Volcanic Landmine

Day 197- A day of driving to Rotorua would take us the morning and had us there for about 1pm. Rotorua is said to be the Vegas of New Zealand, according to Kiwi's. However, not knowing that most Kiwi's have never been to Las Vegas before, you can imagine the disappointment when Mike and his 4 good buddies (including his brother Phil) entered a car 12 years ago on their quest to find this city of sin. Haha I can just see them rolling into town wondering if they had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Turns out it is nothing like Vegas. Instead of lights and nightlife they were met with the strong smell of rotten eggs and coffee shops that close by 5pm. Rotorua is actually a volcanic land mine. Volcanic acitivity around the city is the main attraction for visitors along with unique adventure sports that draw in adrenaline junkies daily. Perhaps it is the adventure based activities of the town that has earned it its Vegas comparison amongst the New Zealand locals. 

Our first stop was the popular exploding geyser at Te Puia. Although when we arrived at the ticket counter we were faced with a problem. The admission to the park was 55 dollars. WHAT? Well that is too much money. What would we see for that fee? Bubbling mud, steam vents and the exploding geyser. We couldn't bring ourselves to do it. I knew there must be another way, so I went online and found a cheaper option. All we needed to do was to park at a nearby hotel, climb over a fence, crawl through the forest and in no time, we'd have our own private viewing of the geyser.

                          

Guess what else? Along the way, we heard some noise in the bushes and discovered steam vents and bubbling mud... and how much did we pay? Nada!

Next stop was Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. This was something we knew we didn't want to cheap out on so we paid the $35 dollars each and enjoyed the steamy walk. Sulphur filled the air and at times it was difficult to breathe through the thick hot steam but the views made it more than worth it. 

The colors that surrounded this wonderland were wonderful to say the least. The green lake below had my attention.

Mike dipped his toe in a running stream and as expected it was hot hot hot! 

Below is a seafoam green lake, I didn't know that water could be so many different colors.

And, of course, the 'piece de resistance'. When a person googles Rotorua, a picture of what you see below is typically what shows up. It was also the reason why we knew we'd pay the admission fee to enter the park. This 100 degree natural hot spring displays a stunning contrast of blue water and red and white rock. This was one of the original pictures that made me want to come to New Zealand. It truly is a magical place. 

              

After we'd completed our first day of exploring, we drove into the forest. But before we could make our way to our campsite, we had to give Jazz a little TLC. She wasn't feeling well and she told us so by creating a rucus under the wheel. We called the 24 hour road side assistance and they had us in the shop and back on the road within the hour. Nice work Lucky. 

                    

Now that she was feeling better we headed to our free spot, only 30 minutes out of town. It was the closest place we've been to a Canadian campsite and it felt good to be home.

Day 198- Rotorua is known for their adventure sports and there is no lack of options to choose from.  One of the biggest draws in the town is mountain biking. Trails spread across the city in every direction. They even have a ski hill lift that takes people to the top of a mountain where they're released into the wild, onto class 3 to 6 bike trails. I don't have any experience mountain biking but we weren't going to miss out on an opportunity to mountain bike in one of the sports world famous locations. 

We rented our bikes from Mountain Bike Rotorua for $40 bucks each. That gave us two good quality mountain bikes, two helmets and 4 hours of free time to ride. We used all 4 hours!

The trails were unreal and we peddled our butts off to get to the top of a mountain to see a great view. It almost killed me but it was worth it...I think. Whoa, check out Mikes gargantuan muscles!!!! 

                         

Oh wait...those would be my huge guns. Haha the guy who took this photo must have snapped it just as I was air pumping our victory for making it to the top of the lookout. So I said to Mike, "do you have any tape?" He responded, "No why?", to which I responded "because I am beyond ripped"... bahahahaha. 

Below we're riding through a very dry, lifeless forest.

What an awesome way to spend a day in the forest. By the end of the 4 hours I was exhausted and found it very difficult to finish our last run to the bottom of the mountain. We had crushed around 25km over the 4 hours and I managed to fall 3 times throughout the day with only a few bruises to proove it... and this photo. Mike heard me crash and I yelled "OW", he got off his bike and ran back while asking if I was ok.  I was but my leg was pinched between the bike and the handlebars. Before Mike helped me up he apologized while he took this photo. How rude. I should have punched him with my giant pipes. 

