Rotorua, 30
November 2014
I can’t believe it’s been a week now.
I also can’t believe today actually happened.
I woke up early, and went on a bus trip on my own to Hobbiton. It was perfect and beautiful and surreal. I got a bit emotional when I saw bag end and the party tree.
They had 44 hobbit holes, all of different sizes, with little gardens, the watermill (and the bridge on which Gandalf enters hobbiton!) and the Green Dragon pub, where you could get a free beverage (cider for me) and dress up in some hobbity clothes. It was lovely.
In the afternoon the bus driver Peter and I walked around in the redwood forest which is a short walk from where we’re staying. We talked about books and family and New Zealand traditions, and I got to know he used to be a driver for the cast of Harry Potter. He also showed me a geyser and the elaborately carved wooden gate of a Maori school.
My legs were pretty tired by then, so I got into the private hot tub, setting the water just so it was just a few degrees below unbearably hot.
Basically, this was the best day ever.
PS: bank card trouble was apparently because of the type of ATM machine, I have money again!
Tongariro, 1
December 2014
today we drove to Tongariro national park. I’m super psyched, because this is where they filmed all the Mount Doom scenes, so I nééd to do the trail, even though it’s 19 kilometres and the furthest I’ve ever walked is probably like five kilometres? And I didn’t even bring any gear to do such a thing?
I woke up with a migraine, which was to be expected with the loss of my meds. Period time!
Anyways- we visited a park called Wai-o-tapu where they had mud pools and lakes in all different colours because of the sulphur and iron and other chemicals. We also saw a geyser which they force to go off daily using some kind of organic solution of soap to break the water surface, but honestly, it wasn’t that impressive.
Then we had the option to go for a boat ride but me and roommate L. opted out and instead checked out the dam (which they used for the barrels scene in Desolation of Smaug!) nearby. It was beautiful; I didn’t know water could have so many kinds of blue in it. Like, if you watch the movie- the water really *is* that blue. I thought that only happened in cartoons.
Tongariro Park is beautiful. I can see the three mountains from our kitchen window: Tongariro and Ngauruhoe (‘Naurahowie’) rubbing shoulders and mount Ruapehu just off to the right of them.
Oh, and I bought a jacket in the souvenir shop in Wai-o-tapu and shoes in a village nearby. Don’t tell my wallet.
today we drove to Tongariro national park. I’m super psyched, because this is where they filmed all the Mount Doom scenes, so I nééd to do the trail, even though it’s 19 kilometres and the furthest I’ve ever walked is probably like five kilometres? And I didn’t even bring any gear to do such a thing?
I woke up with a migraine, which was to be expected with the loss of my meds. Period time!
Anyways- we visited a park called Wai-o-tapu where they had mud pools and lakes in all different colours because of the sulphur and iron and other chemicals. We also saw a geyser which they force to go off daily using some kind of organic solution of soap to break the water surface, but honestly, it wasn’t that impressive.
Then we had the option to go for a boat ride but me and roommate L. opted out and instead checked out the dam (which they used for the barrels scene in Desolation of Smaug!) nearby. It was beautiful; I didn’t know water could have so many kinds of blue in it. Like, if you watch the movie- the water really *is* that blue. I thought that only happened in cartoons.
Tongariro Park is beautiful. I can see the three mountains from our kitchen window: Tongariro and Ngauruhoe (‘Naurahowie’) rubbing shoulders and mount Ruapehu just off to the right of them.
Oh, and I bought a jacket in the souvenir shop in Wai-o-tapu and shoes in a village nearby. Don’t tell my wallet.
Tongariro, 2
December 2014
Today I did the Tongariro crossing. And it was *awesooooome*! It was tough and cold, my sunblock froze so I’m badly sunburnt in my face- it feels all stretchy and hot- but the things I saw… the contrast of the black and white of the snow on the volcanic mountains against the deep blue of a cloudless sky… that was just amazing.
- I wore crampons for the first time, which were a necessity since it was only the first day the crossing was open again with the heavy snowfall they’d been having. Unfortunately they didn’t fit my shoes so they kept slipping open, but I soldiered on.
- It was super slippery on the descent just below the summit because hundreds of people do this crossing every day, and the snow had melted, mixing with the black ash-mud. Only- that bit was about a metre wide with a deep plunge on either side. Luckily one of my fellow travellers taught me how to walk downhill and borrowed me one of her walking sticks.
- Reaching the summit and seeing the wide world around you, and the three emerald lakes down below, and you fucking made it, that was awesome.
- I just stood on an active volcano. I didn’t see lava (one day!) but the mountain had chasms here and there were smoke was coming from.
- The last stretch was torment. It started out nice: It was as if we walked from winter into summer as we left the snow and went from low flowering mosses to shrubbery to jungle. But once I was in the jungle on the zigzagging path I had no way of telling how far it was to the parking lot, and every step I took was super painful. In the end I just ran, because I wanted it to end.
- Of our little group of people I was the first to the top and the first back down. Not bad for someone who has never walked more than five kilometres!
In the evening I had fish and chips in the restaurant of the place we’re staying, and even though my feet were still a bit sore I played a few games of pool with Peter. I lost, of course, but I like the sport enough that that doesn’t matter to me.
Now I feel like sleeping and not waking up for a long time. My feet and knees hurt so much.
Today I did the Tongariro crossing. And it was *awesooooome*! It was tough and cold, my sunblock froze so I’m badly sunburnt in my face- it feels all stretchy and hot- but the things I saw… the contrast of the black and white of the snow on the volcanic mountains against the deep blue of a cloudless sky… that was just amazing.
