This post leaves off from
"Holy Kiwi, I am in New Zealand."
The three of us were at the top of
the alpine crossing of Mount Tongariro.
We hit the peak of the hike.
The ground was toasty.
View to the east
Three main valleys
to look down into. One was behind us, where we had originated. The second was
to the right of us, with no trail except a drop off that made me think of some
back-country skiing. And the third in front we descended down into.
Frozen sulfur lake
The group ahead of us looked like ants crossing a valley of white desert. It lead straight to the
volcano that started to release large plumes. I got a little spooked.
Bottom left are a group of people walking (WATCH) the next video!
At the top was the summit of the crossing
Down from the muddy
rock trail, we checked out frozen sulfur lakes. During the
summer hikes, these are a mesmerizing turquoise hue.
In front: Lake Rotopounamu Back: Lake Taupo
Now once you crossed that snow
valley you came on the view of Lake Rotopounamu and Lake Taupo.On the right was the volcano, it had calmed down but was
still an active thing nonetheless.
Towards the end of the hike
we saw craters that blasted rock had dented into the hillside.We had made it to the final 2.5-hour leg of
our hike.Through a jungle landscape with hidden streams that provided a soothing finishing.
With our business handled, we
headed to the biggest celebration on the north island, MardiGras. We pulled
into Ohakune looking for a camp, then caught a shuttle to town. We
had purchased our tickets in advance so we were guaranteed access to a festival
that sells out weeks in advance.
Major bass and electro DJs
set off the party mixing rap songs while the crowd bumped in motion. Even though
temperatures were in the high 40's. People came out in costumes that put USA Halloween parties to shame.
(Excuse my camera, it could not handle the bass)
The plan was to get as drink
as much as we could afford to stay warm. Hats off to the event organizers who had large
plumes of fire shot out over above the crowd, setting off a night of hot
flashes.
Real Fire
The second peak hit me when I gave bunny man a hug and danced with my friends and strangers to a new tune, the New Zealand beat.
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.
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 :)
This post leaves off from
"Holy Kiwi, I am in New Zealand." 