                      

Here is some sweet footage of our adventure. Careful, it's 3 min long!

                            

The toilets at the bottom of the hill had showers, so after a hot strenuous day, we got to clean off. It helped me feel a little better but I was still so sore. We drove around town to find a park to cook dinner and relax in the shade. I was also worried we'd get pulled over by the cops because my guns weren't registered...bahahahahaha

This lovely tree looked like a piece of art.

We ended the night with a shot of coffee at a cool local cafe called Abracadabra that looked like a magical wonderland. We blogged/played Clash of Clans and then we slept..... ohhhh did we ever sleep. 

Day 199- We were still hurting from our bike adventures but we weren't done exploring Rotorua. A local told us that a visit wouldn't be complete without going to the Redwood Forest. We charged up our fitbits and hit the trail for a quick 30 minute walk on a 3.4 km pathway through the forest. A mix of different trees covered the space and they grew taller and taller the deeper we went. 

                      

It didn't take long before we got completely lost and made some secret discoveries. A hand made sign that said Fairy's Grotto pointed into the forest. Weary of getting caught in a fairy trap, we built up our courage and followed the sign into a childs dreamland! So cool and super hidden. 

We continued on what looked like an old bike path but it kept taking us uphill, deeper into the forest. 

I have to admit, I probably wasn't the best company. I was still hurting from our bike ride and every corner we turned took us more uphill. I was angry. I was trying my best not to complain because I knew how exhausting that can be, especially in a situation that is out of anyones control. But I didn't do too well... Mike did a good job of ignoring it and kept his spirits up. Maybe a little too UP!

At least the view was pretty sweet. 

I thought this pathway would make for a pretty aisle in a wedding. A decorated path with natural wild flowers on either side. 

By the time we found our way back to our car, our 'walk' had turned into a 3 hour hike over 11 kms. At least we reached our step goal on our fitbits!

We returned to the showers at the bottom of the mountain bike trails and I washed away all my anger from the day. Our campsite for the night would provide another stunning view and the perfect setting to watch the full moon rise. 

Day 200- WOW crazy to see it in writing. 200 days of being on the road and sometimes it feels like we just left. Where has the time gone?

Our day began with a visit to Kerosene Creek. Kerosene creek epitomizes every travellers dream discovery. Except for the fact that it has already been discovered and a sign leads the way, this spot is nature at its best. A supremely hot stream in the middle of the forest, untouched by commercialism, free to anyone who wishes to experience it.

It only took me 7 months of effort but I am finally learning how to use my camera. 

Below is my attempt to set the camera's 10 second timer and run down the rocky edge to join Mike for a photo in the steaming hot water. Oh well... 

Mike and I made a point of heading to the springs early so we could enjoy it with fewer people. We must have picked a good time because we were the only ones there and got to enjoy it all by ourselves, at least for a little while. Just as we were beginning to overheat, a big tour bus arrived so we left the streem to them and went back to Jazz for some lunch. 

While we dried off in the parking area, a red car peeled out and shot up a ton of dust and rocks right in our faces. Then as the youngsters tried to drive off, they lost control and ran right into the tour bus, smashing the headlight and crushing the bumper. We knew they weren't going to stick around as they put on their reverse lights and skidded away once more. Luckily, us and two other guys stood by and caught their license plate. Time for ol' officer Keith of the Pinto Police task force to call it in! No criminals get away when we're on the clock. I tried to get a photo but the dust covered the cars getaway. 

Rotorua was full of excitement and we felt thoroughly pleased with our visit. It was time to head on our way, we had much more to see and time was ticking. 

Killer Beaches

Day 193- We stayed at a campsite that was within 'striking distance' to Auckland so it was a short drive into the city. Or at least it would have been had we not been distracted by a wandering dog. We found this cute guy walking across the highway like he owned it. Luckily, I speak K9 and he came right over for a pet when I approached him with my dog lingo. He was friendly and he was lost! We called animal services and they came right over to pick him up. For a brief moment, we considered keeping him with us... What a great companion he would make in our little home. The dog was quite happy to see the animal services employee and it turns out he is a regular escape artist in that town.

