We had high hopes for Dunedin since it is named after the adorable city of Edinburgh, but we were pretty disappointed. Besides a few nice buildings, such as the train station and a cute octagon shaped square there was noting to it.

People dress wierd in Dunedin

We thought there would be lots to do and had allocated a whole day to the town but were rather bored. We went to the art museum to fill time, which was nice, had lunch and then drove north. Before we left the town we had to go to the advertised “steepest road in the world” which is located in Dunedin. It is called Baldwin Street and the slope is 19° at it’s steepest. It definitely looks steep and daunting when you drive up. Only Simon, the avid hiker wanted to climb up and we drove, twice, since Hendrik thought it was so fun. It’s worth a drive up and down, which must annoy the residents, but the pictures don’t do it justice since it’s hard to take a picture of a slope.

Me driving down the steepest road in the world.

On the way we stopped at the famous tourist site of the Moeraki Boulders which are huge perfectly round rocks by the sea. There we encountered more tourists than at any other site along the southern route. The boulders were spectacular and we had fun climbing and jumping from them.

I had fun directing a photo shoot.

Later, we stopped in Oamara for coffee and the old part of town was adorable, much nicer than Dunedin. Further on our way we stopped in Timaru for dinner and had the hardest time finding a restaurant. We walked up and down the whole main street and only found three. One Indian, one Thai, and one really pricy one that claimed to be the best in town but it was out of our budget. We went to the Thai place which was jam-packed, and had to wait for an hour to get our food, but the food was good. Other than in the restaurant the town was a total ghost-town and it was a Friday night.

We frequently saw farms of this interesting animal but don't know what it was.

The next morning the sun was up and it wasn’t windy so Wellington was instantly more appealing, and you could actually say it was warm. We visited the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa, which was huge and worthwhile. We spent all morning in the museum and then went to the Parliament, of course, since Hendrik was still not sick of Parliaments. First off the newest building of Parliament was so ugly it’s an eye sore. It’s a giant bee hive and it clashes with the other buildings around it which are nice. The security was also unbelievably strict very different from Canberra where everyone just freely walked around. I wasn’t too impressed with it and the tour was also boring.

The bee-hive

Then I wanted to go to the top of Mt. Victoria. I had asked the hostel receptionist how to get there and she said you just walk. No one wanted to go on a hike besides Simon so we went together. The climb was incredibly steep, so when we reached the top I was worn out and really disappointed when I saw a huge parking lot and even a city bus up top. I felt really gypped. The view was nice and we realized how spread out Wellington was. The airport was particularly interesting to me since the whole runway was visible and it had water on both ends and landing planes were clearly visible. Since we were done with Wellington we moved our ferry to the earlier start which was 8:00 AM so we had to get up early.

Wellington from Mt. Vic

It was warm and sunny the next day which made us wish that it had been like this in the other region for the Tongariro Crossing. We walked around Napier and saw all the art deco buildings which were pretty. It was a very unique cute town and we just wanted to dress up in 1920s clothing.

We also visited the aquarium since they claimed to have live kiwis and I wanted to see a live kiwi before leaving New Zealand. It was a small aquarium but it had some nice displays especially the seahorses. They also had an underwater walkway where fish swim all around and even above you and through this are there was a travelator. Even though the section wasn’t well maintained I thought the travelator was awesome.

A Kiwi

Then we decided to go on a small wine yard tour but only made it to one winery, the Mission Estate. It was beautiful and the wine was nice too, but I only tried one since I was the DD.

Then we went to lunch where we had the great debate of what to do next. We had several options which were drive to Wellington and stay on schedule, or drive back towards Taupo and do the Tongariro Crossing and postpone the ferry. The forecast was a bit bette—that it would rain in the morning and possibly clear up in the afternoon. We debated about buying ponchos and waterproof pants since we would have to start the hike in the morning. We were still skeptical so it was brought up that we could still decide in the morning whether to do the hike or not, to which I said no since it’s a 4+ hour drive back, and therefore, if we went back we would do it, at least I would do it. So unfortunately we decided to skip Tongariro. At least we know what we’ll do if we ever come back to New Zealand.

Mission Estate Winery

We drove to Wellington and stayed at the YHA. When we got out of the car we were totally blown away it was so incredibly windy and cold. We were told it would be windy but it was really incredible.

We woke up to rain the next day in Taupo.  Taupo itself is a very unimpressive town and actually everything in it is rather unimpressive after visiting White Island and the Thermal Wonderland.  It would have been better to first do Taupo and then the others for the build up but that’s not how they are positioned on the map.  We first went to Huka Falls, which would have probably been a million times better in the sun since the water was such a gorgeous color of turquoise, but it was still pretty.  Without the color, the falls would be pretty ordinary.

