Skiing the Southern Alps for Earthquake Revovery
Follow My Journey: Pt 3
Mid-Semester Break on the North Island
August 21st: Auckland-Rotorua
On Thursday afternoon, my friend Ed and I flew to Auckland at 12:30, picked up our rental car (which we later nicknamed the go kart), and made our way to Rotorua. We got to our hostel and walked around the area for a little while, checking out the night market that was happening.
Night Market
Rotorua
August 22nd: Wai-O-Tapu, Luging & Zorbing
Friday morning we woke up for the first of our action packed days. Our first destination: Wai-O-Tapu Wonderland. Rotorua is a city built on a highly geothermally active ground. Just a short drive away, Wai-O-Tapu, meaning "sacred waters" in Maori, is a geothermal attraction featuring many colorful geothermal features, similar to yellowstone.
Our first stop was at the Lady Knox Geyser, set to erupt at 10:15. The geyser was quite a dissapointment to Ed and I, especially after we had both seen Old Faithful erupt. Not only was the geyser much smaller, but a guide pours in a soapy chemical to cause a reaction that makes the geyser erupt. Therefore, the geyser is set off by man every morning, because it would only erupt naturally ever few days at random times.
Lady Knox Geyser
Despite the dissapointment from the geyser, we carried on to the park and found the features of the rest of the park to be fascinating. Some highlights: Champaign Pool, The Devil's Bath, and mud pools.
Champaign Pool
Devils Bath
Mud Pools
Other Wai-O-Tapu Features
 Devil's Home |  Wai-O-Tapu |  Wai-O-Tapu |
|---|---|---|
 Wai-O-Tapu |  Devil's Ink PotsMud Pools |  Artist's PaletteOverflowing water from Champaign Pool |
 Artist's Palette |  Artist's Palette |  Champaign Pool |
 Champaign Pool |  Champaign Pool |  Champaign Pool |
 The Sacred Track |  Wai-O-Tapu |  Alum Cliffs |
 Frying Pan Flat |  Opal Pool |  Wai-O-Tapu |
 Lake Ngakoro |  Lake Ngakoro |  Lake Ngakoro |
 Lake Ngakoro Waterfall |  Devil's Bath |  Devil's Bath |
 Bird's Nest Crater |  Bird's Nest Crater |  Wai-O-Tapu |
 |  Wai-O-Tapu |  Mud Pools |
Wai-O-Tapu
Luging
After spending the morning at Wai-O-Tapu, we headed back towards Rotorua and took the skyline gondola up to the luge tracks. The view of Lake Rotorua from the top was amazing, and the luge rides were pretty epic.
View From the Top of the Tracks
Chairlift
Track
Zorbing
We finished our runs on the luge tracks and got some Jelly Beans at the Jelly Bean shop at the top of the Gondola before heading down and filling ourselves up with Wendy's. Following lunch, we drove down the rode for our next activity, zorbing.
Invented in New Zealand, zorbing is an activty in which you fly down a hill in a zorb, a giant hamster ball made of soft plastic. Zorbing is done in one of two ways: 1. being harnessed into a dry zorb, or 2. not being harnessed and flying around in a zorb filled with water to allow frictionless sliding. For obvious reasons, Ed and I chose the hydrozorb. We also chose the sidewinder track because it was the longest track and full of sharp u-turns.
We dove into the zorb filled with hot water and got sent down the hill. The entire time we laughing as we toppled over each other. As soon the track ended, we both agreed that that was one of the hardest laughs we'd ever have in our lives, and we immediatly bought another run.
On our way up for our second run, we asked the guy if he could put less water in the zorb so that we would flip around inside the zorb more. He then asked if we wanted to basically feel like we were about to die at every turn, and when we said yes he told us that he would also inflate the ball a little more! It made for a very chaotic second ride down.
Preparing the Zorb
Zorb
The Tracks
(Sidewinder on the far left)
Filling Zorb with Water
Diving In!