                     

   

We found a little cafe in Auckland called 'Fridge', where we set up shop for a couple of hours to eat meat pies, drink coffee...and yes you guessed it... work on the blog. 

Lately, we've had some friends and family commenting on the state of Mike's beard and some whispers about what kind of treasures are buried deep within. I don't know about treasures but if you look close you can clearly see that a little bird has mistaken it for his nest. Oh dear. 

Delicious meat pie below. Mmmmmm

                        

After the cafe we headed to the mall to take care of some business. The first order was to get Mike's beard and hair cut. I love the beard but not the birds. Then we headed to the store Kathmandu to buy some new hiking shoes. The original shoes we brought on the trip finally fell apart enough that we couldn't comfortably hike in them.  With many hikes in our future, it was time for an upgrade. 

After the mall closed, we went to the movies to see the new flick, Sisters. It gave us quite the laugh and helped us forget about all the money we'd spent during the day. Later that night we drove to our campsite at Whatipu lodge. It was a long, scary and nerve wrecking journey that took much longer than anticipated. As we were leaving town a violent rain storm ripped through the area making our drive along the side of a mountains edge slow and scary. It was dark, the roads were wet, our front windshield was fogged up and after we had gotten too far to turn back we realized that we were almost out of gas. When we finally made it to the campsite, we were relieved but the stress from the drive and our need for gas was dampening our spirits. However it would have to wait for the morning because we were exhausted.

Day 194- We awoke in the morning and got our first sight of the place where we'd spent the night. It was gorgeous. The ocean was behind us, the forest was in front of us and other than a few campers, we had it all to ourselves. The man who takes care of the land told us that we couldn't leave without seeing the beach. Although this place wasn't our intended destination and we were in fact on our way to a different more well known beach, there was something in the way he said it that convinced me to go. The man also sold us some emergency petrol so we were already feeling better about our decision to park at this spot for the night. 

Dark black sand led the way. 

When I came out of the trees, I was stunned. The contrast between the sand and the ocean water was awe inspiring and I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

While I walked the shoreline, something caught my eye in the distance. What happened next will go down as one of the most amazing moments I have ever experienced.

                           

A family of 5 killer whales, no more than 15 meters from where I stood, swam in front of me. It was incredible. Mike, while on a run, started screaming at me from further down the beach to step back. He later told me he had visions of the whales swimming up on shore to kill me for pleasure. If you ask me, he's been watching too many youtube videos because I was sure they were just coming in close to say hello. I couldn't contain my excitement and screamed for joy for the whole rest of the day. It made the beach we were supposed to see, Piha beach, seem much less amazing. On the way to the famous Auckland oceanfront Piha beach, we stopped at a cafe to re-energize. I told the owner of the cafe what we saw and she was not only interested but shocked. She said that she'd lived there her whole life and had never seen a killer whale and it was very rare to see. This made me even more excited about our whale sighting. 

Below is Piha beach. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful but it had nothing on Whatipu beach. 

After a day by the ocean, we drove to a small town close to the Coromandel Peninsula to sleep behind a library for the night. Not just any old library... a library with a futuristic 'super loo'. 

                            

Day 195- We drove further up the Coromandel region and stopped in a town called Whangamata. Mike and I were getting on each others nerves and needed some space... I mean we have spent the last 195 days together. I visited the beach and swam in the wicked waves, then enjoyed a tea at a cafe while I caught up with my sister. Mike sat in the van, utilizing a Spark wifi hotspot to work on his hobbies. We reconvened in the evening and drove to a freedom camping site. Freedom camping used to be all the rage in New Zealand but things have tightened up all over the country and the ability to camp wherever you choose has diminished. Too bad but I suppose they have to protect this beautiful environment. We found the one you see below on our app and it was nothing more than a parking lot jam packed with cars. But it was free! If you can see the blue cooler, our little Jazz is parked right beside it. 

