Holy Kiwi, I am in New Zealand

I bought a ticket to join a couple friends for three days in New Zealand. It was one of those trips I didn't have to plan but to just go.

Landed in Auckland

The mates Ari and Logan had a very good plan. We landed at 21:00 in late June- start of winter for this region.  We wanted to get to Lake Taupo early the next day.

Middle Seat!!

By 2 am, we pulled over to a dark lit park. In our luxorious Juicy van- first time I experienced this style of traveling- we folded down a nice full size bed.

To our surprise in the morning, we were near a river. My first day in NZ was off to a picturesque start.  We made it to Lake Taupo at 11:00. 

Ari or Logan, forget which one, came up with the idea to bungy jump. At first I didn't bother with the fuss because I thought skydiving was more thrilling and why go down the ladder when you have been to the top.

But their excitement kept increasing, the idea to jump into the lake, and the attachment at the ankles slowly started to awaken the butterflies in my stomach.

Lake Taupo Bungy 47 M

So naturally  I paid $150 and I was strapped in. Ari goes first and submerged underwater, NICE! Then I stepped up to the plank and somehow dived, like a crucifixed Jesus, instead of the proper dive. I was able to see the scenery for longer, which was so exhilarating knowing I fell the height of a 12 story building. 

With our hearts on fire we needed to relax a little. Ten minutes away we ended up at Taupo hot pools. We laid in the water and let the rising steam evaporate into our lungs as we watched the clouds roll over the sky above. Closer to the edge of Waikato River you can reenergize your body and mind in the cold fresh water.

Myself, Logan, and Ari

At the Taupo hot pools I had my first interaction with locals or "kiwis." They were all males and very laidback kind of people. They asked a lot of questions about music and California. 

Fast forward to sunrise on Mission Bay, a spot where forest meets Lake Taupo. NZ is such a cool place, you feel like the only person there, there is not a lot of people anywhere.

The gang decided we were going to hike Mount Tongariro the next day. The volcano connected to it had erupted 8 months earlier, there are plumes of steam coming up.  We were going to hike 19.4 km that is 12 miles through snow and around a volcano.

Red dotted land in the right is the one we completed.
Left: Mount Ruapehu (Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings)
Middle: Mount Ngauruhoe
Right: Mount Tongariro

Standing Bow Pose

A good idea to prepare for any big trek is to acclimatize by doing a pre-hike. We checked out the trails. We saw our future in the background- Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe. The best part was a colorful waterfall we passed.

Mt Ruapehu

Base between Mt. Ngauruhoe and Mt. Tongariro

To keep this post short- I will only cover half the crossing. It started off rocky like desert foothills with scatter snow. The incline was moderate, sometimes slippery rock. Soon though you walk in snow on rock at the edge of a cliff. TAKING DEEP BREATHS!!

Once we made it to the base of the summit we had to practice falling off the edge of a cliff. Forgot what we did so hopefully that does not happen in my future. 

 

We started our biggest incline with crampons attached. The wind started to pickup and the clouds felt incredibly close. So since I'm ending this right before we peaked, here is a treat from Logan.

Last time I saw Chris Hoban, my incredible host and friend in Australia.
Now he is serving in the Australian Military- he was one of the coolest
laid-back guys that took this wild child
under his wing :)