Words Cannot Describe This View

I had spoken to several of my Aussie and Kiwi coworkers and had asked their opinions on things to see and do while in New Zealand.  They gave so many great suggestions my head started to spin.  But seeing as how I really only had one full weekend to enjoy in New Zealand I decided that the one activity that I just had to do was hiking.  And if you know me then you know I’m not going to settle for the shortest, easiest trail to hike.  Oh, no.  I’m going to find the longest, most difficult trail.  And since I was already in the Tongariro National Park, that trail would be the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. 

Out of all the adventures/experiences I’ve had over the past two months, hiking the TAC is by far my most favorite.  Not including the ruck marches I went on back during my Army days, this was the longest hike I’ve ever taken and I enjoyed every step of it.  It was extremely cloudy, windy and cold at the top but that just added to the excitement for me. 

Saturday night I made a reservation online for a shuttle to pick me up at the end of the trail the next day and take me back to my car at the beginning of the trail.  Within a couple of minutes of making the reservation, the shuttle company called me and told me they weren’t going to be operating on Sunday because it was going to be too cold and the winds at the top of the Crossing were forecasted to be 70kmh (about 45mph).  The lady told me she would refund my credit card and send me an email confirmation of the refund.  I also spoke with the hotel concierge and he told me the same thing.

Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed when I went to bed Saturday night and I really had no idea what I was going to do with my Sunday.  I kept thinking to myself “Is 45mph winds really that bad?  Am I going to let a little wind keep me from experiencing this hike?”  I also thought “I don’t want to be one of those idiots you hear about in the news that ignored all the warning signs and still embarked on their journey only to find themselves stuck out in the middle of the Mojave half-dead.”  So I prayed about it and decided I would start the hike and go as far as I could until the weather became too much to handle and then I would turn back.    

By 7am Sunday I still had not received an email from the shuttle service confirming my money had been refunded so I emailed them and asked if they were still operating that day.  They replied and said yes, they were operating.  So at 9:30 Sunday morning I took off down the trail and I never looked back!

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is 19.4 kilometers long (12.1 miles) and its highest point is 1,886 meters (6,188 ft).  It took me about 6.5 hours to complete the trek.  The terrain at the start was like Middle Earth from the Lord of the Rings movies and the weather was overcast, gray and a little cold, maybe around 50 degrees.  The closer I got to the top it only got colder and windier.  I was basically walking in a cloud on the way up and the visibility at the top was only about 30 yards.  But once I crossed the Tongariro saddle and started my descent the clouds broke up, the sun started to shine and the temperature began to warm.  The descent took about 2 hours and the trail basically snakes back-and-forth along the face of the volcano.  The terrain on this side was nothing like Middle Earth.  It was very green and lush and provided a stunning panoramic view of Lake Rotoira, Mount Pihange and Lake Taupo. 

I'll just let the photos speak for themselves... 

Huka Falls and Chateau Tongariro

A few of my favorite pics... 

 

My time in New Zealand got off to a rocky start.  My flight out of Melbourne was supposed to leave last Friday at about 7pm but when I got to the airport the flight had been delayed 3 hours.  Uuggghh!  That meant I wouldn’t get to the hotel in Auckland until around 5am Saturday.  Not ideal, but at least I would still have the entire weekend to get out of the city and explore the area.  So I checked in for my flight; I haggled with the lady at the check in counter over how much I was going to have to pay for my overweight bags (I was able to talk her down from $160 AUD to $100 AUD); I walked to a separate counter on a different floor to actually pay for the overweight baggage; I walked to yet another floor to locate a computer I could rent to print out my itinerary details for my flight leaving New Zealand in a couple of weeks (Apparently the New Zealand government won’t just take your word that you will be leaving their country sometime within the next 3 months.  You have to actually show them printed proof); I made my way through security and then made my way through Customs.  I had walked about 40 yards past Customs when the agent that had checked my passport comes running down the terminal right towards me yelling “Ma’am, Stop!”  For a split second I thought “Oh my goodness, what have I done?!”  But when she reached me she told me that my flight had been cancelled and I needed to go back to the check in counter to get booked on a different flight.  Well, there went my weekend!  The airline put me up in a hotel near the airport and provided dinner as well.  The new flight was scheduled for a 7am departure the following morning.  The second flight did depart on time and I made it to the hotel in Auckland around 2:30 Saturday afternoon.  It was sunny but rather cool and windy in the city, only around 50 degrees.  So can you guess what the first thing I did was??  I went for a run, of course!  J  I had heard about the Coast to Coast Walkway which is about a 9.5 mile hike from one coast of Auckland to the other.  Supposedly there are signs along the route pointing you in the right direction but I only saw 1 within the first couple of miles.  I only got about 2.5 miles out when I had to admit defeat.  I was lost and I wasn’t going to be completing the Coast to Coast Walkway that day.  I eventually found my way back to the hotel, showered and then headed out for dinner and a stroll through the city.  But I’m not giving up on completing the Coast to Coast.  I will be back! 