Huka Falls

Next we went to the Wairakei geothermal power plant lookout.  This is probably the most interesting thing in Taupo, and from the lookout you can see all of its massive pipes stretch far and wide.  Then we also went to the dam but we didn’t know when it was opened so we were there when it was closed so it was rather unimpressive, but I’m sure if we had gone there during opening times it would have been pretty spectacular.

Wairakei Geothermal Power Station

The last stop in Taupo was the Craters of the Moon which is definitely Taupo’s advertised highlight.  We saw in brochure that it used to be free to enter but now they charge $5 which I think is reasonable.  It wasn’t nearly as awe inspiring as Wai-O-Tapu or White Island but it had its charm and even though we weren’t too impressed it ended up being a rather photogenic place.

Craters of the Moon

We were done with Taupo before noon and we had planned to stay the whole day but there just wasn’t enough to do.  We decided to drive south since the Tongariro crossing was planned for the next day and that was south and there was another thermal walk in Tokaanu, which is at the opposite end of Lake Taupo.  No one really wanted to do another thermal walk but I really liked the thermal region and we had nothing better to do.  After a bit of trouble we found it.  I loved it and thought it was way better than Craters of the Moon.  It was full of boiling pools and in the mist of the rain they looked spectacular and I couldn’t take enough pictures.

Tokannu Thermal Area

In Turangi we stopped by a café called The Mustard Seed which was adorable and had really great desserts.  It helped lighten the mood a bit from the rain but then we went to the info center across the street to ask about the Tongariro crossing, the lady said that rain was forecast for the next two days at least.  No one was set on doing the hike in the rain so we decided to go to Napier instead.

Tokannu Thermal Area

The road to Napier would have been amazing if there weren’t so many low overhanging clouds, so we didn’t get too much from that either.  As we crossed the mountains the sky cleared and the sun shown and when we reached Napier there wasn’t a trace of rain.  We stayed at the Top 10 which was great since they had trampolines, a jumping pillow, and a swimming pool.  We were set.  When we went to get dinner though the whole town was dead and only one restaurant, Singapore Restaurant, was open so we didn’t have to make too many decisions and went there for dinner.

We arrived in Wakatane with plenty of time to spare for the White Island tour with the Pee Jay Company which was good since I needed to buy a new pair of sunglasses since I had lost mine in the bay of Islands. I didn’t have too much choice at the Pee Jay’s gift store but I picked out a pair anyway. There were not many people on our tour so the boat was very empty. The ride to the island was terribly rough and the sky was overcast so it did not seem like a good day. Even though I had taken pills I still felt woozy and my friends did as well. We sat in tortured silence for the 1.5 hour boat ride just hoping we could keep our breakfast down.

White Island

Once we arrived to the Island we were taken from the big boat over by a dingy a few people at a time. We were given yellow helmets and gas masks to wear when necessary.

My first impression of the island was that I had never seen anything like it and that it was out of this world. It was like walking through ash while jumping across neon yellow streams and having sulfur bubble at you from all directions. The only thing bad was that it was overcast which made it all seem so dreary. We walked in a single file line behind a guide. I had a short sleeved shirt on but also had my jacket with me and felt burning on my arms and raindrops on my skin. I asked Hendrik whether it was raining considering it was overcast but the guide behind me overheard my question and said it was acid rain. I quickly put on my jacket, even though I wasn’t cold to prevent the burning and was really glad that I had bought sunglasses because that was the only protection I had for my eyes.

Hendrik, me, Lissa, Simon, and Beata at the crater of the volcano

I think they should have also provided us with safety goggles because the rain did blow under and over my glasses making my eyes burn like crazy. It could not have been good for my eyes or skin. We were told we were there on an especially bad day and the tour even had to take a different route to avoid the rain. Before we went on the tour we were instructed to bring a rain coat, and then it made sense. It was for the acid rain. I just wished they had said that, considering I had brought my umbrella. It was completely useless since acid rain didn’t just fall from the sky but it was more like a mist that just clouded you.

Sulfur

No sooner then the rain began that it became very difficult to breathe and it hurt my throat to breathe and I would cough. We all put on our gasmasks at that point and didn’t take if off through the majority of the tour. At the very start of the tour when we had just gathered from the boat a man asked the guide if he would advise us when to put on our gas masks. He just chuckled and said “you’ll know.” Sure enough once we neared the crater we simultaneously started coughing. It was hard to breath through the gas mask and I could hear my breath so it was very Darth Vadarish. It was also very hot in the gas mask and coat, but still worth it. Once we had passed the acid rain zone it was great taking off my coat since I was a ball of sweat.