Day 196- We woke up early to make our way to Hot Water Beach for low tide. The beach is a local phenomena. It has two spots where a person can dig a hole and it will fill up with hot water but it's important to go at low tide to avoid getting washed away by the cold ocean. When we arrived, the amount of tourists was off-putting and everyone was fighting for their spot. We didn't want to bother trying to get into the action so we decided to return later that night for the evening low tide. For the time being I had some important wedding planning business to take care of for my childhood friend Lisa, so we found a cafe with decent wifi and I got to work. We spent the next 4 hours there, eating, drinking coffee and researching. Once I was satisfied and felt more in tune with wedding details, we found a caravan park near Hot Water Beach called Seabreeze. We paid $40 bucks to spend the night but we had a few extra amenities to enjoy because of it. They even lent us shovels to dig in the sand so we wouldn't have to use our pot and pans. 

While we waited for 11 pm to arive, we sat in the main lounge area of the caravan park. Mike noticed two boys playing their nintendo DS and he was instantly distracted. They were from France and didn't speak any english so I translated for Mike. They complimented me on my french and I blushed in return. It was the first time I'd spoken it since we left and I wasn't sure how I'd perform. Turns out, by a 10 year old's standards, I wasn't so bad.

When we returned to the beach later that night, it was just as we hoped. Empty! There were maybe only another handfull of people scattered along the beach, trying to find a hot spot. We took our shovels and started digging. The water was hot. Too hot. Our feet would burn instantly so we needed the cold ocean water to mix in to make it bearable. There was only one problem. The ocean was far too angry and it was making big waves. Every time we'd dig a hole, seconds later it would be drowned out by the waves. 

We ran into an israeli guy that we'd met at the freedom camp site the night before who was really nice, so we all took turns digging as fast as we could, then we'd each sit in the hot pool for a few seconds before our bodies would be shocked by the cold ocean. It was a lot of work but a lot of fun. Worth the effort in my opinion. 

It was great to have a hot shower to come back to at the caravan park and we looked forward to a good sleep to prepare us for a big drive the next day. 

Next stop... the land of volcanic splendour. 

Wasting Time Willingly

Day 186- We were so happy to land in New Zealand and just in time to catch a taxi to Lucky Campers, 10 minutes before they closed. After the paperwork was complete, we got to meet her. She was an old gal and much wiser than our JP from Oz. We could see that she's been through a lot and had taken a few hits over the years but you know what I always say, every scar has a story, which means this babe has one hell of a lot of stories. When I asked the girl working the check in desk if our van had a name, she laughed in a unkind way while responding "no". I responded by assuring the clerk that I would be happy to name the van for her. But first, we needed to get acquainted with the ol gal and see what name would work... Oh and for some reason we knew she was a 'her' right from the get go. 

By the time we figured out where we were and where we were going, it was late and the sun had fallen. We found a park that our app described as, a free campsite, so we parked our girl up for the night and laid out our cushions for our first sleep in our new home. I will admit it was difficult getting used to a new van that was so different than JP and we had our reservations on that first night. 

I was already fast asleep when I heard a sound come from outside of our van. OH NO, had Charlie found us in New Zealand? Mike was still awake and quickly turned on a light to let the intruder know that someone was inside. The mystery man had driven up behind our van and turned his car off, Mike could hear him get out and walk over to us, then he tried to open up the sliding door where I slept peacefully. After our light turned on, we could hear him speaking in a foreign language and we could see him with a beer in his hand passing behind our van. This was not a park official! As soon as he had moved out of the way, Mike jumped in the front seat and we skidded out of there. Phew, we managed to escape another scary man, again on the first night of having our van. History was literally repeating itself. We found a caravan park up the road and soon realized that we had parked in one of the worst areas of Auckland. Luckily the nice lady Cindy working the reception desk welcomed us with a kind heart and showed us where we could park safely for the night. 

Day 187- Our van needed some adjustments before she would be able to perform for us so we went to The Warehouse (New Zealands version of Walmart) to outfit and better organize our home. Then we found a park and emptied the van of all of its contents. After lots of brainstorming and careful consideration we found the perfect spot for our clothes, food and other miscellaneous items. 

We had no time to waste so we hit the road and began to make our way up north. The scenery was already captivating and although my excitment in a new place can cause me to fall in love earlier then advisable, I knew that New Zealand was different and was in fact, true love. From our second day here I said that I would move to New Zealand in an instant. Not even a week in and I can't wait to come back. 

