Kaimai Range

March 18, 2014

As you have probably figured out by now, New Zealand has many, many mountain ranges, which are home to beautiful waterfalls, rivers and caves by the dozen. 

We crossed the Kaimai Mountain Range as we traveled from Tauranga and Hamilton and back again over the past few days. 

We have been very fortunate to meet up with some absolutely delightful Kiwi’s during our visit.  We stopped in to say our farewells to Triana and Lance having visited them on our arrival in New Zealand.  And we were given a warm Kiwi welcome at Diana and Ian’s house.  It was just so wonderful to have a safe haven in which to weather out the storm.  And even more wonderful to have a chance to get to know our new friends just a little bit better.  It just goes to show how many good people there are in this world.

After hearing more about this mountain range from fellow trampers, Sandy and Frank (who we met on the HumpRidge Track and where a stop over at their home in Tauranga for a cup of coffee in the afternoon turned into a dinner and an overnight stay) we decided we must stop and explore one of the many walks on offer.  We chose to hike to the highest waterfall on the North Island, even though just by the name, I was sure it involved a little climbing. 

The Wairere Falls are 150 meters high, so yes, there was a bit of huffing and puffing to get up there.  The path takes you along the river up to a lookout and for those who are keeners*, you can get to the top of the falls and look down.   The entire trip is supposed to take 180 minutes.  Either the time was over-estimated or we’re in better shape than we thought as we did it in 130 minutes; and yes, I guess we can count ourselves as keeners.  Mind you, we met up with a couple that actually ran up the hill.  (Show-offs!)

Now, my habit is before I write the blog I start by downloading the pictures I take along the way as a bit of inspiration and reminder of what we saw.  I am sorry to say, there will be no photos this time.  Nikon has tricked me again and for some strange reason the disk is blank.   And no, we aren’t going back to do the walk again as we did at the Pinnacles if you recall.  Actually, I think it might be time to retire the old Nikon as it is starting to get a bit annoying.    

Unfortunately, it was one of the more beautiful walks we have done (unfortunate, only because I have no photos).  There were more than 500 man-made steps and three river crossings via bridges as we made our way across the bottom of the falls through gorgeous, lush green forests with beautiful ferns and trees and moss-covered rocks.  The bridges provided a wonderful view of the river as it flowed quickly over the many huge boulders strewn about.  The falls themselves were quite dramatic with plenty of water thanks to the rain brought to us courtesy of Cyclone Lusi.

We dawdled up at the top of the falls, taking in the gently flowing river before it tumbled over the side of the mountain and down into the valley.  Then it was back down again and off we went, heading further north. 

After our good morning exercise, we stopped in at Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel Coast for a poke around.  The earth’s fiery center is not so far below the surface here either.  The water not more than a foot below the surface, is boiling hot (around 64 degrees C).  You can dig yourself a hole and the water seeping through the sand will be hot enough to scald you unless you mix it with a little cool seawater.  As you can see by the photo – there were just too many people, so we did a quick walk through and headed off again.

Hot Water Beach Tourists Soaking in the Hot Thermal Waters

*Keeners: “Canadian, (informal) - a person who is extremely eager, zealous, or enthusiastic: keeners who spent most of high school buried in homework.”

A Visit to the Shire

March 17, 2014

A trip to New Zealand wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Shire, especially if you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies directed by Sir Peter Jackson. 

The Shire, or Hobbiton as it is known, sits very near the town of Matamata.   The rolling countryside dotted with trees and grazing sheep made an ideal location for the home of the Hobbits.  After filming The Fellowship of the Ring, even though most of the set was removed, they kept the hobbit holes in tact.   And for the making of the latest movie,  “The Hobbit” they added more hobbit holes as well as a full sized Green Dragon Tavern to the site.

