Category: New Zealand

February 01, 2019

Today's destination was Takaka, in the vicinity of Abel Tasman National Park (about 3 hours 40 minutes total drive time). We planned a scenic drive through the Queen Charlotte Sound area with short hikes and stops at many view points.

The Palmira Lodge provided delicious croissants and chocolate muffins for breakfast, which we ate on the patio outside of the kitchen.

We checked out of the room and drove to Karaka Point. There was a 10-minute walk to a gorgeous view of Queen Charlotte Sound. I was so impressed with how green the hills were. We had another beautiful weather day with partly sunny skies.

Next we took the Queen Charlotte Drive and made stops at Governor’s Bay Track and Cullen Point Track. Governor’s Bay was a short steep walk down to a very small secluded beach: more beautiful views from there. Cullen Point was a hike to an overlook which needs some maintenance to remove some overgrown trees.

The road to Havelock was twisty the entire way, but it was not narrow so the drive was okay. It was worth it due to all of the beautiful views. I could definitely come back to the Queen Charlotte Sound area and enjoy spending more time there.

Next stop was the Pelorus Bridge Reserve. Underneath the bridge across the river was where a movie scene was filmed for The Hobbit: dwarves escaping in barrels down the river. We took a few short hikes to visit the river and a giant Totara tree.

Afterwards we drove to the city of Nelson and visited the New World supermarket to stock up on groceries and dinner fixings for the next three days. This may be the last large town we see for a while, so it made sense to reload the chilly bin.

Next stop was Hawkes Lookout which had great views over the mountains, forest, and ocean in the distance. Heinrich drove this section of road which turned twisty and had some delays due to road construction. We arrived at the Golden Bay Motel in Takaka shortly after 4 PM.

We had an apartment with a full kitchen for the night. It was a quiet spot with a grassy area and playground out back. We had chicken with honey mustard sauce, rice and salad for dinner.

In the evening we filled up with gas and drove to an area named The Grove. This was a 30-minute walk through a series of limestone outcroppings. We found small caves and arches, too! It was a fun area to explore.

January 31, 2019

 Today we said goodbye to the North Island. We slept a little later than normal since we had to wait for the car to be delivered before checking out. The car came at 9:15. It is a Honda Accent with only 30,000 km on the odometer, and a free upgrade. It has a nice, quiet drive. It does seem a bit smaller in the storage area, but the back seats fold down which helped everything fit.

We drove to Wellington to the Bluebridge Ferry Terminal. We left late enough to avoid the morning rush hour and it was an easy drive (30 minutes). After we arrived we had a couple of hours to kill before the car ferry departure to the South Island, so we walked along the Wellington waterfront to take in the views. It was a picture perfect beautiful day with blue skies. We stopped at a New World supermarket and bought sandwiches from the deli for lunch. I had a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese. It was delicious. We split an apple guava fruit drink that reminded me of POG (passion orange guava juice, a favorite drink in Hawaii).

It was nice getting a little taste of the city. We intentionally avoided spending time in the major cities of Auckland and Christchurch for this trip since we prefer to visit the parks and natural areas. But the downtown area of Wellington near the waterfront was very pleasant and a good place to hang out for lunch.

When it was time, Heinrich drove the car onto the ferry and we found seats outside on the upper deck. The views of Wellington as we left the harbour were wonderful.

After we reached the open ocean, fog rolled in and it got uncomfortably windy, so we went inside. But after about an hour it cleared again as we approached the South Island. We went back to our old seats on the upper deck and had a great view of the Queen Charlotte Sound. This portion of the South Island reminds me of the Virgin Islands, especially St. John. It was very uncrowded with beautiful forested green hills surrounded by the ocean. The three and a half hour ferry ride was definitely worth taking.

After we disembarked at Picton Harbour, we drove to our room at the Palmira Lodge. It was only a 10-minute drive. Our room had a private bathroom and a refrigerator. There was a shared kitchen and an outdoor grill. We decided to make use of the grill and went to the supermarket to buy some beef fillet steaks. So we had a very nice steak dinner on the patio of the lodge, for half the cost of eating out at a restaurant. We had baked potatoes and a salad as well.