We drove through a small town called Puhoi that was charming and full of history. We found a cool pub in town that had its memories plastered on the walls and a great selection of local draft beer. They were also playing American college football so we settled in for a drink. 

We drove along the narrow winding roads, hugging the mountains edge for some time, all the while going up up up. Before we knew it we were lost in the clouds. 

We continued the journey north and found a free spot to rest for the night in Waipo. Without even realizing it we found ourselves parked outside of some incredible caves. After we set up our bed, we put on the head lamps and went exploring. We were instantly surrounded by bright, gleaming glow worms. They lit up the cave and all of its many creatures. Scary, but not scared...

After we were deep in the cave, we turned out our lights and let the glow worms impress us.

It was a much better start to our New Zealand adventure than our first night. We slept peacefully with no intruders to bother us. 

Day 188- We drove a bunch more, only stopping briefly in a town to buy groceries and a few more supplies for our van. 

We found a great little campsite right off the highway, surrounded by forest and a river stream cutting through the hillside. Picture our forest in Kananaskis country and add the odd palm tree. That's what it looked like. 

We made one of our favorites dishes from our campervaning experience in Australia and joined two fellow Canadians by their tent to drink wine and share our adventures. Dan and Mira lived in New Zealand a year ago and like many people who visit New Zealand, they returned to explore more of its hidden gems. They were a wealth of information and sent us a perfect, geographically organized, list of places we to see while in NZ. 

Day 189- We had a destination and we knew this would be the day we'd get to it. We wanted to make it to the most northern point in New Zealand. Apparently this destination gets a lot of attention and Dan warned us that there would be a lot of tourists. To avoid the hustle and bustle of the area, he suggested a campsite further south, where we could leave our van and hike in. It was just our style, so off we went. 

New Zealand is known for its wool and now I understand why. Healthy, happy sheep cover the land in every direction. We made friends with the three in the front. 

As we drove we noticed something different on the horizon. It looked like the grass was changing colour. Although it didn't make sense...the beautiful green mountainous terrain was suddenly beige. Upon further inspection we saw beautiful sand dunes in the distance. 

                     

We ended our day at the Tapotupotu Campground where we paid for two nights at $25 dollars total. There were cold showers, semi clean bathrooms and a gorgeous view. It was quite funny because when we signed up for our campervan in Australia, I pictured us driving up to the beach every night to park our van. Although, doing so in Australia would result in expensive fines or pricey camp fees. Now here we were in New Zealand on our fourth night and we were already parked at the beach. Yay!

We were warned that the mosquitoes at this place were off the charts and it didn't take long for our night to become a bloody nightmare. I must have killed 50 mosquitoes in our van before we even went to sleep. Mike slept through this epidemic...

Day 190- We started the day early, knowing we had a big hike in front of us but Mike never misses a chance to make like a hobbit and chill out in a tree for a bit. 

Our hike would take us up and over the mountainside, along the beach cliffs and down into the sand before we would get to Cape Rienga, which is the most northern point in New Zealand. The return trip would be 10kms and an estimated 6 hours. Mike and I knew that when we came to New Zealand we would be hiking our way around the country. We hadn't been very active in the past couple months, so we needed to channel our inner Ed Keith to keep us motivated on our jouney. If Mike's grandfather in his 90's could hike some of the worlds more strenuous trails, we needed to step it up! Minutes into the journey we were blessed with the most spectacular views. 

That is me perched on the edge of that mountain, overlooking the ocean below. 

The heat was blaring down on us and there were no spots to get some shade. So by the time we made it to Cape Rienga, I was starting to loose energy fast... Neeeeeeed waaaaaaaater!! Not sure if you can see how red my face is in the photo below but I'm pretty sure I was near fainting. The little girl behind me happily skipped past us and up the hill with way too much energy. That is so not fair! 

                       

What you see below is the meeting of two oceans, the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea. You can actually see the two different currents creating a line across the waters surface.

Everybody loves a lighthouse. 

Nice, Vancouver made the sign.

The most northern point of New Zealand.