- I wore crampons for the first time, which were a necessity since it was only the first day the crossing was open again with the heavy snowfall they’d been having. Unfortunately they didn’t fit my shoes so they kept slipping open, but I soldiered on.
- It was super slippery on the descent just below the summit because hundreds of people do this crossing every day, and the snow had melted, mixing with the black ash-mud. Only- that bit was about a metre wide with a deep plunge on either side. Luckily one of my fellow travellers taught me how to walk downhill and borrowed me one of her walking sticks.
- Reaching the summit and seeing the wide world around you, and the three emerald lakes down below, and you fucking made it, that was awesome.
- I just stood on an active volcano. I didn’t see lava (one day!) but the mountain had chasms here and there were smoke was coming from.
- The last stretch was torment. It started out nice: It was as if we walked from winter into summer as we left the snow and went from low flowering mosses to shrubbery to jungle. But once I was in the jungle on the zigzagging path I had no way of telling how far it was to the parking lot, and every step I took was super painful. In the end I just ran, because I wanted it to end.
- Of our little group of people I was the first to the top and the first back down. Not bad for someone who has never walked more than five kilometres!
In the evening I had fish and chips in the restaurant of the place we’re staying, and even though my feet were still a bit sore I played a few games of pool with Peter. I lost, of course, but I like the sport enough that that doesn’t matter to me.
Now I feel like sleeping and not waking up for a long time. My feet and knees hurt so much.
Napier, 3 December 2014
Our dinner was in a veteran centre, and a few of our group didn’t like the cafeteria food, but I enjoyed the meal. Reminded me of homey food.
My face is really badly burnt. My lips are all blistered, and my eyelids hurt. I bought some after sun lotion on the way, luckily, and feeling that on my skin has never felt so wonderful. I feel a bit like a monster though, all red-faced and peeling and blistering. Luckily I have a big floppy hat against the sun, which kind of hides my face.
Also, I forgot the charger for my camera, so I found an electronics store and bought one of those universal chargers. (Of course the plug is New Zealand only, so no way I’ll never use this at home…)
Napier, 4 December
2014
second day of Napier! I slept late and read a lot: perfect lazy day. I went window shopping (I saw a Starry Night skirt I resisted from buying) went into a cool music store, saw lots of cool things in the streets, like some kind of wooden bicycle on stilts, a shop that had a piano in front of it for any passer-by to play on, people playing bagpipes, people driving old-timers, even a motorcycle with four seats.
I have a feeling that New Zealanders have a thing for cars- on the bus I regularly see blitzy new cars or shiny old-timers, and more often than not the license plates are personalised.
Dinner was in an Indian restaurant owned by a Dutch couple. I’d never been in an Indian restaurant before so I was a bit clueless as to how to eat stuff and what said stuff was, but my fellow travellers helped me out. All in all a spicy but nice first impression.
Wellington, 5 December 2014
Wellington! omg omg omg omg!
I saw: the Embassy Theatre, Cuba Street (more hippie than Ashbury Heights in my opinion), people dancing salsa in the streets, a marketplace where they sold all sorts of food and trinkets, people playing music, and people playing giant board games. I went to the natural history museum (because dinosaurs) and L. and I bought tickets for a Weta tour tomorrow.
This is the best town ever!
I sort of wandered around a bit on my own in the evening, I ate pasta in a nice restaurant, and for dinner I had poffertjes from a vendor who had dutch grandparents. (only, they had put salted butter on the poffertjes instead of sweet butter...) When it started to get dark I visited the library to say hello to the Lord of the Rings copies (yes, I know I am ridiculous) and then walked to the bay to watch the gigantic moon for a while.
PS: the door handles in our hotel room are at hobbit height. What the fuck?
second day of Napier! I slept late and read a lot: perfect lazy day. I went window shopping (I saw a Starry Night skirt I resisted from buying) went into a cool music store, saw lots of cool things in the streets, like some kind of wooden bicycle on stilts, a shop that had a piano in front of it for any passer-by to play on, people playing bagpipes, people driving old-timers, even a motorcycle with four seats.
I have a feeling that New Zealanders have a thing for cars- on the bus I regularly see blitzy new cars or shiny old-timers, and more often than not the license plates are personalised.
Dinner was in an Indian restaurant owned by a Dutch couple. I’d never been in an Indian restaurant before so I was a bit clueless as to how to eat stuff and what said stuff was, but my fellow travellers helped me out. All in all a spicy but nice first impression.
Wellington, 5 December 2014
Wellington! omg omg omg omg!
I saw: the Embassy Theatre, Cuba Street (more hippie than Ashbury Heights in my opinion), people dancing salsa in the streets, a marketplace where they sold all sorts of food and trinkets, people playing music, and people playing giant board games. I went to the natural history museum (because dinosaurs) and L. and I bought tickets for a Weta tour tomorrow.
This is the best town ever!
I sort of wandered around a bit on my own in the evening, I ate pasta in a nice restaurant, and for dinner I had poffertjes from a vendor who had dutch grandparents. (only, they had put salted butter on the poffertjes instead of sweet butter...) When it started to get dark I visited the library to say hello to the Lord of the Rings copies (yes, I know I am ridiculous) and then walked to the bay to watch the gigantic moon for a while.
PS: the door handles in our hotel room are at hobbit height. What the fuck?
No comments:
Post a Comment