It's been an interesting and exciting week...we found some of the best fly fishing of the trip, spent 7.5hrs hiking (without a break) around/up volcanoes (and dodging a few falling rocks), and we even had a few mellow days at the beach surfing some great waves.
After leaving Napier we were planning on working our way north along the coast in search of surf. But, with no signs of swell on the immediate forecast we decided it would be a good time to head inland for a while instead. We drove towards Taupo, stopping at the Mohaka River along the way. We found a nice place to camp by the river, well away from the road and any people. There also happened to be a great riffle and pool directly in front of our camp that was full of mostly 18-21" rainbow trout, with a few brown trout mixed in. In an afternoon and the following morning, Dustin caught a dozen nice trout out of the pool (and probably lost at least that many more). We had a few great trout meals there. FYI Rachel is fishing just not near as hard-core as someone else.
After Dustin had his fill of fishing we continued west to Tongariro National Park. At 7am the following morning we departed on the 11.5 mile (not counting side trips) Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This trek is billed as the "best day hike in New Zealand". We're not convinced of that, but it was an excellent hike. Our route took us past old lava flows, water-filled explosion craters, steaming vents, and hot springs. The stark, rugged landscape was like being on a different planet. Two hours into the hike we came to the base of Mt. Ngauruhoe, one of NZ's most active volcanoes. There was an unmarked route going straight up the face of the volcano. We both figured we couldn't come this close to a volcano and not try to climb it. We started scrambling up the 45 degree slope of loose rock, gravel, and sand (it was a case of step up two feet, slide back down one foot or sometimes two). For those that have climbed Half Dome in Yosemite, picture the face of Half Dome without the cables and with loose gravel instead of smooth granite. After an hour of climbing we looked around and realized we were only half way to the top. After another hour we finally made it to the crater, only to be greeted by what had to be 70+ mph winds. We were literally getting knocked over as we walked. We figured we'd seen enough and started heading down. On the way down we had to dodge a few falling rocks knocked free by the wind or other climbers. Luckily we made it down safely and continued on. We were both tired, rattled, and covered in dirt from the side trip up the volcano, but still had about 8 miles to go. We decided we'd try to hurry to catch the 3pm shuttle, instead of taking our time for the later shuttle. (We had parked at one end of the trail and had to take a shuttle back to our vehicle.) After running the last several miles we made the shuttle in time to get back to town for a shower and a decent meal.
After the trek we headed back towards the coast to catch the swell that was forecast for the next day. We've spent the last couple of days here in Gisborne relaxing on the beach. We got a few great surf sessions in, beach runs, and even several yoga sessions on the beach.
We only have about 2.5 weeks left in NZ. We're planning on fishing a few rivers on our way back towards Auckland and then spending the rest of the time surfing and relaxing at the beach. Don't worry mothers, no more volcano climbing for us!
After leaving Napier we were planning on working our way north along the coast in search of surf. But, with no signs of swell on the immediate forecast we decided it would be a good time to head inland for a while instead. We drove towards Taupo, stopping at the Mohaka River along the way. We found a nice place to camp by the river, well away from the road and any people. There also happened to be a great riffle and pool directly in front of our camp that was full of mostly 18-21" rainbow trout, with a few brown trout mixed in. In an afternoon and the following morning, Dustin caught a dozen nice trout out of the pool (and probably lost at least that many more). We had a few great trout meals there. FYI Rachel is fishing just not near as hard-core as someone else.
Who's sick of fishing pictures??? Not Dustin!
After Dustin had his fill of fishing we continued west to Tongariro National Park. At 7am the following morning we departed on the 11.5 mile (not counting side trips) Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This trek is billed as the "best day hike in New Zealand". We're not convinced of that, but it was an excellent hike. Our route took us past old lava flows, water-filled explosion craters, steaming vents, and hot springs. The stark, rugged landscape was like being on a different planet. Two hours into the hike we came to the base of Mt. Ngauruhoe, one of NZ's most active volcanoes. There was an unmarked route going straight up the face of the volcano. We both figured we couldn't come this close to a volcano and not try to climb it. We started scrambling up the 45 degree slope of loose rock, gravel, and sand (it was a case of step up two feet, slide back down one foot or sometimes two). For those that have climbed Half Dome in Yosemite, picture the face of Half Dome without the cables and with loose gravel instead of smooth granite. After an hour of climbing we looked around and realized we were only half way to the top. After another hour we finally made it to the crater, only to be greeted by what had to be 70+ mph winds. We were literally getting knocked over as we walked. We figured we'd seen enough and started heading down. On the way down we had to dodge a few falling rocks knocked free by the wind or other climbers. Luckily we made it down safely and continued on. We were both tired, rattled, and covered in dirt from the side trip up the volcano, but still had about 8 miles to go. We decided we'd try to hurry to catch the 3pm shuttle, instead of taking our time for the later shuttle. (We had parked at one end of the trail and had to take a shuttle back to our vehicle.) After running the last several miles we made the shuttle in time to get back to town for a shower and a decent meal.
Mt. Ngauruhoe:
After the trek we headed back towards the coast to catch the swell that was forecast for the next day. We've spent the last couple of days here in Gisborne relaxing on the beach. We got a few great surf sessions in, beach runs, and even several yoga sessions on the beach.
We only have about 2.5 weeks left in NZ. We're planning on fishing a few rivers on our way back towards Auckland and then spending the rest of the time surfing and relaxing at the beach. Don't worry mothers, no more volcano climbing for us!
Bongo the Terrible's new bling:
1 comment:
Love the bling...think Josh is going to put that on the Dart. :)
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