Oooohhhh boy, time to get up early and catch the Interislander Ferry! The thing looks like a cruise ship, no joke.
A three-hour ride across the choppy Cook Strait into Marlborough Sound, through various islands that have almost no human inhabitants. The sound is home to commercial mussel farms, but not so many as to disrupt the gorgeous views. With the clouds hanging low, it felt like I was back in Alaska. Dark green pine trees, tawny pastures straight down into the gentle, protective waters between islands.
After our ferry ride, we drove through Picton and the mountains were ready to greet us. The Marlborough region is well-known for its wines, mostly whites, so we drove past numerous wineries on our way to the artsy town of Nelson.
Although I am going to say that New Zealand has yet to perfect its white wines costing less than NZ$20. Just sayin'. 
And here is where a lot of the country's lumber is grown and harvested, based on the rows of tall pine trees.
A lovely night of sleep in our campervan! Wow, I'm impressed by how comfy that thing really is. Had a nice hot shower and some breakfast while Wendy talked with our camping neighbor Krommers about the ferry crossing in Wellington. We had hoped to grab the ferry today but looks like the last one leaves at 2 p.m. and we would definitely not make it. Not to worry! Plenty of driving to do and sights to enjoy.
More driving, Wendy behind the wheel. We drove along the Tongariro National Park, views of Mt. Ngauruhoe, Mt. Tongariro and Mt. Ruapehu flanked by complete desert. It was otherworldly, driving along the flat terrain of brown scrubby vegetation, total desert environment, with gigantic mountains rising out of the ground in an instant. So, I think it's Mt. Ruapehu that is Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings but I could be wrong...whatever its name, it's this tall volcano and it is awesome!
So we finally hit a straight, flat road with literally NOTHING around. It felt like a different planet, such a humbling experience. And outta nowhere, a cop approached at a fast speed, made a U-turn on the road still going like 40 kmh and flipped on his lights. RATS!!! Wendy got a speeding ticket by Mt. Doom!!! Krommers drove past us while we were stopped, he hit his breaks, checked his rearview mirror and saw it was us, and that was the last we saw of him.
Wendy, the poor gal, was so bummed out about the ticket. I tried to cheer her up but to no avail. We kept driving, the landscape changed into much steeper pastures for plenty of sheep (soooo many sheep, but still no good yarn shops!! What's a knitter to do?).
Eventually we hit the eastern coast and decided to take a side trip just to check out Peka Peka beach, with nice views of Kapiti Island. Driving on the beach is allowed here, and succulents grow on the dunes. Cool!
We finally got to Wellington and the roads became more congested. The rocky coastline was gorgeous, again with the road right on the cliffs to the water. No room for error!
We ended up at a Top 10 Holiday Park, kinda like a K.O.A. campground. Not my favorite, but it was close to the Interislander Ferry we would take tomorrow, and we were kinda grumpy from the long drive. Driving in NZ is different than in the U.S., you can only drive maybe four hours before getting super worn out. Extremely curvy, small roads with cliffs, no shoulder, plus just driving on the opposite side and trying to navigate will wear a girl out! By the time we hit the overcast city of Wellington, we were ready to be outta that van!
The campground had an awesome "jumping pillow" that Wendy got photos and video of us jumping on, check out her blog! It's essentially like a huge rubber tarp that is attached to the ground and filled with air so you can jump on it. The two of us got out our driving aggressions by acting like kids on it, LOL!!! It was the best thing we did all day!! I want my very own jumping pillow now.
We did some laundry, I taught Wen to knit and we pretty much called it a day. Not our most exciting, but it got us where we needed to be to start exploring the South Island!!! YAY!!!
Aaahhhh....time to relax! Wendy and I haven't been doing much relaxing because we've been trying to drive everywhere to see and do everything we want. It was time, after our hike, for a much-needed soak. Rotorua has a world-famous spa called the Polynesian Spa, renowned for its hot mineral pools that overlook the lake. Wen and I decided the cost was worth it--NZ$20 each for access to a number of pools to soak in, some very hot, some just warm, but all types of minerals to soothe the skin. You'll have to check out Wendy's blog for the "steamy" photos!! hehe. It felt great and what a choice view! Right on the Sulphur Bay preserve of the lake, home to various birds and shrubs that don't mind the smell. I highly recommend a soak, good for the bones and the skin. We left just as a busload of old folks rolled in...more on that phenomenon later.
We made our way south to see Mud Pool, a huge bubbling pit where the earth belched hot steam and spewed and splattered scalding mud. *SCRMW It was amazing, quite archaic, and a little on the silly side with all the "blurps" and "ploops" of the brownish-gray liquid. Check it out!