January 30, 2019

Since we had reserved two nights in Upper Hutt, our itinerary was to make a day trip south to Cape Palliser (1 hour 20 minutes estimated drive time each way). We had another nice weather day: partly cloudy. We started the day a little later than usual since we wanted to avoid the morning rush hour for our drive. After getting gas for the car, we drove up to the Remutaka Summit. This road was billed as the third worst road in New Zealand for motorcycle fatalities. It was steep and twisty to the summit, but it was a good wide road and I thought much easier to drive than some of the roads in Coromandel. We stopped at the summit and took a short walk to take pictures of the view.

Afterwards the road descended to the town of Featherston. We found a supermarket and bought some bread, and we also got more cash at an ATM.

We drove south to the coast to visit the Putangirua Pinnacles. We took a 1.5 hour hike up a stream bed to the pinnacles. This was a Lord of the Rings film location (the Dimholt Road). The pinnacles are badlands type formations where the stream has eroded layers of rocks. I thought they were quite interesting and different from anything seen in the states.

We drove on to Cape Palliser. The road followed the coast, and the ocean scenery was quite nice. There were several black sand beaches, mostly deserted. There was a lighthouse at the cape with 253 steps to climb to its base at the top of the hill. I made the climb and had a panoramic view of the coastline at the top. It was very windy up there, so I did not stay long.

About 1 km from the lighthouse was a turnout to a rocky point that contained a fur seal colony. This was our first encounter with seals in New Zealand! There were hundreds of them frolicking in the ocean, diving for food, and sunning themselves on the rocks. There were many seal pups playing. They were so cute!

We returned to the car to start the drive back to Upper Hutt. That’s when the fun began. As soon as I started the car, the Check Engine light came on. We popped the hood, checked the oil and fluid levels, and everything looked okay. There was no temperature gauge in the car, and we thought maybe it got too hot, so we turned off the air conditioning. We had no cell phone reception so we could not call anyone. I started driving slowly and everything seemed okay. After we passed a small town the speed limit increased to 100 km, and that is when we found the problem. The car refused to shift and I had virtually no acceleration.

We decided the only thing we could do was try to drive it slowly to where we could get cell phone reception. At that point Heinrich took over driving since I was having a mini freak out. We had to drive uphill to get away from the coast, and there were portions of the road that were narrow, steep and twisty. Heinrich put the car into first gear (that part of the transmission was still working) and managed to creep uphill at about 10 kmh. He put on the emergency flashers. Amazingly no other car came up behind us. We had to drive about 35 km before we reached a road intersection and had good cell phone reception.

Heinrich pulled the car safely off the road and I called AA road service. It took about an hour for the tow truck to arrive. The driver made a diagnosis that there was nothing he could do to fix it. He said he would tow it back to our hotel in Upper Hutt. I called the rental car company office in Wellington and made arrangements for them to deliver a replacement vehicle the following day at 9 AM.

It took about 2 hours to get back to the hotel. At least I did not have to drive the Remutaka Summit road a second time but got to experience the views from the inside of a New Zealand tow truck! At the hotel I contacted the front desk and let them know the situation since we may not make the 10 AM checkout time. They were very understanding. My main concern was to get the replacement vehicle in time for us to get to the ferry the next day for our required check in time of 12:30.

So we were stranded for that evening without a car. Fortunately we had previously bought food for dinner and we had made no other plans for that evening other than to relax. We fixed spaghetti and salad for dinner.

January 29, 2019

We woke up to heavy fog and drizzle. The plan was to drive south along the coast and visit a few beaches, some of which we read needed to be visited at low tide. Since low tide was not until 11:30, we took our time checking out of the cabin. Our final destination for the day was Upper Hutt, just north of Wellington (estimated 4 hours 10 minutes drive time).

We drove to the town of Hawera to fill up on gas, and the fog started to clear. We continued to drive south to Patea Beach and encountered fog once again. There were supposed to be some nice coastal views at the black sand beach there, but it was dreary and foggy so we did not stay long.

Our next stop was Waverley Beach where there were interesting cliffs and some sea caves. There used to be a sea arch there, but it collapsed in 2011. The sea caves were only accessible at low tide, and we were there at the right time. Despite the fog it was interesting, and we explored around the cliffs for a little while. We climbed the bluff to get some nice views of the coast.

