Taupo, NZ
“You never really travel alone. The world is full of friends waiting to get to know you.”
Unknown
New Zealand is a magical place with no dangerous wildlife. The main creatures I see here are small spiders and birds. Since human settlement, about 40% of bird species have become extinct and many are endangered today. Of those remaining, countless enjoy sitting in the middle of roads and waiting until the last possible second to fly away as I drive by. My heart always stops for a moment as I slam on my brakes, trying to avoid these suicidal creatures.
Orakei Korako
With the fresh mindset of 2019, I set off on my next journey to a city called Taupo. I wasn’t as tired as I thought I would be, having woken up so early to see the sunrise on January 1st. The adrenaline rush from the new beginning was the energy boost I needed.
On my way to Taupo, I made a short stop to a place called Kerosene Creek. This is yet another hot spring, an organic river. The park was busy, and I didn’t feel like sitting in hot water on a hot day; I just dipped my feet in for a bit. Around the primitive paths, people were smearing mud on their bodies from the creek; it looked like a wild spa.
My next adventure was to Orakei Korako, a highly active geothermal nature reserve reviewed as the best thermal park in New Zealand. Certainly less touristy and more out of the way than other parks I’ve visited, it is situated off the shore of the Waikato River, accessible by a boat only. I can’t resist a good ferry ride, and watched people wake boarding and jet boating on this wide river.
The baking temperatures outside combined with the steam from the pools and geysers made for a sweat-inducing walk. I crossed bridges over bubbling muddy waters, observed small geyser fountains, and admired the vibrant colors of the landscape.
At this point, I felt that I had seen all types of volcanic bodies of water, and this park was indeed the most authentic. I kept imagining how screwed I would be if the volcanoes I visited around the country decided to erupt.
Volcanoes both terrify and intrigue me. In Iceland, I visited a volcanic museum, which showed clips of volcano eruptions within the past decade. They happen quite often up there and people camp out to watch the eruptions. I’m sure that would be quite the sight, assuming you live to tell the tale.
Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo is New Zealand’s largest lake, a massive volcanic caldera that formed about 26,500 years ago. The town of Taupo is a popular resort town, with lots of adrenaline-pumping activities in which you can partake.
More skydiving jumps take place in Taupo than any other place in New Zealand. I considered giving it a go, but my fear of heights told me to back off. There’s lots of thrilling activities to do in Queenstown, New Zealand where I would be heading later in the summer, so maybe I’ll be able to face my fears then.
Sticking to land, my roommate and I walked along the beach and explored Huka Falls in the evening. Huka Falls, a smaller waterfall, is better known for its gorgeous teal shade. Up the river you can watch the fast paced rapids making their way down to the waterfall.
The next morning, I met one of my bunkmates, a German girl named Regina. We instantly clicked, with our similar stories of how we got to traveling, and places we have seen and have yet to see. She has been traveling around the world for about 4 months now, and nearing the end of her journey. I loved hearing her travel stories, and admiring her instagram photos of her adventures. I made notes of her favorite cities to visit and sights to see, and enjoyed her uplifiting energy. Firsthand advice from fellow travelers is much more valuable than any brochure!
I wanted to try at least one thrilling activity in Taupo, so I got a reservation for a jet boat ride. A jet boat is propelled by a forceful jet of water ejected from the back of the boat, and is able to navigate waters at high speeds. On this boat, there were about 15 of us tightly squeezed on the boat, propelling up and down the Waikato River, and getting an up close look at the Huka Falls. There were fast speeds, narrow misses of obstacles on the river, and 360 degree turns ending in large splashes. The kids on the boat loved it. It was a fun time, but 30 minutes was enough for me of the jolting rush.
After the jet boat ride, I took a stroll through the Craters of the Moon park, another thermal nature reserve. It was nice, but given I had already walked through multiple parks of this sort throughout New Zealand, it wasn’t that impressive to me anymore.
Orakei Korako was still the best that I had visited, but Craters of the Moon was very family friendly, with lots of people pushing strollers and exploring the loop with their children.
I met up with Regina at the i-SITE building, where she had been booking transportation and activities for her upcoming last week in New Zealand. She told me the woman there had been helping her for over an hour, calling tons of vendors and making sure Regina could cross off all the activities on her list while on a tight schedule. The workers at the i-SITE centers are amazing!