Walking in a "river bed"

I absolutely loved the Island and being in such a unique environment. I had never been so close to an active volcano and it was truly spectacular. About half way trough our tour the sky opened up and the clouds cleared and it was sunny making the whole place look even more remarkable. I loved seeing all the bright colors that are normally not found in nature and making my way through the mud which was like quick sand. If you stepped onto a wrong area and you sink it would burn your skin.

Old sulfur mine on White Island

Once we were back on the boat we had some really nice views of the Island. The journey back to mainland was much more relaxing since it is only rough one way and we could bask in the sun. Afterwards we drove to Taupo. Days later our clothes which we had worn on the Island still smelled of sulfur and our bags which had metal on it like my backpack’s zippers were corroded. Luckily, Hendrik’s new camera was not damaged.

White Island as seen from the boat when leaving

From Auckland we drove to Rotorua where I was set on going Zorbing.Zorbing was invented in New Zealand and I had wanted to do it as soon as I heard of it.Basically you get into a giant ball, and it rolls down a hill.I had wanted to do the dry zorb out of sheer laziness of not wanting to get wet and bother with changing but they only offered the hydro-Zorb in Rotorua. In a hydro-Zorb you aren’t strapped in in any way, like for the dry one, and bounce around in the ball. The water has to be there because otherwise your skin may stick to the ball and you would most likely get injured. My boyfriend also wanted to go, but our other friends didn’t, so at least we had someone to take pictures. We had wanted to go in one zorb together but we were also advised not to since Hendrik is bigger than me and we would probably flail and fall all over each other and I would get hurt.  Also because you cannot go down the zig-zag course with 2 people, so we both went down the zig-zag course by ourselves.

As we rode up in the ratty van and I mean really ratty the seats were totally falling apart up the hill one of the other guys which was going up as well asked me if I was scared.I wasn’t scared at all.Usually I get scared before roller coasters but this didn’t seem too scary at all.Once it was my turn I had some trouble getting into the ball, but once I was in I didn’t have to do anything.As it rolled I was flailed all around to the right, left, up, down, and it was very scary.Instantly, I was disoriented and the whole way down I screamed.Even though it was over fast it was still crazy fun, and nothing like I’ve done before.

Who knew mud could be so fun!

After that activity we had lunch where we voted on which thermal park to go to and Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters) Thermal Wonderland unanimously won.Following our GPS it directed us to a building on some empty road, which was clearly not Wai-O-Tapu, but we stopped in the parking lot anyway and then realized we had to use our own devices.Finding the park wasn’t hard at all once we turned the GPS off.We first saw the mud pools and after we got over the stench of rotting eggs, which was everywhere around Rotorua, we were completely mesmerized by them.I’d never seen boiling mud before bubbling right in front of me, and we spent a lot of time just staring at it and trying to take pictures right as a mound would burst.

Champagne Pool

The park itself had lots of spectacular sights, including the famous Champagne Pool, which is a famous landmark for New Zealand with its orange rim.Unfortunately the wind was working against us and kept blowing steam in our direction so we couldn’t get a clear photo of the pool.Other sites included the Sulfur Caves and Mounds since sufur is abundant in the areas of thermal activity, and one of my favorites, Devil’s Bath, which is a pool of water that was neon green at least when we were there.  I had never seen nature in such odd colors and formations, and it was spectacular.

Me in front of Devil’s Bath

The next day we had a tour booked for White Island but I couldn’t find accommodation in Wakatane so I booked one in Kawerau, the Kawerau Thermal Motel, which was only a half an hour away.  The hotel was on the main road but we couldn’t find it as we drove back and forth trough the tiny factory town. Our GPS kept sending us onto closed roads and into the factory where they processed wood. Kawerau is a logging town and we found ourselves on roads that only loggers were supposed to use.The GPS hadn’t navigated us well anywhere yet so it fondly received the nickname of many curse words.  Finally I spotted the motel, since the sign was overgrown and we were taken aback that this was it.It looked pretty dumpy and I was asked if I had paid for it yet, I hadn’t so we could still run.We braved the office though, and a talkative friendly man checked us in ASAP and poured us a jug of milk to take with us to our room as we stood there thinking if we really did want to stay there.

Even though it looked run down from the outside it was better inside though both could use a face lift, but it would do.  We were excited about the pool but when we saw it we were also disappointed since it seemed small and unkempt and we decided we probably wouldn’t go swimming.We went to get dinner in town but seeing only 2 take away grease fast-food places we decided to buy food in the grocery store. Even though Kawerau is the size of a Wal-Mart, they had a decent supermarket.  We bought pasta to cook in our room and when we returned to the motel the owner asked us if we wanted to go to Karaoke with him and some others.   We didn’t because we were hungry and because its Karaoke, but we thought he was very nice.I just wondered where he was going to find Karaoke in Kawerau.