We recently watched the extended version of the Lord of the Rings together with the documentary on the making of the trilogy.  I think being able to see first hand the level and detail and work that went into creating the set made a visit to Hobbiton even more interesting.   We were just a little disappointed that we didn’t bump into Frodo, Sam, Bilbo or our two favorite hobbits, Merry and Pippin.  It truly felt as if we were walking through a small town, especially as we ended the tour at the Green Dragon enjoying a wee pint of ale.

 

Getting to The East Cape

March 14, 2014

When we left Mount Tongariro we first traveled a little further North to Taupo.  This part of New Zealand is known for its geysers, steam vents, bubbling mud and all other kinds of geothermal activities.   The whole area basically smells like one big rotten egg although it is quite interesting to see huge steam clouds rising up from the ground, holes fenced off here and there to avoid you falling into the boiling mud and streams with water hot enough to take a bath in. 

 

Orakei Korako's geysers and silica terraces.

Famous for its silica terraces and geysers, Orakei Korako also has “an impressive natural cave with a jade-green pool thought to have been used as a mirror for the Maori women” according to our Lonely Planet guide.  The silica terraces and geysers were rather cool, but the cave was a bit of a disappointment. 

We then headed back East to drive the Coastal road North.  We had a leisurely drive stopping along the way to see a few of the sights.  That evening we played a round of mini-golf and took in a movie in Gisborne.   

As we continued North a couple of notable stops were Cook’s Bay – a bay where Captain Cook made landfall in October 1769 to take on provisions (a nice 2.5 hour hike up to the view point and down to the bay); and Tolago Bay Wharf – a 660 meter wharf constructed in 1929 and recently restored at a cost in excess of 5.5 million dollars. 

 

Tolaga Bay Wharf - no longer used but still very impressive.

The Hole in the Wall at Cook's Bay

Cook's Bay

We reached the Eastern most part of New Zealand and rose early to be the first in the world to see the sun rise on March 14^th.  It was 752 steps up to the lighthouse where we waited with about eight other people to see the sun come up over the horizon.  Once the sun was up, we had ourselves some breakfast and made our way inland to seek shelter from Cyclone Lusi reported to be heading to New Zealand.

The beautiful morning light on the East Cape Lighthouse - the Easternmost lighthouse in the world.

Just a nice view of the sun rise - 7:02 AM - March 14th.

The Tramps are at it Again

March 10, 2014

Mount Ngauruhoe or Mount Doom as it is also known.  We saw it from the other side when we did the Tama Lakes Tramp last month.

5:AM – Alarm goes off.  It’s still dark out but lucky for us the sky is clear and the stars are shining bright; the promise of a nice day ahead.

6:AM – Transport arrives at the Campervan site.  We jump in with a daypack, dressed in our hiking gear; hiking boots, pants, wind jacket, cameras, hiking stick, etc.  It’s going to be a long day so we have packed a lunch and have plenty of water.

7:AM – We get dropped at the start of the track.  The sun is rising and there is just enough daylight to see the track ahead of us as well as the mountain we are about to climb.  The track starts at 1140 meters, climbs up to the highest point at 1886 meters and back down to 800 meters over a distance of 19.4 kilometers. 

(Note to self…didn’t I say last time we climbed a mountain that I was never going to do that again??   Well, this time, I really mean it. 19.4 kilometers of up and up and down and down and down.  What am I doing here? )

8:40AM – We’ve reached the South Crater, which is at 1659 meters and is just between Mount Tongariro (1967 meters) and Mount Ngauruhoe (2287 meters).  The signpost says it should have taken us two and a half hours.  Seems we’re faster than the average tramper.  And it wasn’t so bad of a climb really.  Feeling pretty good so far I must say.  We’re enjoying the views of Mount Ngauruhoe (or Mount Doom as you may recall it is often referred to) and quite satisfied that we decided not to climb up to the summit although it does look tempting. 

(NTS…well maybe all this tramping is paying off and my level of fitness has improved to a point where a tramp like this is just a walk in the park.  Am I being too hasty in my decision to stick to flat terrain?)

