need crampons. People have actually died doing this trail... so we made sure we were well prepared.

There were beautiful views all along the trail. It was such a clear day, that you could see Mt. Taranaki - that's another volcano on the east coast of the north island. It's pretty amazing that we could see the edge of the east coast!

Rotorua
June 14-19, 2001

You can tell you're in Rotorua by the smell. There's so much geothermal activity here that the entire town reeks of sulphur. Steam escapes from the ground everywhere...from the side of the road, in people's yards, in front of the grocery store, even along the sidewalk. Rotorua has a high concentration of Maori people (the native people of New Zealand). Actually, it's believed that the Maori came from Polynesia...but they were here long before Europeans discovered New Zealand.

Rotorua is one of the few areas where you can go to a Hangi. The Hangi is a Maori feast. It's very similar to the Fijian lovo. A hole is dug in the ground. Special rocks are placed into the hole and heated. Once the rocks are sufficiently hot, the meats (chicken, fish, lamb, beef) are wrapped up and placed on top of the stones. The vegetables are placed on top of the meat, then the hole is covered with leaves and dirt. The food is allowed to cook for 3 hours...then it's feast time! These Hangi's can be very commercial and contrived (it's mostly a show on the old Maori customs), but it's still one of the best ways to gain a better understanding of the Maori culture - and makes for an enjoyable evening.

Rotorua seems to be the "Queenstown" of the north island. It's very much geared for tourism. There are many places to visit (from thermal pools and geysers to ancient forests and volcanoes). The museum is a beautiful building and has a fantastic exhibition on the 1886 Tarawera volcanic explosion. We visited the "most colorful thermal wonderland" in New Zealand, Wai-O-Tapu. I also spent a great two hours soaking at the Polynesian Spa hot springs.

Another aspect of tourism in Rotorua are the extreme sports activities. You can do just about ANYTHING here... skydiving, river sledging, mountain biking, zorbing, swooping, go-kart racing, and luge. We usually did these activities with the other backpackers at the Funky Green Voyager. We had a great time! However, these sports do come with a risk...and it was the off road luge that finally landed us in the clinic. Lon broke his right arm.

I knew we would end up in a clinic at some point...and June 17th was the day! Lon has a compression fracture of the neck of the humerus. The fracture is near the shoulder, so they can't put it in a cast...he has to wear a sling. He's handling it pretty well...the pain is mostly at night when he's trying to sleep. The way I see it, I'm the one that needs the pain killers. I have a new role for the next 6-8 weeks... nurse, dresser, washer, "shoe-tier", driver, baggage handler, etc..

By the way, guess how much Lon's doctor visit and x-rays cost? Just $24.00 U. S. . That just blows me away!! Lon received excellent care and treatment at the clinic...that would have cost hundreds of dollars in the United States. It really makes you think about the state of healthcare in our country.