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New Zealand - Autumn in Aotearoa
Bye-bye summer, hi autumn. The leaves change their color, temperatures rush down, and the weather starts to get unstable. Still the trip continues, thru the geothermal parks near Rotorua, the Art Deco capital Napier, and on to the west coast’s port of New Plymouth.
Taupo 2 New Plymouth
Taupo, 12th April
We’re in our nice cottage in Taupo. A bit tired from the Tongariro Hike yesterday. But the weather is still ok today. The great cyclone’s landfall is expected not until tomorrow. And what follows then, nobody knows – we just get permanent warnings on the weather apps, on TV, on the radio, and even on the Kiwis’ emergency system thru cellphone.
Let’s see what adventures await us tomorrow, but for today we’re still optimistic that we should see a few things before the world ends tomorrow.
So, we’re on our way to Orakei Kerako, the most famous geothermal park in the area. A pretty large visitor center awaits us. Well, it’s not exactly the kind of center with some useful and some pointless information you might expect. It’s more the kind of setup to motivate you to spend quite some money: for the stiff entrance fee, for numerous souvenirs, and for a completely overpriced cafeteria. Anyway, we limit ourselves to the entrance fee, which entitles us to a short boat ride to the site and a walk in the park.
Arriving there, we’re confronted with a hell a lot of warnings and safety instructions. Then we know how to behave, where the emergency assembly points are, and what to do should we be blown up by a volcano. Let’s see if we’ll survive this incredible adventure.
After 2h we’ve seen it.
What a surprise, we even survived this adventure – probably because we absolutely followed all warnings and recommendations. Who knows?
Well, what we’ve seen is pretty nice, even spectacular.
As the weather is still pretty ok, we visit the next hotspot: the Huka Falls.
True, there are a few visitors, so you should carefully select your position for the ultimate Insta-pic to avoid being lost in the middle of the Chinese bus tours.
The next morning – the day the cyclone Vaianu will hit Aotearoa.
No reason to get up early, and all reasons to have an extended breakfast. Who knows how long we’ll have power, internet, water, and a roof over our cottage. How long it will take until a wind gust will blow poor Shiny into the lake.
Of course, we check the MetService. Strange, for Taupo they announce next to no wind or rain, just a little bit in the afternoon. And that should be this disastrous cyclone?
Checking out the different news, we learn that Vaianu has changed slightly its path, probably just hitting the Coromandel Peninsula and some parts of the east coast. Well, let’s see.
Outside it’s grey, from time to time drizzling, and pretty warm.
For us the opportunity to continue our boring blog poetry, to arrange all the pics taken, and to wait for something to happen.
Rotorua, 13th April
Cyclone Vaianu is history. It inundated parts of the eastern North Island, and some roads are closed. For the rest of the country, not much has happened.
We’re driving to Rotorua, some 80km to the north. On the way , a stop at another geothermal park: Wai-O-Tapu, famous for its colorful elements.
Again, we have the chance to pay a hefty entrance fee, then we’re on the boardwalk to find out if it’s really that sensational.
In the afternoon, we arrive in Rotorua. Probably the major tourist hotspot of the North Island. Mainly US citizens are keen to see these absolutely authentic Maori experiences some hotels organise everyday. Others just use it as a base for their different excursions.
Hence, there’s a lot of infrastructure for organised tours and much less, but a bit overpriced, for individual travellers. They even created an Eat Street, where all these visitors can munch on some Kiwi goodies, Chinese gourmet bites, or those delicious original US burgers with enormous amounts of melted industrial cheese. Interest in that? Check on Google for the ratings of these eateries to make a good choice.
Of course, so many tourists also attract quite a number of bad girls. Probably, they won’t kidnap you to empty your credit card, or torture you in a dark dungeon to get the password of your dating app. No, they’re more about breaking into cars, checking what valuables some tourists left for them. It’s a real shame, but somehow reality.
Napier, 15th April
Enough of volcanic activities, we need some urban life – at least Kiwi style.
We’re on our way to Napier, New Zealand’s Art Deco capital. Said to be one of the nicest towns in the country.
A journey thru the North Island’s farmland and rolling hills, a green landscape without too sensational sights. About 200km, 3h for Shiny to arrive.
Entering Napier, we immediately spot the beautiful, well preserved buildings in the small CBD. We have to explore that a bit.
Of course, not all buildings are restored to the best taste.
