Happy New Year, all! Not sure how you celebrated, but the three of us grabbed a couple beers with some Germans and a fine English bloke in the cute little hamlet of Coromandel Town. Briefly checked out the bars and then walked back to our Lion's Den hostel (see pictures of previous post to understand why it's an awesome place to just hang out) and chatted about life over in Europe. I've never heard anyone talk so casually about hanging out in weather that's -20 degrees celsius! Also discussed traditional holiday drinks in each country; turns out eggnog is popular in Germany and the US but is virtually unheard of in Britain. A very kind German couple talked over our ideas of places to visit and nixed a few areas that we had planned on; they suggested getting down to the South Island and spending the majority of our time there. We return our car in 2 days back to Auckland and then plan on training or taking the bus down to Wellington so we can ferry over.
Speaking of being on the move, we've spent a lot of the time in the car exploring the coast these past 3 days. After venturing over the Broken Hills, we returned to the area the next day to sit on the white-sand beaches in semi-sunny weather. The views of the ocean were worth the sporatic rain and overcast coolness!
Cathedral Cove - "Crowded" by Kiwi standards, but still not as bad as US beaches in my opinion
The hike to the beach took you through a lot of Monterey pine stands and natural fern-tree forests. While a lot of the area reminds me of home (green rolling hills, cows on the hillside, huge conifer forests), this was definitely a sight that was unique to the west side of the Pacific.
After playing at the beach for a couple hours, we decided to head down towards Tauranga to see if we could find a hostel at the surf town of Mount Maungani. As it turns out, this is where all the Kiwis go to vacation and EVERYTHING was booked. We backtracked to Tauranga for little luck until Al batted his eyes at a hotel clerk and managed to get us a room. Although it was much more pricey than we were looking for, it was better than our alternatives which included sleeping in the car, driving an hour to Rotoruga to find more filled hostels, or attempting to pitch tents on the side of the road at 11 PM.
I should mention that we have a peculiar habit of getting lost. We're getting better about it though! At first the detours cost us about 2 hours worth of time; we're down to about a half-hour now! Part of the problem is that many of the roads aren't clear about what direction they go. They'll say they head east when we really want them to head south. Another problem is that many of the highways intersect mulitple times with neighboring roads, making it difficult when you're trying to find a specific turn-off. We also apparently just fail at recognizing NZ signs. As Sarah says though, it's about the journey and we're seeing a lot of things that we wouldn't have otherwise gone to check out!
After bedding down in Tauranga, we left to go find a series of waterfalls that my off-the-beaten-path guidebook suggested. After getting lost and finding them, we were blown away. WOW. First of all, barely any other tourists! Secondly, one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've seen in person. Kaite Falls, you were well worth a 30 minute detour.
And that's only the upper falls. The lower falls were enormous and roaring with water due to the amount of precipitation the island has received recently. I didn't want to risk my camera getting wet due to all the spray, so I'll have to steal photos from Al or Sarah later on. At the lower falls, there were cliffs to jump off of into the swimming hole and cavities to explore next to the actual falls. Lots of spots to sunbathe as well, if only there had been more sun!
Feeling happy after our visit to the falls, we headed south to Rotoruga to find a hostel for the night. Rotoruga is a very touristy area that the locals feel exploits most of its natural wonders. One of the most geothermically active areas in the world, it seems like everybody has their own personal hotspring in their backyard. Our hostel even has a free thermal spring! After booking a room, we consulted my guidebook again and there is a recommended secret spring south of town. My guidebook doesn't give instructions on how to find it, but it gives a riddle to solve that the author says will lead you to the spring. Al and I solved the riddle and sure enough, we found the perfect hidden spring in a Jurassic looking forest!
The water was sooo nice! We all agreed that this was an epic win. We lounged around for about 2 hours, enjoying the spring and the solitude.
On our way back to the hostel, we passed a sign for Mud Pool. My book raves about this place; the author says it is one of his favorite spots on the North Island. While not one of our favorites, it was definitely a new experience to see so much boiling mud.
Maybe it's just one of those places you have to be at to enjoy. Lots of disgusting and/or hilarious sounds errupted from the mud craters! We stayed around to finish a beer and then jetted back to enjoy the sunset painting the most beautiful colors on the clouds overhead. First sunset I think we've been able to see since it wasn't completely cloudy or rainy at that moment!
When planning this trip, I expected a lot more self-reflection. Turns out I'm around people too often to do much deep thinking. I also expected to see things that took my breath away around every corner. I remember when I first drove into the park when I worked at Lassen; I couldn't believe that I was going to live in such a wonderful area for 3 months. Every time I drove into Redding or back to Davis, I had this same heart-wrenching feeling of just how lucky I was. Here though, so much of it reminds me of the States. Not that it's not beautiful and new!, I guess I just expected more after hearing what others who had traveled here had said. I guess it goes to show what a unique experience it is to live in Humboldt. California, you've ruined me in terms of appreciating natural beauty! I have my fingers crossed that the South Island can show you up.
One thought as a forester; clearcuts are epic over here! Al and I joke that this is where California loggers go to play. I remember my silviculture professor saying he left New Zealand because the forestry was boring, and I can see what he means. Huge tracts of Monterey pine fill the landscape in tight stands. I haven't seen any selection cuts or anything that challenges a manager. Fun if you're a timber beast! Boring as hell if you're not.
Until next time, take care of yourselves!
Kate
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