Since being here I also managed to make it up to the North Island. This is how it went down. I’d always wanted to do the Tongariro Crossing since being here. It was a few days before the Easter break (NZ takes Good Friday and Easter Monday as public holidays), and I was casually looking at flights. Turns out I bought a flight to Wellington, then proceeded to book a rental car and take a day off of work. Note this was all 48 hours before I left! What’s life if not lived?

So, I got dropped off at the airport with only carry-on luggage – note there was no security check at either end of my flight….and set off for Windy Wellington. Wellington was a pretty awesome place to fly into, though Cape Town still has it beat. I picked up my rental car and started off north towards Turangi, my stopover for the night before doing the Tongariro.

Woke up before dawn the next day and headed over to the start of the Tongariro tramp. A shuttle bus took us around to the other end of the track and I started walking at dawn.

From moment one I knew there was something special, with the sun rising over Mount Ngauruhoe while there was frost at my feet. I started my climb up, the first bit was mild. Then it was up…and up…and up. The views were amazing, especially since it turned out to be a fantastic day. You could even see Mount Taranaki in the way distance.

I came to the junction point where there was a sign to the left for continuing on the trail and another to the right for the trip up Mount Ngauruhoe. Well, in the distance I could see three little specks on the mountainside. I figured why not? So, up I went. It was a rough trip, but totally worth it. Ngauruhoe is actually a volcano and there is a huge crater at the top. The way down was quite fun, it was like skiing through the loose rocks.

After my minor sidetrip of 3 hours I continued up to the Red Crater where I was met with a fantastic view of the colorful lakes below. The area is rich in volcanic activity which proves for some pretty spectacular scenery. The colour of the lakes is highly due to mineral deposits. In fact, you can slightly smell the sulfur in the emerald lake.

Then I continued downhill and found my way back to my car by mid afternoon. In the carpark I met a hitchhiker asking for a ride to Taupo. It just so happened I was headed there for the night. It was nice to have a friend along for the ride. She later came down and visited me in Dunedin.

Anyways, Lake Taupo is HUGE. I dropped off my new friend, found my accommodation for the night, grabbed some dinner and sat on the beach and explored for the rest of the night.

One of these explorations was heading down for a soak in the natural pools a few blocks outside the town centre. Now that was a perfect remedy for a long day’s walk.

The next morning I set out to Waiotapu Geothermal Park. It was like a mini Yellowstone. The day started off watching the geyser erupt. Then I headed into the park to see the geothermal wonderland. Mineral deposits created so many colours, take a look!

I decided to make it a long driving day and head back down to Wellington later that night. I got settled at the backpackers in Welly and looked up some mass times to see if I could find an Easter Vigil mass. I found one across town about 30 min walking distance, so I dashed off and made it just in time. The church was like it was straight out of Italy. They had a candlelight service in the outdoor courtyard followed by a mass primarily in Latin(those 3 years of Latin in high school sure came in handy). By the time I got back to the backpackers, it was time for a good night’s sleep.

The next morning was Easter Sunday. The plan was to go for a walk and see the sunrise up on the hill overlooking the city. When I got up there I found a sunrise Easter service, quite beautiful – as was the sunrise. I spent a good few hours eating my breakfast and watching the light take over the city.

I headed back down to the city and explored along the waterfront. There was a Sunday market, where I got some DELICIOUS Vietnamese spinach noodles, with tofu, and so many awesome spices. Then I had to walk it off for a few hours so I would have some room for some real fruit ice cream (I’d given up all sweets and sugars for lent, so I was majorly overdue for a treat).

Walking in Wellington is awesome, definitely an artsy city. Loved the shark street art! Midway through the day I started to get a bit tired so I went to the Te Papa Tongarewa(National Museum of NZ) to learn some NZ culture and science. After a few relaxation hours I headed back out for some more walking through the city. I think I got a pretty good taste of Wellington.

After dark I head out to grab a drink at the bar and had a last walk around the waterfront. The next morning was an early flight back to Dunedin. Much love Wellington, met some great people and saw an awesome city.