The past few weeks of this “working vacation” finally caught up with me.  I went to bed around 11pm Saturday and didn’t wake up until noon on Sunday.  I could not believe I had slept so long!  Auckland is currently 18 hours ahead of the US East Coast so I knew the Iron Bowl kickoff wasn’t until just before 2pm Sunday here in Auckland.  I had just enough time to shower and then find a sports bar that would be airing the game.  I found The Fox and pretty much had the place to myself through the entire first half.  The placed started to get a little crowded around halftime and by the start of the 4^th quarter I was outnumbered by the locals and all the TVs were changed to something other than the Iron Bowl so I left and walked around the city a little more before heading back to the hotel. 

The next 5 days was just work, work, work.  The nice part about work is that the office is on the 19^th floor of our building and we’ve got a beautiful view of the harbour. 

The real fun began the following Saturday.  I rented a car and drove about as far away from the city as I could get in one day.  I headed South towards a city named Rotorua.  I rented a GPS too and set it to avoid highways and to take the longest route.  It took me close to 4 hours to get to Rotorua but driving through the New Zealand country side was a wonderful experience – beautiful green rolling hills, herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, and the views of Lake Taupo were simply stunning. 

Rotorua is known for its geothermal activity so once I reached the city I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed out to find a hot, thermal spring.  I first stopped by Kerosene Creek.  You drive about 2km down this rocky road and then about a 3 minute walk down a small path and then you arrive at the hot spring complete with a small waterfall and a pool of hot water.  Yes, a pool of hot water!  Finally, a pool made just for me!  J  The pool is completely shaded and the water is about 80-85 degrees so I jumped in and hung out for about an hour and just soaked it all in.

A little further south, my next stop was Hot&Cold.  This place is really interesting as you have a scalding hot water stream coming at you from the left and cool river water coming at you from the right.  Where they meet the water temperature is just right.  So I again jumped in and hung out for a little while.

Continuing southbound, up next was the impressive Huka Falls!  There’s enough water flowing over these falls every minute to fill up 5 Olympic swimming pools!  Simply amazing!  Pictures and videos don’t do this place justice.  I hung out for a long while just watching the water rush through the channel that is only about 15 yards wide and then burst out over the falls and into the river below.  As the water is falling it picks up a lot of air bubbles and it turns the water this incredible pale blue and white color.  Absolutely stunning! 

It was late in the day when I left Huka Falls so I decided to keep driving South until I ran into a hotel or restaurant.  I took a turn and drove through the Tongariro National Park for about 45 minutes and then I came upon a road sign for a placed called Whakapapa Village and there was both food and lodging there.  So I took the left turn and about 6 miles down the road I saw the hotel where I would be staying the night – the Chateau Tongariro.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  Here in front of me was a beautiful hotel at least 100 years old, sitting in the middle of the Tongariro National Park, very quiet, secluded and surrounded by snow-capped mountains.  I literally squealed with delight when I saw it!  I checked in, showered, grabbed a bite for dinner and then spoke with the concierge about which trails I should try to hike the next day.  I ended the night with a flat white in my hand (similar to a latte), sitting outside for about an hour just adoring the moon rising above the mountaintop.  It was pretty cold and windy but so quiet and peaceful. 

I could travel the entire world and view every beach, waterfall and mountain top and I would never stop being amazed at God’s handiwork.