Chaos!
More Chaos!
Jakuzi Afterwards
Post Zorbing
After concluding our activites for the day, we headed back into the down and drove around for a little while, We stopped by the water front and watched part of the sunset but it wasn't a super amazing one. We went out around the town a little that night before getting some sleep for another big day tomorrow. Oh, and we also watched the shire scene from the first Fellowship of the Ring to prepare for our visit to the shire!
August 23rd: Hobbiton & The All Blacks
Hobbiton
We woke up grabbed a quick breakfest of chicken and lamb kebabs at the Rotorua farmers market haha. We were in a hurry because we were a little late, and so hungry that we settled for the first food we could find. We got into the car and made our way to Mata Mata, home of Hobbiton. We checked in for our tour and before we knew it, we were in the shire! The tour guide told us a lot of really cool facts about the shire and the movies. I retained some of the information, but not a whole lot as Ed and I were too excited and busy taking millions of pictures.
We checked in for our tour and before we knew it, we were in the shire! The tour guide told us a lot of really cool facts about the shire and the movies. I retained some of the information, but not a whole lot as Ed and I were too excited and busy taking millions of pictures.
Sheep and Dog Buildings
Interesting building in the town of Tirau on the way to Mata Mata
 Gandalf's CuttingEntrance to Hobbiton |  Intersection at the Cutton |  View of the ShireEmerging from Gandalf's Cutting |
|---|---|---|
 Hobbit Hole |  Hobbit Hole |  Hobbit Hole |
 Hobbit Hole |  Hobbit Hole |  Garden & The Shire |
 Garden & The Shire |  Garden & The Shire |  The Shire |
 Garden |  Garden |  Exiting the Hobbit Hole |
 The Shire |  Hobbit Hole |  Hobbit Chillin |
 View From Bag End |  View From Bag End |  View From Bag End |
 Green Dragon |  Black Swans |  Bridge |
|---|---|---|
 Signpost |  Merry Meander |  Merry Meander |
 Merry Meander |  Ale Delivery! |  Barrel |
 Bridge |  Bridge |  Watermill |
 Watermill |
 No Admittance |  No Admittance |  Bag End |
|---|---|---|
 Bag End |  TreeAfter wanting an exact replica of the real tree used in the LOTR trilogy, Peter Jackson had the crew construct this fake tree, costing millions of dollars. |  Bag End |
 We are Party Business |  Bag End |  Paying Bilbo a Visit |
 Bag End |  Checking the Mail |  Bag End |
Bag End
 Leaving Bag End |  Path to the Party Field |  Intersection |
|---|---|---|
 Sign Selfie |  Hobbit Hole |  I'm a Hobbit!The bare feet adds to it |
 I'm a hobbit!The bare feet adds to it |  Drying Clothes |  Hobbit Hole |
The Hill (Path to the Party Field)
 PARTY!!! |  Party FieldThe party tree in the background |  Party Field |
|---|---|---|
 Party Tent |  Party Field |  The Party Tree |
 The Party Tree |  See Saw |  View of Bag End from the Party Field |
 View of Bag End from the Party Field |  View Across the Lake |  View Across the Lake |
 The Green Dragon and the Watermill |
The Party Field
We made our way through Gandalf's cutting, and were met by an epic view of the shire and the garden.
We started making our way through the shire. We stopped at the garden and the guide told us a lot about it (I wasn't paying attention). We stopped by some hobbit holes and took a bunch of pics. Some of them you could walk inside, although there was nothing in them because the interiors of them weren't used in the film. Bag End was the only exception (I think), but we couldn't go inside it. Speaking of Bag End, we made our way up the hill to our next stop, Bag End!
After stopping and taking some good pictures at Bag End, we made our way down the hill and over towards the party hill
After the party field, we followed the merry meander to the watermill and the Green Dragon.
We went into The Green Dragon Inn to relax with a complimentary beer. I also ordered myself a ploughmans sandwhich. It was easily the coolest place I've dined in.