Things are quite laid-back in New Zealand, as the locals were drinking beer in their minivan in the Mud Pool parking lot. They were quite nice and friendly and they offered us beers as well. We prudes turned them down to be able to drive safely!
On the road again...we kept heading south and met up with Huka Falls, an impressive waterfall pounding aqua blue water through a 100 m basalt crevice. The Waikato River has cut through the rock and created an enormously loud but gorgeous flume.
Onward! We hit sparkling Lake Taupo, the largest freshwater lake in the Southern hemisphere. Who knew?! Lots of recreational fishing, apparently trout is the catch of the day every day.
A very cute little town, looks like good food, but we opted to keep on going and get to our campsite and eat there instead. Finally we stopped at a campground in Tokaanu outside of the Tongariro National Park. Tall mountains flanked the flat pasture where horses were feeding as the sun was going down. Some greasy fish and chips (ugh, my illness left me with an easily upset stomach--grease wasn't as tasty as when I first arrived) and we were finally setting up the bed in the back of our campervan, woo hoo!!! I was excited. The bed took up the entire back, the company included a nice comforter, two pillows, and there were even some way-cool lime green curtains!!
The campground offered hot mineral pools so Wen and I soaked once again, this time with elderly folks. We seem to do that a lot each year, hang out with the retirees. Why is that?!
Lovely swath of stars once again, jumped in the van before the mosquitoes could suck me dry and that was that. The campervan bed is quite comfortable, surprisingly enough! Just enough time for journaling and ipod listening before drifting off into sleep.
I have never been so happy to wake up in damp sheets. That meant my fever broke and I was going to feel better!!! HOORAY!!! Now I could spend more time experiencing this cool country and less time blowing my nose.
Had some oatmeal for breakfast (a staple during our stay there--quick, cheap, hot) in our hotel room and headed out for a little walk around town. So Rotorua is very well known for its geothermal activity--geysers, bubbling ponds of water and bacteria, mud bubbling up and splattering all around, hot mineral pools known for their skin healing properties. The area was very touristy and built-up, not really our cup of tea but we wanted to experience the natural attractions!
A short walk from our hotel and we were in Kuirau Park, a free park that showcases the geothermal wonders of the region. We followed the steam and found bubbling, boiling water, sulphur smells, burping mud holes, steam coming up from holes in the ground. The closest thing I could compare would be the town of Centralia, how there are places where the ground has caved in from the underground coal fire and the trees have turned black.
I love how the earth cannot be contained by human structures! The awesome views so far remind me of a more primitive time on earth, the primordial soups, colored bacteria, the earth heaving and shuddering and everything in a constant state of flux.
The park was gorgeous, lovely trees and flowers (lots of roses in this country!) cultivated in between the geothermal activity. There was even a cool couple of hot mineral pools (VERY hot!) we stuck our feet into. Mineral water makes my legs and feet all tingly, and when I pulled them out, the water evaporated into my skin before it had the chance to run down my legs. Weird! Definitely something to that whole notion of healing waters.
Just south of town, we hiked on the Whakarewarewa trail overlooking the Pohutu geyser. *SCRMW Thanks to this little find, we were able to check out the geyser for free rather than pay mucho dinero and hang out with other tourists to see it! A nice little hike and not to difficult for me in my illness-recovery stage. Also a great view of Lake Rotorua. Pretty cool!
Wendy and I had a lovely time sitting on the beach at Piha, eating our tasty lunch and watching the gulls play around us. But we had some driving to do! Man, this is a much bigger island than I thought it was...we had been logging in some major hours in the campervan! But off we went in search of a cool hike mentioned in our book *SCRMW called the "windows walk" in the Karangahake Gorge. We drove on flat plains for a long time southeast of Auckland, with views of the Coromandel Mountains in the background. Past Paeroa, home of their native bubbly drink L&P (which I thought was yummy, but Wendy wasn't convinced--of course, I was half delirious, so maybe that swayed my opinion?). Finally made it to the Gorge where the hike led us through mining tunnels, walking on the old mine tracks into the darkness.
Every now and then, the rocks opened up into a large opening overlooking the gorge, walls steep but lush with vegetation in places. The river looked very small below.
I didn't know mining occurred in NZ, the signs said that quartz was mined to extract gold. That seems odd...but then again, my fever was creeping back up there and I could have imagined pink elephants dancing in the creek, so don't take my word for it.