We drove further south and the fog finally cleared. We decided to stop at another beach since we were running ahead of schedule. Ototoka Beach had a small waterfall cascading down to the beach. It was a nice wide black sand beach for walking, and there were very few other people there. I found a nice sea shell to collect.

We made another stop at Foxton Beach where there were sand dunes and dune buggies and cars driving along the beach. It was quite crowded and it was very hot, so we did not stay there long.

We drove inland to the city of Upper Hutt and checked into the Wallaceville Motor Lodge. This was one of the more expensive places that we stayed since I had been unable to find much available in Upper Hutt. The grounds of the hotel were quite pretty: many weddings have been held there. The room had a refrigerator and microwave but no stove top.

We drove to the Pak N Save supermarket to buy food for the next few nights. That is when we discovered that the roads in Upper Hutt were poorly designed. We had a nasty time navigating all of the roundabouts to get to and from the supermarket. Frankly I have no desire to stay in Upper Hutt again. There was nothing interesting about it: just a crowded suburb of Wellington.

We relaxed that evening and had hamburgers and salad for dinner.

January 28, 2019

We woke up to a cloudy day. The final destination for the day was the town of Stratford, near Egmont National Park (estimated 2 hours 45 minutes drive time from Waitomo). But first on the agenda was the Ruakuri Bush Walk. This 45-minute hike was located near the Arenui Cave car park. It was a fun walk through a river gorge to a view point into a natural bridge. Inside we were able to see a few glowworms on the ceiling of the bridge. The walk meandered through the gorge and went through a couple of small arches.

We drove to Te Kuiti to get gas and then continued south on to the west coast. The road was twisty in several spots, but not as bad as the roads in Coromandel. The scenery was lush rainforest... and it was raining. As we approached the coast, the rain stopped but it was foggy. No great coastal views there.

In the town of Tongaporutu, we visited the Three Sisters. This was a walk along a black sand beach. The Sisters were rock formations only accessible 2 hours before and after low tide. This morning we timed it well and arrived shortly after low tide at 10:30. Despite the fog, it was an interesting walk to the Sisters and some sea arches beyond. There was even a small waterfall.

Next we drove to Urenui Beach, where the fog finally lifted. It turned into a sunny afternoon! We found a nice picnic spot to have lunch. This was another black sand beach with limestone cliffs along the shore. I read a sign that said blue penguins were nesting near the river, but it was the wrong time of day to try to see them.

We turned inland toward Egmont National Park. The scenery was rolling farmland. Many tractors and farm trucks were on the road. We had to pull over to the side of the road to make way for a house that was being moved! It had been split into two sections to allow it to be driven on the road.

House Moving

I had marked a spot on the map where there was supposed to be a great view of Mt. Taranaki, but the top half of the mountain was completely cloud covered.

We arrived in Stratford at 2:15 PM, in time to check into our cabin at the Stratford Kiwi Holiday Park. It was a comfortable, quiet place on the outskirts of town, with a private bath and kitchenette.

After unloading the car, we took a 25-minute drive to the Dawson Falls visitor center in Egmont National Park. As we approached the park, the clouds cleared and I was able to see all of Mt. Taranaki. The rolling farmland abruptly ended, and we were surrounded by thick forest. The road into the park was very narrow and twisty in spots. Fortunately there were not too many cars to pass coming in the other direction.

I was surprised to see that the visitor center was closed. It is only open Thursday through Sunday. There were display panels outside that showed maps and descriptions of the various trails. We took the hike to Dawson Falls and walked down very steep stairs to the base of the waterfall. We also hiked a short trail to a view point at the top of the falls. It is a nice waterfall and worth the short hike.

Then we walked back up the road to the visitor center and climbed stairs to a viewpoint of Mt. Taranaki. The clouds were starting to roll in, but I managed to get a few shots of the summit. Next I took the hike to Wilkies Pools while Heinrich decided to stay at the picnic table and rest his feet. It was an easy hike through a forest of moss-draped trees (the “goblin forest”). There were a couple of small waterfalls above the pools. Unfortunately Mt. Taranaki was clouded over again so there were no good views of the volcano from there. There was a nice view of the surrounding farmland below.