The Green Dragon
 The Green Dragon |  Ales |  Free Ale |
|---|---|---|
 The Green Dragon |  The Green Dragon |  The Green Dragon Menu |
 Green Dragon Carving |  The Green Dragon |  Toilets |
 Meal |  Toilets |  The Green Dragon |
We finished up at the Green Dragon and made our way back to the bus. Ed and I fell behind the group though because we got distracted taking some epic photos by the water with some fishing props.
 Exiting the Green Dragon |  Tighfield Tent |  The Water |
|---|---|---|
 Epic Photo |  The Water |  Fishing |
 Fish Pose |  Fish Fight |  Yum |
 Yum |  The Shire |
Highlights
We got back to the Shire's rest and did a little gift shopping. We hit the town to get some lunch (meat pies) and gas, and then headed back up to Auckland for the All Blacks match!
All Blacks vs The Wallabies
We made it to the outskirts of Auckland and were glad we left Mata Mata early because we soon found ourselves parked in the middle of the highway experiencing Auckland traffic. We were also joking about how it was the first time we had been on a road larger than 2 lanes each direction since we both left the US.
Auckland Traffic
We eventually made it to the stadium and parked at a persons house right across the street. I grabbed a slice of pizza from a stand nearby, and we went into the stadium two and a half hours before the start of the match because Ed insisted. It was nice though because we ate some burgers, bought a flag and a blanket for a nice deal (surprisingly). It also took Ed and I forever to find my seat because the stadium made it impossibly confusing and three different staff members pointed us in completely opposite directions.
 Eden Park |  Eden Park |  Eden Park |
|---|---|---|
 Eden Park |  Eden Park |  Eden Park Sunset |
Eden Park
Once we finally found my seat, we chilled there for a while before it was almost game time and Ed had to go to his seat (we weren't able to get seats together because we didn't buy our tickets early enough).
I was extremely excitied as the players were introduced and the greatest rugby rivalry was about to start. It commenced with the singing of the national anthems, which caught me by a surprise as it was much different than in the US. When the New Zealand anthem was sung, the entire stadium sang together, and it was really emotional. They also sing the Maori version followed by the English one, and that was really cool.
And then it was time for the Haka! The Haka is an ancestral Maori war dance performed by the All Blacks at the beginning of every match. It is a world famous and respected ritual, and being able to see it performed live is considered the greatest spectacle of rugby.
HAKA
HAKA
The test match got underway following the Haka. Much like the crusaders game, it was clear that despite the rivalry and hate, there was a lot of respect in the crowd. While the stadium was much louder with 55,000 fans, it was still a more relaxed environment that focused much more on spectating rather than becoming involved with constant crowd noise like American Football. The crowd was far more similar to a soccer crowd.
 Fire Following the Haka |  All Blacks |  Penalty Kick |
|---|---|---|
 Eden Park |  Eden Park |  Eden Park |
Final Score:
All Blacks Wallabies
51 20
The All Blacks had just come off of a 12-12 draw with Australia the previous week that snapped their 17 game winning streak and a chance for an 18th consecutive win that would have beaten the record for the longest winning streak by a major Test playing nation.
Their thirst for revenge was clearly displayed as the All Blacks dominated throughout the entire match. The All Blacks kept the Wallabies tryless for the entire 1st half, leading with a score of 23-6.
After another half of total domination, the All Blacks ended the match with a 51-20 victory, claiming the Bledisloe Cup. The Bledisloe Cup is the trophy contested for each year by the Australian and New Zealand National Rugby Union Teams.
While it was a slight bummer that the game got a little boring during the second half because it was such a large blowout, it was still an incredible experience.