We spent the afternoon relaxing on the shores of Lake Taupo and soaking in the sun. It was relaxing to lay on the beach, watch the waves, and swim for a bit. The water in the lake was cool and refreshing on a hot summer day. I can never get tired of being on beaches! We stopped by the grocery store that evening, and for dinner enjoyed a cucumber-tomato-feta-cheese salad, combined with wine and an assortment of cheeses and cured meats. I became obsessed with the feta salad, and continued to make salads of that sort on my trip. Cheese always seems to make everything better.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
The next day, Regina and I woke up early to drive to our pick up spot for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. I had briefly looked at pictures of this hike, and in all of them I saw lakes, desert-like plains, and the temperatures always appeared very hot. I wore very light clothing, my hiking boots, and grabbed a jacket last minute just in case. I really should have researched this hike properly.
The Tongariro Crossing is one of the most popular day hikes in New Zealand, situated in Tongariro National Park which consists of three active volcanoes; Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro. It is considered very beautiful, with vast views, rugged moonscape landscape, and all sorts of rock formations. It is also a challenging 19.4 km (12 mile) trip, beginning at 1,120 meters in altitude (3,674 ft), and climbing to a place called the Red Crater, the highest point of the walk at 1,886 meters (6,187 ft). After the highest point, you descend down the volcano onto a rocky path to get to the Emerald Lakes and Blue Lake. If the weather is not good, this hike can be quite dangerous.
So naturally, the weather was not ideal for us, and I knew nothing about the length or challenges of the walk. We got dropped off at one end of the park by our shuttle, and we were surrounded by fog, with limited visibility. For the first flat part of the walk, we felt warm, so we took off our jackets and let ourselves feel the mist. But slowly the mist turned to bigger droplets and the wind started to pick up. We put our jackets back onto our wet bodies, not the best idea. My pants were very light, and Regina was in shorts! We were definitely feeling the cold, and this was only the first fourth of the walk.
As we kept walking higher and higher, the weather worsened. We came to a point in the walk that had a notice saying that the walk ahead would consist of adverse weather and we should not proceed if not prepared. Some people turned back at this point, saying that they did not feel equipped, despite their rain pants and jackets. Regina and I looked at each other, in our summery clothing, and decided to trek on.
More rain, more fog, more wind, and lots of steps lay ahead. I had no idea how long this walk would be, and the conditions were already terrible. Shortly before the climb to the Red Crater, I took a break at the toilets to shield from he wind, and became alarmed at the signs inside indicating that the worst of the hike was to come and there would be no turning back once we continued. But we were determined nonetheless, and ket going.
The climb to the top was so difficult, and you couldn’t see anything around. The howling wind and rain kept knocking us off balance, and our fingers were swollen and red by this point, rendering them useless. Every large rock we came across, we saw people taking breaks and hiding from he wind.
We finally reached the top, quickly added a rock to the pile, and began descending to Emerald Lakes. Nobody had any desire to hang out at the top of Tongariro. The walk down was steep, causing most people to slide down and fall frequently. I’m thankful that I wore my hiking boots because I needed that sturdy grip for this part of the walk.
At the Emerald Lakes, we took a break to eat because we were so hungry, but it was not pleasant. We had pasta salads, and our cold fat fingers were making it very hard to use a fork. We ate as fast as we could, shivering and shaking the entire time. I’ve done miserable hikes before but at least there was a view or some sort of rewarding aspect at the top. But this hike, no views, and we were freezing. I should have done my due diligence!
We carried on for hours, heading downhill off the volcano. During the last two hours, we were low enough in altitude that the fog cleared up and there were views of the mountains around us and Lake Taupo in the distance. At the end of the hike, our driver brought us refreshments and asked the group how we would describe the walk in one world. Before anybody had a chance to respond, I exclaimed, “miserable!” and everyone laughed at me. I was not kidding.
I imagine that hike is lovely when the weather is nice and you can actually see the views. Despite hating the hike, I’m still glad I tried it and can say I’ve done the Tongariro Crossing. Maybe one day when the scars have faded, I can try the hike again on a good day and see what the hype is about. I’m especially grateful that I did this hike with Regina, as it was a great bonding experience for us. I’m sure at the first warning sign about the dangerous conditions ahead, I would have turned right back around if I was on my own.
I learned my lesson that day; always research hikes and pay attention to the weather! I was feeling overconfident, having hiked several fourteeners before (peaks above 14,000 feet or 4,267 meters) in Colorado, in poor weather. But volcanoes are their own category of beast and you have to be careful. I’m happy I was not one of the dozens of people that need to be rescued from the Tongariro Crossing every year!
-Anastasia