[ New Zealand ~ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 ]
11~27~00 to 12~2~00
Last Few Days in the Ladybug
We made our way back to the North Island, via a ferry ride that was even more choppy than the last. After one night in windy Wellington, we continued north.TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK
The "Tongariro Crossing" in Tongariro National Park is reputed to be the best one-day hike in the country. (Many trails here are for hikes of two or more days.) It winds around Mt. Ngauruhoe (a 7500-foot volcano), by several volcanic craters (some active), and finally through an alpine meadow and a forest. It offers magnificent views of the mountain and surrounding country.
The side of the mountain where we started |
The other side of the mountain |
A lake colored blue by mineral content
The guidebooks suggest that hikers plan seven to eight hours for the hike. When Farley, Matt, and I went, we neglected to book our trailhead shuttlebus ahead of time, so we started later than most. We ended up finishing in six hours in order to catch our shuttle back. It was a fairly fast pace, but we saved time by not taking a long lunch break (or other breaks).
Hikers winding their way up
Red Crater |
Me on top of a ridge |
TAUPO CHRISTMAS PARADE
On our way back to Auckland on the North Island, we had some extra time, so we swung by the town of Taupo, on the shores of Lake Taupo (NZ's biggest lake). As we parked, we realized we had stumbled upon the town's Christmas parade! You can see the small-town charm of Taupo: 
SUMMARY
In all, we drove 5,468 kilometers (3398 miles). See our route on the map below. We visited all of the major cities in the South Island, and countless smaller ones. We shared expenses, and it worked out to approximately NZ$1250 per person (US$500) for a 25-day tour. This is not counting NZ$75-100 extra that we each spent individually in restaurants, etc. It does include NZ$550 for two ferry crossings - vehicle passage is very expensive. All in all, the roadtrip was a great success!