On the drive back to Stratford, the clouds parted and we had a final nice view of Mt. Taranaki. We went to New World to get groceries and then drove back to our cabin and cooked dinner. We had a sweet and sour pork stir fry. In the evening I heard the bellbirds singing.

January 27, 2019

After having our breakfast at the B and B and playing with the cat, we drove into town to get gas and ice. Then we drove back to the Tokaanu Hot Springs to see what the geyser was doing. This time we lucked out and saw two eruptions with a closed interval of 28 minutes.

Then it was time to say goodbye to the thermal features. We headed north toward Waitomo (estimated 2 hours 10 minutes drive time). The weather had been sunny at the geyser, but as we headed north it deteriorated to clouds and drizzling rain. Heinrich drove to our first destination, Omaru Falls. This was a half hour walk through a small forest and then on the edge of some farmland. It was cloudy but not raining for the walk. Nobody else was there, and it was a pleasant hike. The trail led to a good view of the waterfall.

I drove to Waitomo. It was too early to check in, so we drove on for another half hour to see the Mangapohue Natural Bridge. This was a 10-minute walk through a nice river gorge. It was drizzling rain while we were there, but it did not spoil the view. Further down the road was the 10-minute hike to another very impressive waterfall: Marokopa Falls.

I drove back to Waitomo and we checked into our room at the Kiwi Paka Backbackers. We had a chalet room with a private bathroom and refrigerator.

Our tour of the Waitomo Caves started at 4 PM. First we visited Arenui Cave. This was a dry cave (no glowworms) but the formations were spectacular! We had about a half hour inside the cave; I wish it had been longer.

Next we visited Waitomo Glowworm Cave. We took a boat ride to where the majority of the glowworms were located. There were hundreds of tiny blue lights glowing on the ceiling of the cave. It reminded me of being inside a planetarium where you look up to see the stars. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos inside this cave, so the only photo I have is of the exit.

The last cave was Ruakuri. This was a 90-minute tour through a cave that included both formations and glowworms. Personally I thought the tour was a little too long, the formations were better in Arenui, and the glowworms were better in Waitomo Glowworm Cave. But if you had time for only one cave, Ruakuri would be a good one since it had both formations and glowworms, and photos were allowed.

After the cave tours we went to the Huhu Cafe for dinner. By this time the weather had turned to partly cloudy, so it was a nice evening. I had the smoked salmon and Heinrich had the lamb curry. The prices were pretty good, considering we were in a resort area.

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Other videos:

• Taumatapuhipuhi Geyser, Tokaanu, 2019 January 27. H.Koenig

January 26, 2019

We got up at 4 AM to drive to the Backyard Tours shuttle car park. It was an easy 15-minute drive from the B and B. At 5:15 we boarded the shuttle to take us to the Mangatepopo car park where the Tongariro Alpine Crossing hike began. The weather was a little foggy and a bit cold at the trail head, but I was prepared with warm clothing, hat and gloves.

Backyard Tours did a nice operation and I would recommend them. The shuttle driver gave a Maori prayer and then sent us on our way. He offered me the use of some hiking poles. I am glad I had them. This was one badass hike: 19.4 km and about a 2,500 foot elevation gain.

The fog burned off quickly and we had amazing views along the trail: really cooperative weather. The climb to the first summit was not too bad, although we took our time and let all the younger folks run on ahead of us. The first 7 km of the trail was well graded. Once we reached the saddle we were in a wind tunnel. Then the fun began. The hike to the second summit was steep with loose gravel most of the way. With the wind trying to topple me over, I was grateful for the hiking poles.

The views at the summit were fantastic with the Red Crater and the Emerald Lakes below. The descent from the summit was worse than the climb: really steep and loose gravel everywhere. It was difficult to keep from sliding, even with the hiking poles. At that point I gave one of my poles to Heinrich to use.

At the bottom of the slope we took a side trail to get a closer look at the lakes and some fumaroles. All we were able to see was steam from the thermal activity.

The remainder of the trail descended into a valley with great views of Lake Taupo and Mount Terawera in the distance. We continued our slow but steady pace and let the majority of other hikers pass us. Yes, the trail was crowded. For the first hour we had little company, but after we took a side detour to see the Soda Springs, the other hikers caught up to us and it was a steady stream of people. Do not go on this hike if you want isolation!