Behind us are the sand dunes that we saw from the day prior. At this point I really wasn't looking forward to the 5km walk home. 

We finished the hike in 4 hours, 2 hours faster than the estimated time. Yay! I am positive Mike would have done it way quicker without me huffing and puffing behind him but I am his WIFE...so there's that. 

We cooled off in the ocean after the hike and went out on the rocks at low tide to find some sun heated tide pools. We found some hot ones but they were only deep enough to sink our feet and bums into. Tiny shrimp swam quickly onto our skin and bit at what I am guessing was our dead skin. Trust me... anyone who knows my feet, knows that those shrimp were having a field day. I once had a vietnamese lady on a beach insist that I get my feet scrubbed because she couldn't believe a lady would let her feet get so worn. What can I say? 

Anyhow, we finished off the night by killing many more mozzies, while watching Jessica Jones do some damage of her own. 

Day 191- Our friends Dan and Mira gave us some direction to a secret local spot where we could camp for the night.  To keep this place a secret, I won't give the exact details oh how we got there. In order to get inside, we needed to pick up a key from a small town nearby, with the key in hand, we drove to a side road that was blocked by a gate. Our key opened the secret gate and we drove into our exclusive camp site for the night.  Yes, the sign below me is blurred out, my commitment to keep this place secret is matter of national security! 

                      

Right across the water from us is the finest white sand deposit in the world! Yup that's right, in the world and we had a front seat view all to ourselves. 

We were also surrouded by these puffy flowers that I enjoyed watching sway in the wind.

We had the whole day to ourselves and nothing in the way to distract us or steal our attention. No wifi, no people, no coffee shops and no media of any sort. We bought some hand fishing lines and attempted to catch dinner from the ocean. We learnt that fishing from salt water requires no license, which meant we were free to catch as many as we wanted. I say that as if we would need to monitor our catches and potentially even release some back into the ocean had we caught too many... 

Turns out that wasn't a problem at all... because we didn't catch anything. Well that is not entirely true, we caught a ton of seaweed. After two hours of solid effort we gave up. Once the tide went out... far far out, we took the advice of Dan and Mira and went foraging for clams. There were too many to choose from and it was way too easy, so we limited oursleves to 50. 

              

After letting them soak in salt water for 2 hours, to allow them to spit out any excess sand and mud, we boiled some water and stood by to watch them 'pop' open one by one. That's how you know they're cooked. 

I had never actually eaten a clam before so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. We mixed them in with our pasta and ate them all up. I wouldn't say that clams are something I'll ever crave in the future but the experience of catching our own food was awesome and something I would definitely do again. About a week after this night, we met a local at a coffee shop and told him of our experience foraging for clams. We showed him a photo of our clams and he said with an exotic reggae-esk Mauri accent, "those aren't clams, those are cockles!", I immediately looked at Mike with fear burning in my eyes at the thought of eating something we weren't supposed to. Although it hadn't made us sick so I really had nothing to worry about. Turns out cockles are a smaller version of clams...which means in a sense we still went foraging for clams. Phew.

                      

The rest of our night followed much like our day, wasting time willingly.  

Day 192- We set out early for a big day of driving to make our way down to Auckland. We stopped for a visit at 90 mile beach. Crazy to imagine a beach that is 90 miles long, with beautiful fine sand, surrounded by a dense forest. 

                        

Many cars can be seen driving along the beach from town to town but we didn't want to risk getting our gal stuck in the sand. 

Just a little something that caught my attention. Mike says gross but I find it kind of cool.

The ocean was angry and the waves were curling on top of eachother. 

It was a long day of driving before we finally made it to Auckland and once we arrived we were struggling to find cheap/free accomodation. We ended up paying $40 bucks to park our girl at a caravan park near the outskirts of the city and slept the night away. 

Only one week in New Zealand and I am already deeply in love with this country. In the end we came up with a name for our girl. Jasmine but we call her Jazz for short. Mike explained it as such; she was once beautiful just like Princess Jasmine but is now older and wiser..... did I think that made any sense at all? No but I liked the name Jazz so I went along with it. What I'm guessing is pre pubescent Mike had a thing for Jasmine. It was the only way I could make sense of it all.