New Zealand, North Island

Arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, two weeks ago to pouring rain. Obviously I didn't get to see much of the city though I bought a rain jacket and an umbrella and walked around downtown and up to Parnell, a nice area with cozy café's and fancy shops. I spent five days reading travel brochures and deciding on an itinerary for the coming two months and eventually booked a round trip for both north and south island on ‘Magic Bus’. This bus company never takes you directly to your place of destination but makes detours to show points of interest while the driver explains everything you need to know about his country, about the native Maori's or the Kiwi's, which is both the name of a flightless bird, a fruit and the people who live in New Zeland.  He also stops where there are activities, such as sand surfing on 300 meter tall dunes at Ninety Mile Beach. That was fun! Or he took us all the way up to the most northern point, Cape Reinga, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea in a clash of waters just north of the cape.

'Ninety Mile Beach' is flat and smooth at low tide and can be used as a highway. We drove for at least 60 kilometers at 100 km/hour before we turned off heading back to Auckland on the smaller winding roads. The landscape on the north island is rolling hills, lots of sheep and picturesque scenery.

There is vulcanic activity all over and frequent earthquakes. Boiling hot mud pools in Rotorua, steaming lakes and active geyser's. One of our stops was at Waitomo Caves, where we walked down under the grown to see glow worms and stalactites.   

Behind the kiwi warning sign, covered in clouds, you see the cone shaped vulcano, Mount Ngauruhoe also know as Mount Doom, named after the filmings of Lord Of The Rings. The mountain represents the endpoint of Frodo Baggins' quest to destroy the Ring. The chasm is the site where the One Ring was originally forged by the Dark Lord Sauron and the only place where it can be unmade.

Close to Mt. Ngauruhoe and Mt. Ruapehu is another vulcano, Mt. Tongariro. I am now here in the National Park to do the Tongariro Crossing, one the world's top ten best rated day hikes. If weather permits. We need sun and good conditions. Not strong winds and pouring rain like today. But I trust my luck and expect clear skies in the morning! The next blog shall show if the Weather Gods heard my prayers.