9:28AM – As we climb higher we are afforded some fantastic views of Mount Doom.  The sun is highlighting the red tones on the rocks and it looks quite magnificent.  We’re now at the saddle and still have a few meters to climb to reach our highest point, which is on the ridge of the Red Crater. 

(NTS…Gads this part is really steep.  I’m never doing this again.  Ever!)

 

The Red Crater in the foreground and Mount Ngauruhoe in the background.

9:36AM – We’ve reached the highest point on this tramp and have a spectacular view of the Red Crater and the Emerald and Blue Lakes.  Gorgeous.  Just Gorgeous.  As we descend we notice the earth is a little warmer.  Oh, did I tell you these volcanoes are still active and one of them blew up just a couple of years ago? 

Coming off the ridge of the Red Crater is a steep downhill; 196 meters of gravel and sand taking us down to the Central Crater.  We walk across the Central Crater to the Blue Lake where we stop for lunch, even though it is only 10AM.  After all, we did have breakfast at the ungodly hour of 5:30AM.   It looks like the rest of the tramp is a downhill march (thank heavens). 

After lunch we reach a signpost that says; “Volcanic risk and track status.  If light is flashing turn around and go back.”  Just up ahead of us is the Te Moari volcano that erupted in 2012.  She’s still smokin’ hot and the local government warns you that you are “entering an active volcanic hazard zone”.  But they also give you some good advice on what to do should an eruption suddenly occur.  Are you ready for this?  First thing to do is to run to a safety zone, which may be on higher ground, or it may not be.  Also, if rocks are flying, don’t turn your back to them.  Really?  I guess it’s better to have it hit you in the face and not on the back of the head?  Or do they expect we are nimble enough that if a 20 ton piece of rock came flying towards us we could just quickly sidestep out of it’s way?  Good luck with that!  I think I will volunteer to rewrite their safety advice.  It will be simple and would go something like this:  “If a volcanic eruption should occur while you are in the area, please be aware that you are f**ked.  Sorry.  May we suggest you find a comfortable spot and enjoy the fireworks.”

12:30PM – We’re now most of the ways down the other side.  We can see the smoky volcano in the distance and we also pass by some boulders that flew out in 2012.  You should see the size of the craters these boulders created.  Seriously nasty stuff.  You definitely don’t want to get hit by that and I would suggest you do try to side step it to the best of your abilities should one come flying towards you.   Might need to rewrite the safety advice…

Another really funny sign on the track said something to the effect that this was an area of danger and you should move quickly through it.  And not ten yards ahead of the sign were the toilets.  I guess they didn’t really want you to use the toilets.  Or do so, at your own risk.

 

Steam still rising from Mount Moari.  Hot stuff baby.  The smell of sulphur hangs in the air.

1:45PM – Ah!  Relief at last.  The hiking boots are off and it’s time to massage those aching feet while we wait for our transport back to Lucky 3.  It’s a good feeling – we completed the hike in 6 ½ hours including a nice long lunch break and a rest break.  We knew we would have time to kill as the driver said he wouldn’t be picking us up till 3PM so when we realized we were ahead of schedule we dawdled along and enjoyed the sun and the scenery after we reached the highest point.  Somehow there is a sense of urgency to get to the highest point as compared to coming down again.

As well as the view of the mountains, lakes and craters, I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the alpine flora, marveling at the small flowers, tussock, grasses and the beautiful blooming alpine heather.  I would rate this hike in our top ten.  It is after all, said to be the most popular day hike in New Zealand.   

(NTS … how is it possible that my feet can be so sore after the miles and miles of hiking we have done during the past month.  You think I would be used to it by now.  And if you think the uphill bits are difficult I can tell you, the downhill bits are sometimes worse.  Oh, my poor knees.   Well, that’s it for certain; I stick to my decision – no more hikes up mountains and no more hikes that are longer than 4 hours!)