We finished the hike in time to catch the 4 PM shuttle back to our car. We got a free drink, and I tried the L & P. It tastes a little like Sprite. By that time we were too tired to even think about doing anything else for the day. We drove straight back to the B and B and relaxed for the evening. Dinner was sandwiches and snacks.

The resident cat decided to pay us a visit and spent a few hours sleeping next to the door.

I was glad I did the hike! The views were worth it, and it was a great way to see the park. But I am now dealing with very sore feet.

January 25, 2019

We woke up to clouds and sprinkles. It had rained during the night. It was time to say goodbye to Rotorua, but we were not done with seeing thermal activity. Our destination today was the Orakei Korako Geothermal Park, about an hour drive from the cabin via the Te Kopia road. Afterwards to stay for the night, we would drive to Turangi via Huka Falls and the town of Taupo (estimated 1 hour 15 minutes drive time from Orakei Korako).

We checked out of the Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park and then drove south to the Te Kopia mudpots. This was a fun little walk right next to the road. It was a nice group of mudpots with nobody else round.

Then it was on to Orakei Korako. The weather was still cloudy but it had stopped raining. At the entrance we were informed that the ticket was good for only one round trip boat ride across the river, and that there were no bathrooms on the other side. This was a bit concerning to me since we had intended to stay the entire day.

There were only a few other tourists there, so in the morning we pretty much had the entire place to ourselves. By late morning the clouds cleared and we had a nice sunny afternoon.

Highlights were Cascade Geyser, Sapphire Geyser, and a new geyser with 3 craters that broke out near the Golden Fleece terrace. We saw the right crater vent erupt in the morning, and the left crater with two vents in full eruption in early afternoon. We did not get a closed interval. In the Artists Palette area we saw eruptions of Psyche's Bath, #742 Square Spring, #764, #772, #783, #786, #787, and #812 which is a continuous spouter at the base of the Pyramid of Geysers.

We left at about 3:30 PM and drove to Huka Falls. This was billed as the most popular waterfall in New Zealand, but since we arrived late afternoon it was not too crowded. The best view point was down a trail on the same side of the river as the car park.

Then we drove to Turangi. This drive was really slow. Google Maps routed us through the town of Taupo which seemed like a big tourist trap. I was not impressed. On the main highway south of town there had been a big car accident which delayed us by a half hour. If we had to do it over again, we would have backtracked from Huka Falls to Wairakei and taken Highway 1 south to avoid Taupo.

Near Turangi we stopped to visit the Tokaanu Hot Springs. There were paid hot springs but also a free 20-minute walk around a couple of mudpots and hot springs. At the end of the walk was a geyser that supposedly erupted every few minutes, but it did nothing while we were there.

Then we drove to our place to stay for the night, Moe Marie Sleep Peacefully B and B. It was a very nice place, a small quiet cottage in a residential area. A cat invited itself into the room to keep us company. I would stay there again. We had a microwave oven and very small refrigerator stocked with continental breakfast supplies.

The freezer compartment was too small to store our cooler ice blocks, so we quickly drove into town to buy ice and some dinner supplies. Dinner was baked potatoes with ham, bacon, red pepper and sour cream.

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More videos:

• Cascade and Sapphire Geysers, Orakeikorako, 2019 January 25. H.Koenig/Suzanne Strasser.
• Orakeikorako New Feature, 2019 January 25. H.Koenig/Suzanne Strasser.
• Artist's Palette, Orakeikorako, 2019 January 25. H.Koenig/Suzanne Strasser.
• Orakeikorako Thermal Features, 2019 January 25. H.Koenig.

January 24, 2019

This was another day where the weather was cloudy with light rain in the morning but cleared in the afternoon. We drove to the Z gas station to fill up. Then we drove to the Starbucks in downtown Rotorua to get a You Are Here mug for my niece Liz. They did not have a mug for Rotorua, but they had one for Queenstown.

It was a 20-minute drive south to the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, and we were there in time for the opening at 8:30. That gave us less than 2 hours to see the valley before our reserved boat tour at 10:25.

