January 2012 – WSKLong

Well, we are actually home now and have been for over a week. All in all it was a fantastic trip and I can’t really say I would have done many things differently, which I suppose is a good thing. I don’t think I will ever be a regular blogger as I have to nag myself to try to keep things up to date. I did really enjoy hearing all of the comments people sent though! So now I will make my final post to pacify my type-A soul and ensure things are completed.

The weather won out and we opted to try to reschedule the Tongariro crossing for another time. The “rangers” warning that the wind may blow you off of the ridge helped to solidify that decision. We headed for Auckland to pick up our rental car and to take in some indoor pursuits. Our car came from “Jucy” rentals, and I was half dreading/hoping what the slogan on the side of the car would say. Turned out to be nothing, but I will attach a photo of one of the camper vans at the rental place.

Auckland is quite lovely and we were able to walk to where we wanted to go from our hotel. The Auckland Museum has an excellent exhibit on Maori art and culture which I am sure Keiran will capture in the presentation he is required to give on “Cultures of the World” when he returns to school. On an odd note, Auckland, and NZ in general, have excellent public parks with great kids play structures. Even an old frau like me found them fun!

We headed up to Piha which is a surfing beach that is known for it’s black sand and a rocky projection that looks like a lion’s head. In spite of the rain, it was a beautiful spot and the beauty was enhanced by the lifesaving crew who were recertifying in surf rescue. The beach changes dramatically depending on if the tide is in or out and we had fun checking out the starfish and crabs at low tide.

The weather further south was looking promising and so we decided to split from the Clossons for a few days and headed back to the Tongariro crossing via Taupo. Lake Taupo is a volcanic lake that also has black sand beaches and the shore is littered with rounded pumice rocks or “volcanic glass” of all sizes. Keiran had an absolute gas skipping giant, rounded pumice rocks on the lake. I had a gas collecting a huge bag of pumice rocks. The good news was that the entire bag only weighed about 3 lbs. The bad news was that it was a giant bag. I am pleased to report that I did bring the entire bag home with me and it is now sitting a few feet away from me on the floor. Haven’t quite decided what I am going to do with them yet…………….

I had wanted to visit a winery while in NZ and there were a few near Taupo. We pulled up to the “Floating Rock” vineyard only to find out that they were closed. However, the very gracious owner invited us in for a glass of wine after discovering us trespassing on his property. He said they are only open for 6 weeks per year, around Christmas, which is when they do the majority of their business!

The next day we were able to hike the Tongariro crossing and actually had near perfect conditions. It is a great hike and was one of our highlights. It is probably best known as being the volcano known as “Mount Doom” from the “Lord of the Rings” films. Can’t say I knew it from that, but now I feel I should really watch Lord of the Rings. Damn! It is a 19 km hike and the landscape is quite varied, but very little vegetation for most of it. I guess that is what you get on top of a volcano!

The last stop on our journey was back to Mt. Manganui where we met up with the Clossons again and experienced another fab bach! I convinced Warren and Keiran that they really did want to go and tour a kiwi plantation and as it turns out, I was right! Although I did feel a tad touristy travelling around the plantation in a little tram where each car was shaped like a giant kiwi, it was really interesting. The guide knew anything and everything you could throw at him when it came to kiwis. They also talked about other fruit grown in NZ. It seems most anything grows there. Weird as limes are $28 per kg!

Spent our last afternoon on a gorgeous beach soaking up the sun and scenery. I am left with many great memories, photos, purchases, experiences, appreciation for the Closson family and their NZ friends, and a little bit of a dry, flaky tan.

Sample campers at Jucy rentals.

Keiran at Piha beach with starfish

Keiran whipping a piece of kelp overhead. He didn’t learn from his last experience doing that where he whipped his own legs! Lion shaped rock in background at Piha.