Our first tramping expedition took place two weekends ago and was a trip inspired by our desire to go sit in some natural hot pools. I've done a fair bit of camping in my day but this was actually my first true backpacking experience and a nice way to ease into it. We did the Te Puia track which begins in Kaweka Forest Park. It had been described to us beforehand as being a "relatively flat" walk but having now walked it myself I would certainly beg to differ. While we weren't walking up mountains or anything it would seem that NZ flat and Ohio flat are two very different things. It was a fairly short in and out hike, about 4.5 miles each way, and the trail winds along the Mohaka River through a variety of forest types. It was a refreshing change of scenery to the largely treeless rolling hills we've spent most of our time around thus far and made our walk worth the effort.
After a few hours we made it to Te Puia hut where we were staying the night. We got settled in and had a short rest before we walked another 40 minutes to the Mangatainoka Hot Springs. I don't know how hot springs usually work, but here there were several plastic hot tub type things and you cleaned out and filled your own from a tap that was fed from the hot spring. The hot water felt impeccable after dunking in the icy water of the river to rinse of the stench we had been accumulating throughout the day. We spent a few hours relaxing and reading, heading back to the hut just before dark. We ended up having the hut all to ourselves aside from one elderly man who was out there for a few days to do some trail maintenance.
Last weekend we went on our second trip which was a long weekend of Lord of the Rings sightseeing. We left our cottage at 5am and headed towards Tongariro National Park where we planned to walk the Northern Circuit. This track circles Mt. Ngauruhoe, which is an active volcano and the mountain used as Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings. The track also gives many views of Mt. Ruapehu, the other main mountain in the park which I found rather stunning. On our way to the park Friday morning we stopped for breakfast in Taupo, another popular tourist destination, and this is when I knew it was going to be a good trip. The view over the lake of the two mountains was perfect, as was our weather all weekend. Lately it's been cold and constantly rainy but we had all sun and daytime temps in the 50s which is pretty ideal for hiking.
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| The preview over Lake Taupo |
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| Mt. Ruapehu over Lower Tama Lake |
The first day took us from the starting point, Whakapapa Village, to Waihohonu Hut where we camped in a small ravine alongside a river. The first few miles are a pretty easy walk and we breezed through them, enjoying the open terrain and views of the mountains. I was feeling great and had high hopes for the day so we decided to check out the side track to the Tama lakes. This was pretty much all uphill so we paused for lunch while enjoying the views. After refueling we continued on but were still less than halfway to the hut. In total we traveled about 13 miles and thankfully this was our longest day of hiking. I have never been more excited to sit down. (p.s. @sammyotto please go for a walk and give me kudos while you're at it)
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| Our smiles still bright early on in Day 1 |
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| Lunch views across Upper Tama Lake |
Day two took us onward around the mountain to Oturere Hut. This portion of the trail was described as barren which could not have been more accurate, although it did have some nice views of Mt. Ngauruhoe. Luckily this was a short day of hiking coming in just under 5 miles, but I felt like I barely made it that far. The previous night had been rather chilly and restless so I was really dragging. Thankfully the evening proved to be much more restful. The campsite was sheltered from the wind and while the sun was out I would actually say it was hot. We enjoyed the beautiful afternoon reading in the sunlight and the excellent view of the sunset over the mountains that followed while making dinner and playing cards.
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| A glimpse of the "barren" landscape |
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| Sunset over Mt. Ruapehu |
Day three involved the most climbing but also brought the most rewarding views. Luckily carrying fence posts and rolls of wire up and down hills all day at work has payed off and I was pleasantly surprised by how the climbs felt. The upwards trek took us by the Emerald Lakes, active volcanic vents, and the highest point of our tramp, the Red Crater. The biggest downside of this section of the trail was not the climbing but the traffic, which we were going against. Most of it is shared with a very popular day route called the Tongariro Alpine Crossing which for better or worse people of all levels take on. The steepest uphill portion direction we were traveling sort of feels like you are walking up a gravel sand dune and since you're up so high it's very windy and fairly narrow compared to the rest of the trail. There were people running down it and coming from every direction either unable or unwilling to stop their momentum. I don't exactly love heights so this was definitely the most nerve-wracking part for me.
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| One of the emerald lakes |
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| A view from on top of Red Crater with Blue Lake in the distance |
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| Red Crater...fairly self explanatory I think |
Luckily after reaching the Red Crater it was literally all downhill from there until we made it to Mangatepopo Hut. This site turned out to not be sheltered from the wind at all which made for an early night. This was probably the coldest night we had, waking up to a frost-covered tent. We were also now on the west side of the mountain so the moment the sun finally peaked over it in the morning was a very joyous one around the campsite. After a slow breakfast to let everything dry out we packed up our gear for the last time and headed off on the short journey back to Whakapapa Village.
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| The sun finally reaching camp on the last morning |
I enjoyed this tramp a lot more than our first one but I was still ready to be done after the previous chilling night. When we finally reached our car we changed into clean clothes and set off in search of large amounts of food. No matter how short or long you've been out in the bush the hunger you experience upon emerging is unmatched. I ate an order of fish and chips, a loaded burger, a drink, and still felt like I could probably down another burger if there were one readily available. Probably for the best there was not one readily available and we headed towards Cambridge, where we stayed the night. The first order of business was a very long and hot shower, followed by pizza and watching the first Lord of the Rings movie to catch a glimpse of the scenes we would see the next day.
Our final day away from the farm took us to Hobbiton to stroll through the Shire, which is actually built in the middle of someone's farm. The location for the movie set was partly chosen because you can't see any roads, telephone lines, or any sort of civilization from any part of the set. The Shire you see today is actually not the original set as it was torn down after the original movies, but it has since been rebuilt for the Hobbit movies and is now here to stay.
From the moment you walk in it all does look just like the movies, but more compact. You can't actually go into any of the hobbit holes at this time with only the outside and the window decorations being in theme but it's still pretty cool, especially if you're an avid Lord of the Rings fan. They are however currently doing construction so that in a few weeks you will be able to enter a few fully furnished hobbit holes and walk around. As compensation for the ongoing construction during our tour (which was honestly not at all disruptive and actually interesting to see how hobbit holes are built) they gave us a one of a kind stein from the Green Dragon Inn to take home. The price of tickets is also going to increase by about $30 once construction is completed so personally I feel like at the end of the day we may have gotten the better deal.
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| Bag End, Bilbo's hobbit hole |
Most recently we celebrated Thanksgiving, my second one celebrated internationally. We had a non-traditional but incredibly tasty meal that still included many of my personal Thanksgiving essentials such as sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, a roast bird, and of course several pies. All attendees were originally from the U.S. and it was a nice evening of food and good company.
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