Still, most renovations take care of the authenticity of the Art Deco period. Even if many signs of the shops are a bit at odds with this.
Well, don’t think the Napies always remain in their past – some guys are pretty good contemporary artists.
No doubt, there’s more to see in Napier. To start with, New Zealand’s best aquarium. Well, we think it cannot really compete with the Bioparque Pantanal, Brazil.
Finally, there’s Te Mata. A great viewpoint some km south of Napier. Poor Shiny has to climb a steep’n’narrow road to the parking near the crest of the mountain – not easy with its weak engine.
But for us, the 360°-view is great.
Marton, 17th April
Enough of Kiwi-style urban life in Napier. We’re on the road again, heading to Marton. About 200km away on the west coast.
A 1st stop in nearby Hastings. Just to walk a bit thru its CBD.
Looks a bit like Napier without all the restoration efforts. Still, their street lights are very special – somehow a modern complement to the historic buildings. We guess reasonable good taste is always up for debate.
On to Marton. A journey thru very rural areas, a lot of farmland, forests, and a few small villages in between.
Surely, you’re wondering why the hell we’re driving to a small village like Marton. A place with just a few lost souls living there, a Chinese takeaway selling Fish&Chips and noodle soup, and not much more.
It’s true, there’s also a New Market petrol station selling gas much cheaper than the others. An important aspect in times when Uncle Donny’s genius make us pay his foolishness. But still not the reason.
It’s simple, in nearby Whanganui all sleeperies are fully booked – no idea for why, we couldn’t find out anything and forgot forgot to ask a Kiwi.
Whatever, we find a nice, albeit slightly old-fashioned cottage in Marton.
The next morning: we’re on our way to the Whanganui River Loop. A 200km road thru some of the most remote areas of the North Island.
1st a visit to the town of Whangnui, the place with the fully booked sleeperies.
On to the loop. A narrow and winding road along the Whanganui River thru pristine forests and farmland, remote villages, and from time to time stunning viewpoints.
A short visit to the village of Jerusalem with its famous church.
A little further, we’re already at the furthest point of the loop – and on the way back to Marton.
New Plymouth, 19th April
Initially, we’ve planned to go for a hike in Egmont National Park, to the Pouakai Tarn. A pond that reflects Mt. Taranaki perfectly, while you see the mighty slopes of the volcano in the background. Basically the perfect spot for Insta-junkies to have their beautiful face in the foreground. Just, it seems it’s too long a hike to attract many of them. Still, the minimum requirement to go for this hike is no rain, to make it really worthwhile there should even be no clouds blocking the view. So, no chance in the next few days.
As a small win, we find a cool brewing bar in town: the Shining Peak Brewing.
The next morning, the weather forecast shows perfect nice weather, at least in the morning. Quickly we find a few small hikes at the slope of Mt. Taranaki.
So, we drive up to the Stradford Plateau. Quickly, it becomes clear, that we won’t see the volcano. There’s a huge layer of clouds around the summit. We don’t get discouraged and drive up. The parking is at 1200m, at the trailheads of a couple of hikes. Just, we’re in the clouds, it’s bitterly cold, and stormy. What the hell, we quickly take a picture of the mess and that’s it.
That’s our visit to the plateau. A bit further down the slope, there’s the walk thru the most beautiful forest on the North Island: the Kamahi Loop Track. Even if it’s really wet, we decide to sneak along the short trail. It’s less than 1km, so we’ll probably survive it.
Then back to New Plymouth. We definitely need some urban life.
We start at the famous Te Rewa Rewa Bridge. Unfortunately, it’s raining too much to continue the town’s famous coastal walk. So, we miss the Naked Ass Bench sculpture – offically called the Mother and Daughters. What a pity.
In town, not too much to see, some historic buildings, a famous museum, the Puke Ariki, we’re too late to visit, a cool art gallery – at least the building, and a lot of murals. Some better than others.
Then it’s time for a beer in our all-beloved watering hole.
Well, esteemed reader, if you have read all this, probably you’re exactly in the same situation. Get your beer, go to your lounge, and enjoy the 157th episode of your favorite Netflix serie. Or, if that’s not exactly your preference, check Skyscanner for cheap flights to New Zealand. Probably you won’t find any, they’re currently all expensive. Don’t mind, book them anyway, send the surplus you actually pay to Superhero Donny, Washington DC, Divided States by Trump.
Wish you all the best until you get our next update.
Cheeeers
Monika’n’Martin