After dinner we discovered that the pool was warm, and therefore, we gave it a shot and surprisingly it was lovely and we spend a few hours in it playing games and relaxing.  Minus the first impressions we ended up having a lot of fun at the motel.

We got up early to go to Waitangi Treaty Grounds and the Bay of Islands.It took us longer to drive there than we had expected but at least we reached the grounds before closing time.We took the guided tour which was interesting.I had no previous knowledge of the Maori people and thought they were closely linked to the Aboriginals of Australia, but that was not the case at all.They are Polynesians just like the Hawaiians which I was familiar with.

That night we stayed in Paihia so we could explore the Bay of Islands the next day.We went on a sailing cruise with Explorenz which was very relaxing.I’d never been sailing before so it was a wonderful tranquil experience since the boat moved so fast through the water without the blaring of engines.We stopped at a gorgeous Island to hike/swim/snorkel/kayak.I only wish we had more time at the Island since we didn’t have time to do everything we wanted.

Bay of Islands

Then we had to drive back to Auckland because we had a very busy schedule to get through.We went to Lissa’s office where we had a lovely view of the city by night and she pointed out “The White House” to me on the way back to her apartment.Apparently it is a strip joint.

White House

This morning was rough, since the remnants of the wine were not making me or anyone else feel well.We planned on going to Rangitoto so even though I was not looking forward to a hike, we went.We had to take a Ferry to the island and I was curious to see the wharf considering how lovely Sydney’s Ferry wharf was, but I was very disappointed.Plainly, it was a dirty harbour not worth a mention.It was just a place like a bus stop to get on a boat, and fast because there weren’t even any benches to sit on.Auckland was soon becoming an ugly city.

Rangitoto was an inactive volcano from which there were really nice views of Auckland.The climb up would actually not be so bad, but I was feeling miserable so it was close to torture.At the top the crater was less than spectacular and when going through our photos later I was like, “what is that?” because I couldn’t imagine why on earth we had taken a picture of something so dull, and that was the crater.But luckily the highlight was not the crater but the view which was lovely.Auckland can be ugly but New Zealand is all about the nature.The clear blue water and gracefully curved carved islands around the city are gorgeous, and from the distance even Auckland looked pretty.

Going down was much easier than going up and back at shore we had sushi for lunch and then had to prepare for the Belgian party.Everyone was from Belgium and Lissa planned a Belgian party for her friends who had just flown across the globe to get away from Belgium complete with beer and waffles.Hendrik and I were really excited since we have had pretty shit beer in Australia the past year.It was fun and in two days we had already had a wine night and a beer night, so a hard alcohol night was surly in order.

Hendrik and I went on vacation to New Zealand or Aotearoa (land of the long white cloud) in Māori.  We took the bus from the airport to centre city, and the first thing that stuck out in the outskirts of town were cows on a hill. It was a pretty steep hill and it was a curiosity that the cows didn’t just fall off, but they looked as agile as mountain goats grazing on the steep hill. Once we entered the city I hardly knew we were near centre since it seemed like suburbs all the way to Queen St. then when we were on Queen St I saw a Wendy’s, which I pointed out to Hendrik since they don’t have Wendy’s in Australia or Europe so it was odd that it was here. Auckland was the only place I saw a Wendy’s and there was only one. Right next to it was an Oporto, a few steps down was a McDonalds, and then a Burger King, all on one block a few paces away. In all I counted about 5 Burger Kings (which were called Burger King and not Hungry Jack, like in AU) on Queen St alone not to mention all the other burger places and Queen St. really isn’t that long. In conclusion I figured that the Kiwis must really love their burgers and needed the grazing cows to fulfil this need.

We stayed at Hendrik’s friend’s apartment who lived smack in the centre city, and she complained that the nearest grocery store was quite far, but at least she was always only 5 steps away from a burger so she never had to fear starvation. She told us to get off the bus at the giant Santa Clause, that we couldn’t miss him. We were sceptical, but really you can’t miss him. He was huge and creepy. Not only did he look like someone you wouldn’t let your children near he also has one automated finger which moved in a beckoning fashion. Whoever thought that was a good idea for Santa had some issues, but Lissa, our friend assured us he’s there every year.

Then I met Hendrik’s other friends Beata and Simon who would also be travelling with us and we had a wine night. Definitely a bit too much. What we did see of Auckland we came to a one word conclusion, underwhelming. It was way smaller than I thought it would be and nothing that would stand out and be the landmark for the city except for the Santa and possibly burgers. Then of course there is the sky tower which is the most prominent building of the city, but we decided not to go to the top to save money. I didn’t mind because it seemed that the tower was the only building worth looking at anyway. Lissa decided to take us to her office building where she claimed to have great views but as we stood by the door she had forgotten to take her keys, so we had to postpone and wait in anticipation to gaze at the Auckland Skyline.

Wine night in a red bar.