All Blacks Recieving the Bledisloe Cup
Eden Park at Night
August 24th-25th: Mordor (Tongariro)
On Sunday we woke up at LIzzy's and went to get some food downtown. We walked around Queen Street to see if there was anywhere to rent crampons, and of course, everything was closed. Ed and I were pretty pissed that in even the biggest city of New Zealand, just about everything was closed. The city literally looked empty. As we were walking around we also both noted how every time we walked by construction, we automatically assumed it was due to earthquake damage because we were so used to Christchurch.
View from the Road
Falls
We stopped at the cafe near Whakapapa village, filled up with a big late lunch, and bought some dinner to put into our packs for the night. We then set forth to make our way to the carpark at the end of Mangatepopo road where we were to park and make the short hike over to Mangatepopo hut for the night. We passed the road several times in both directions (one time we drove pretty far past it). By the time we finally figured out where the turn was, the sun was setting. We stopped on the side of the road and took a bunch of pictures of the extraordinary sunset.
 Tongariro Sunset |  Tongariro Sunset |  Tongariro Sunset |
|---|---|---|
 Tongariro Sunset |  Tongariro Sunset |  Tongariro Sunset |
 Tongariro Sunset |  Tongariro Sunset |  Tongariro Sunset |
 Tongariro Sunset |  Sunset & the Go Kart |  Tongariro Sunset |
 Tongariro Sunset |  Tongariro Sunset |
Tongariro Sunset
Sunset Panoramas
After watching the sunset, we drove down Mangatepopo road, parked, packed up our gear, grabbed our torches, and hiked for about half an hour to the Mangatepopo hut. There were a couple, and an older guy named Dave who were also staying in the Hut. Dave was telling us all these crazy stories about his days doing spear fishing competitions and how he to wrestled a shark one time. We played some cards, ate dinner, and went to bed.
Leaving the Hut
In the morning, we left the hut for the car and drove back over to Whakapapa village
Trailhead to Taranaki Falls
 Tongariro |  Tongariro |  Tongariro |
|---|---|---|
 Tongariro |  Tongariro |  Tongariro |
 Lava Flow |  Lava Flow |  Tongariro |
 Taranaki Falls |  Taranaki Falls |  Taranaki Falls |
 G0174688.JPG |
From the falls, we hiked onward toward the Tama Lakes
Taranaki Falls to Lower Tama Lake
 Tongariro |  Tongariro |  Tongariro |
|---|---|---|
 Tongariro |  Mt. Ruapehu |  Tongariro |
 Lower Tama Lake |  Lower Tama Lake |  Lower Tama Lake |
 Lower Tama Lake |  Lower Tama Lake |  Mt. Ngauruhoe |
At the lower lake, we continued up a path to get to the upper lake
 Lower LakeHike up to the Upper Lake |  Hike up to the Upper Lake |  Hike up to the Upper Lake |
|---|---|---|
 Hike up to the Upper Lake |  Hike up to the Upper Lake |  Upper Tama Lake |
 Upper Tama Lake |  Upper Tama Lake |  Upper Tama Lake |
 Upper Tama Lake |
Upper Tama Lake
The trail ended at the upper lake. However, we continued to hike up to the next ridge and then along the ridge line to get really good views of Mt. Ngaurahoe.
 Upper Tama and Mt Ruapehu |  Mt. Ngauruhoe |  Mt. Ngauruhoe |
|---|---|---|
 Mt. Ngauruhoe |  Mt. Ngauruhoe |  G0364871.JPG |
 Mt. Ngauruhoe |  Upper Tama and Mt Ruapehu |  Mt. Ngauruhoe |
 Mt. Ngauruhoe |  Mt. Ngauruhoe |  Mt. Ngauruhoe |
 Mt. Ngauruhoe |  Mt. Ngauruhoe |  Mt. Ngauruhoe |
 Mt. Ngauruhoe |  Mordor |  Mordor |
 Upper Tama and Mt. Ruapehu |  Mt. Ngauruhoe |  Mt. Ngauruhoe |
 Mt. Ngauruhoe |
Mt. Ngauruhoe
The views of the mountain from the top of the ridge we hiked were phenomenal. We were also really lucky because it was sunny and clear skies. On our hike back down, the clouds started rolling in quickly and soon covered the mountain. We also hurried down to the car because we wanted to be able to check out Lake Taupo before it got dark. We were starving when we got to the car, so we ate some PB&Js and an entire block of cheese.