Inferno Crater Lake was a beautiful blue color and a highlight of the walk. Nearby the Bird's Nest perpetual spouter at the base of the hill up to Inferno was fun to watch.

There was no sign of where Waimangu Geyser used to be: the crater is completely filled in.

We managed to do most of the walk but caught a shuttle bus at 10:15 to get us to the boat tour in time. For future visits I think it would be better to reserve a later time for the boat tour to allow us enough time to finish the walk through the thermal areas beforehand. The 10:25 time made it feel rushed.

The Lake Rotomahana boat tour was totally worth it. We were first on the boat so got good seats at the back. A tour of 25 people filled up the remaining spots on the boat. The highlight was getting to see Pink Terrace Geyser up close.

After the boat tour we took the shuttle bus back to the spot where we needed to finish the walk. We took the steep side trail to see some craters but we did not think they were worth the extra effort. There was a very nice overlook of Mount Tarawera and Lake Rotomahana.

We stopped in the gift shop where I found a couple of T-shirts and a magnet to buy, and Heinrich bought several books.

Since it was still early afternoon, we decided to drive to see the redwoods. This is a very nice park on the outskirts of Rotorua with lots of hiking trails. We spent about an hour walking through the main redwood grove.

Back at the cabin we had chicken carbonara for dinner. I spent a half hour soaking in the geothermally heated hot tub. I was the only person there.

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More videos:

• Rotomahana Geysers, 2019 January 24. H.Koenig
• Waimangu Thermal Features, Part 1, 2019 January 24. H.Koenig
• Waimangu Thermal Features, Part 2, 2019 January 24. H.Koenig

January 23, 2019

It was a 20-minute drive from our cabin to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, and we arrived in time for their opening at 8:30. Heinrich did the driving. It was good practice for him to drive on the left, and the roads were nice and wide. The weather in the morning was cool and cloudy, but by late morning the clouds cleared and it was sunny for the rest of the day.

The first stop was the mud pool located about a mile from the Wai-O-Tapu entrance. This was a very nice mudpot and can be viewed for free. Nobody else was there.

We spent the next hour seeing the various craters and springs. Champagne Pool was very colorful, like a smaller version of Grand Prismatic Spring. Devil's Bath was also beautiful with an intense green color.

Then it was on to see the scheduled eruption of Lady Knox Geyser at 10:15. We got there early enough to get front row seats for the spectacle. On cue, the park employee gave a little speech and dumped the bag of soap into the vent. After a couple of minutes the globs of soap started pouring out and then the geyser was in full eruption. After a few minutes the soap was no longer visible. Many folks left after only a few minutes. After a half hour there were only a few people that remained. We did not stay until the end (the geyser erupts for 1 to 2 hours).

Apparently the geyser can still erupt naturally if it were left alone, once every few days.

In the afternoon we finished walking the remaining trails. It was much more crowded then due to everyone else on the trail that had been at Lady Knox.

We found Waiotapu Geyser. The crater was slowly filling with water and bubbling periodically. We decided to wait for the eruption. We spent the next 1.5 hours watching the crater fill with increased boiling. Finally we were rewarded with the eruption! One vigorous splash hit me on my arm. The water was still hot and it was close to getting a burn.

On the way out we stopped at the gift shop where I bought a Champagne Pool magnet.

On the way back to Rotorua I wanted to stop at Rainbow Mountain, but the location was incorrect in Google Maps and we did not find the car park. Instead we decided to hike a trail that took us to an overlook of Pohutu Geyser! The trail was at the mountain bike car park just outside of Rotorua. It climbed through a gorgeous fern and spruce forest. At the overlook we could see Pohutu was in eruption. It was also a great view of downtown Rotorua and the lake.

Back at our cabin we spent a relaxing evening, did laundry, and cooked a potatoes and egg dinner.

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More videos:

• Waiotapu Geyser, 2019 January 23. H.Koenig.
• Waiotapu Thermal Features, Part 1, 2019 January 23. H.Koenig.
• Waiotapu Thermal Features, Part 2, 2019 January 23. H.Koenig.
• Waiotapu Mud Pots, 2019 January 23. H.Koenig.
• Lady Knox "Geyser", 2019 January 23. H.Koenig.