UGH!! I was sooooo sick that I couldn't even muster the energy to hike on a flat surface, that is pathetic. I just wanted to feel better so I could more fully enjoy my trip. Blah! Further we drove, past the Bay of Plenty, past flat arbors where kiwi fruit grew on top, on our way to Rotorua ("RotoVegas" as the locals call it--quite the touristy area, but also home to spectacular geothermal activity, and hey, we all know the science nerd in me LOVES that sort of thing...).
Finally made it to Rotorua (very stinky town!! Lots of sulfur coming up from the earth's bowels) and I completely crashed in our hotel (another hotel, we still hadn't gotten the chance to sleep in the van due to my sickness) with the electric blanket all the way up. I hoped like crazy that my fever would break and I would begin feeling better when I woke up the next day...
When I woke up, I had actually hoped to wake up in clammy sheets to indicate that my fever had broken during the night. No such luck. Still felt crummy. The day was another bright and sunny adventure, so we popped into the downtown of Warkworth and I grabbed some medicine (which never did help) and Wen booked a flight from Christchurch to Auckland to allow us more time down south. Thanks Wendy!!!
Anyway. We drove east of Auckland on a very tiny, windy road to Piha beach. As we drove in the suburbs of Auckland, it looked like the photos I've seen of homes in the Hollywood Hills: hip and chic, perched on a very steep hill, lush vegetation. The homes finally disappeared and we were in rainforest wilderness. Finally meandered our way to the ocean and POP! there was Piha!! A total jewel of a town. A surf town completely devoid of commercialization. *SCRMW Amazing views of blue waters, Lion Rock, black sand. We got fish sandwiches and chips from the seaside takeaway place and enjoyed our very tasty food (best chips in NZ, I promise) while enjoying the oh-so-hot sun and fantastic views.
The gray clouds blew over the mountains, threatening rain in between the midday sun rays. I would love to own a "summer" home here once I become a better surfer (note to self: need to start surfing again; preferably in larger waves once I am comfortable with that). Oh gorgeous Piha! Lovely. *sigh* How I loved that town.
After our cave adventures, we grabbed a pb&j from the back of the mighty campervan and drove across to the western side of the peninsula. The landscape changed dramatically to more of the subtropical climate, very green and lush.
More windy roads and we were headed to the land of the Kauri trees (similar to a redwood, but cooler!) in the Waipoua Forest. The largest tree, named Tane Mahuta ("Lord of the Forest" in native Maori language) was protected by a fence. It measured 13.77 m across--larger than the General Sherman in California--and is more than 2,000 years old!! *SCRMW
I had been coughing for a few days, which I attributed to allergies from strange NZ pollen...but suddenly, as we were walking around, I was starting to not feel so good. I felt really cold and I knew it was nice and warm out...uh oh. Fever coming on? In any case, I tried to ignore it as best I could and focus on the awesome trees! We did a few other hikes *SCRMW to other Kauri trees, including the Four Sisters, Cathedral Grove--which really felt like worship, tall Kauri at the pulpit, the rest of the lush green vegetation nearby, warm sunlight suffused. We hiked to the 7th largest Kauri, "Yakas." I have always been called a treehugger, and finally we have physical evidence of it!
Also, the very cool koru fern, which symbolizes new life, new beginnings, a fresh start, etc. etc. Very cool! And so soft and furry, strangely enough. Kinda like a plant muppet.
Wendy took the wheel south, searching for gas (yikes, everything closes so early in this country!), found a nice local elderly man to show us exactly how to open the gas cap (geez, I feel really stupid) and gassed up. Onward south, we drove into the dark, me not feeling too well and Wendy made the executive decision (an excellent one) to stay at a motel due to my fever. I awoke to see the night sky full, I mean loaded, with stars. I told Wen she had to pull over and check it out (plus, hey, I kinda needed to pee, and it was dark so no one would see). I have never in my life seen so many stars, and I've been to western Maine where there is zero light pollution. Millions of stars, some brighter than others, the milky way arms, a full carpet of stars. No light pollution in Northland!
We ended up in Warkworth at a strange motel but it felt good to lay down on a bed and rest my weary bones. Lots of driving plus my fever and I was beat. Sleepy time...
After our ferry ride, we drove through Picton and the mountains were ready to greet us. The Marlborough region is well-known for its wines, mostly whites, so we drove past numerous wineries on our way to the artsy town of Nelson.
Although I am going to say that New Zealand has yet to perfect its white wines costing less than NZ$20. Just sayin'. 
And here is where a lot of the country's lumber is grown and harvested, based on the rows of tall pine trees.