Hike Down
Taranaki Falls
Lake Taupo
After getting back to the car and eating real quick, we hurried off to nearby Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. We got there just in time for sunset, which was an absolutely extraordinary one! I had also just been challenged to do the ALS ice bucket challenge by my younger sister and my friend Zach. I did'nt have an ice bucket on me, so I made use of the Lake, which was absolutely freezing.
Lake Taupo Sunset
Post Ice Bucket Challenge
After we finished up at the lake and the darkness started to roll in, we drove back to Lizzy's place in Auckland for the night. It was another full day on the North Island, and we had officially visited the Shire and Mordor in two days.
Our Routes
August 26th: Auckland
We woke up in the morning and mapped out part of our day, you can never really plan the entire day because it's always going to change. We walked to downtown to get breakfast, and then did a little souveineer shopping on Queen Street because neither of us had really done much souverneir shopping so far in New Zealand, and we had a lot of time to kill.
We left Auckland and drove about 4 hours to Tongariro National Park. Ed got a ticket for going 13 kph over the limit. We arrived at Tongariro and drove around for a while trying to find the visitors center. After finding the visitors center we spoke to the person at the desk regarding the conditions of the Northern Circuit (the multi-day track that goes around Mt. Ngharahoe). Since we didn't have ice axes or crampons, we couldn't do the higher elevated part of the track near the Emerald Lakes. Taking this into play, we planned out the afternoon and the next day. We left the visitors center and did a short track to see some falls.
Ed Getting Busted
 Auckland |  Kiwi Tavern |  Auckland |
|---|---|---|
 Auckland |  Auckland |  Auckland |
 Auckland |  Parking Garage |
When we had had enough of wandering around downtown and doing souveneir shopping, Ed and I drove over to Mt. Eden. Mt. Eden is a dormant volcano with a large crater that was left when the volcano erupted 28,000 years ago. At the summit you see great views of the Auckland skyline.
Auckland
 Auckland Skyline |  Rangitoto |  Mt. Eden |
|---|---|---|
 Mt. Eden |  Mt. Eden |  Mt. Eden |
 Mt. Eden |  Rangitoto |  Auckland Suburbs |
Mt. Eden
Following Mt. Eden, we drove out to Mission Bay where we had a quick lunch and checked out the beach real quick.
 Mission BayRangitoto in Backgroung |  Mission Bay |  Birds |
|---|---|---|
 Mission Bay |
Mission Bay
On our way to Mission Bay, we drove by the Auckland Aquarium, and we had decided that we would check that out afterwards. Across the street from the aquarium were some incredible views of the Auckland Skyline from across the bay.
City of Sails
 Auckland Aquarium |  Penguins |  Auckland Aquarium |
|---|---|---|
 Shark Gang |
Auckland Aquarium
After the aquarium, we drove around exploring the waterfront a little more. We saw a sign for the Ladies Bay Walkway, and decided to get out and check it out. There were stairs that took us down the cliffs to the beach.
 Ladies Bay |  Statues |  Top of Ladies Bay |
|---|---|---|
 Top of Ladies Bay |  Top of Ladies Bay |  Browns Island |
 Ladies Bay |  Ladies Bay |  Fossil (We Think) |
Ladies Bay
After Ladies Bay, we drove back to Lizzy's place to wind down for the day. Later that night, I was able to meet up with the entire University of Washington crew. There were a total of four of us, but I was the only one at the University of Canterbury on the South Island. Lizzy, Grant, and Aimee were all at the University of Auckland.
The UW Crew
August 27th: Waipu & The Bay of Islands
The next morning I woke up early to drop Ed off at the airport for his flight the Fiji. On my way back to Lizzy's from the airport, I strolled around the University of Auckland campus for a little bit to check it out. It was far prettier than the University of Canterbury's campus haha, but Canterbury's location on the South Island was a far better match for me.
University of Auckland
Library
When I got back, I called to extend the rental car. I then had a little dilemma because I was only allowed to extend the rental for one more day since they were out of cars. I was planning on staying a few more days, and going up North to stay with my friend Laura in Waipu and checking out the Northlands. However, this meant that I only had one day to do this, and that I would need to buy a plane ticket for a flight back to Christchurch the next day.
After I figured all this out, and made my plans to head over to Laura, I had an Ostrich burger for lunch before heading out of Auckland. It was a pretty interesting experience, but wouldn't say it's my favority meat. With Ed gone, it was just me and the Go Kart. I headed out of Auckland and up North towards Waipu.
Harbour Bridge
Waipu
I got to Laura's place in Waipu, and after seeing what she recomended, I made plans for the rest of the day. I also bought my plane ticket because the internet at Lizzy's was not working. We ate lunch and then Laura took me to show me the Waipu caves. I saw some glowworms like the ones in Te Anau, and she tried to convince me to climb down this extremely narrow hole with a rope that was attached. I started to, and then when she warned me to watch out for bugs and spiders I backed saying that I hated bugs, especially spiders, and also made the excuse that I belonged up above on the mountains and not underground.
Attempt to Take Pictures of Glowworms with my Iphone
Waipu Caves
Laura at the Cave Entrance
Bay of Islands
After checking out the caves real quick, I headed over to Pahia in the Bay of Islands to see what it was like. The beaches were really pretty, but the town was really empty and quite. I could tell it was definitely a summer destination, and that the area was pretty dead during the winter. I checked out the beach and walked around a little.
Beach Just Before Pahia
 Pahia |  Pahia |  Pahia |
|---|---|---|
 Pahia |  Pahia |  GOPR5042.JPG |
I went to a pizza place on the waterfront and had a pizza for dinner. Afterwards, I went for another short walk around the waterfront. Every shop I saw was closed.
Pahia
Pahia Waterfront
The Flying Kiwi
It got cold pretty fast as I was walking around, so after a little while I hoped back in the car and headed back to Laura's house. I quickly stopped by the town of Kawakawa on the way back because Laura had told me that an artist designed really cool toilets there and that they were pretty famous. It was pretty cool but not as impressive as I expected haha.
Kawakawa Toilets
August 28th: Back to the South Island
I got back to Laura's, and she took me to the pizza place she used to work at. I got a dessert pizza, and then we went back to her house for the night.
I woke up in the morning, finished packing up, and then headed out back towards Auckland. Laura and her parents recomended I stop and check out the beach down the road on the way out. I was running pretty late, but managed to swing by the beach for a quick peak.
 Waipu Beach |  Waipu Beach |  Waipu Beach |
|---|---|---|
 Waipu Beach |
Pahia
Waipu Beach
After taking a quick look at the beach I hurried back to Auckland to catch my flight.
Auckland Skyline from the Harbour Bridge
I made it back to Jucy, and returned the beloved Go Kart before jumping into the shuttle to the airport.
The Go Kart
I got to the airport about 45 minutes before my flight departed and was really stressed. However, New Zealand security proved how easy it was once again and I ended up sitting at the gates with 15 minutes to kill before boarding started.
Back to the Beautiful South Island
My trip to the North Island was amazing. Though we saw many beautiful places such as Rotorua and Tongariro, I was very happy with my decision to study on the North Island. Auckland was just another city, and tranportation out of the city was hard and expensive. Meanwhile, Christchurch is the perfect gateway to the outdoors. I had also started to miss the mountains, another perk of the South Island.
After the trip, I had a week to work on a case study report for my New Zealand Biodiversity & Biosecurity class before my two friends, TJ and Kyle, came to visit.