I've spent many a happy hour in cafes on this trip so far, generally enjoying a combination of comfy sofas, blogging, reading, cakes, tea and free wi-fi. But I don't think I've ever enjoyed a cup of tea whilst looking at a view quite like this one...
That's Mt Ruapehu in the centre, the highest peak on the North Island and NZ's most active volcano, and you might also catch a glimpse of Mt Ngarahoe to the right (hiding a bit behind the centre flagpole). The tank, cannon and flags are part of the National Army Museum in Waioru - more on that later. We've just travelled by bus along the Desert Road from Turangi, which has to be one of the most spectacular road journeys I've done. It gave us a perfect view of the volcanic heart of the North Island, with Tongariro, Ngarahoe and Ruapehu all in view against a virtually cloudless blue sky... Please excuse the muddy streaks on the photo from the bus window. This photo shows Ngarahoe and the flanks of Tongariro:
The volcanoes truly are spectacular - "How good was that?" said Jon in broad "Stoke" when we got off the bus. So now I'm enjoying my tea and glancing out of the window every few moments just to take in the view of Ruapehu again, making sure it's still there and not erupting (the last big one was in 1996). Just had another look; still there, still breathtaking.
On Monday, we took a scenic flight in a tiny six seater plane from Turangi over the volcanoes - more amazing views, some of us doing better at holding on to their lunch than others (I failed spectacularly). We got up close and personal with Lake Taupo before heading to Tongariro and its smoking vents and Ngarahoe, which had a cloudy top for some of the flight, a bit like the table cloth on Table Mountain.
We saw the crater lakes and remains of recent and ancient lava flows. I captured a few photos but I don't think they do justice to what were simply incredible views. Here's my photo of the a venting crater on Tongariro, with Ngarahoe in the background.
And here's an image from a postcard to give the full effect...
We flew over the mountain village of Whakapapa and saw the Chateau, a hotel constructed at the mountain side in the style of a French chateau. I definitely held my breath as we circled close the rim of Ngarahoe... it really did feel like you could reach out and touch the volcano. We circled the base of Ruapehu but cloud cover prevented a clear view of the whole mountain, which makes the view today even more special (it's still there, just checked). The pilot took us down low over some of the lahars (a new word for my vocabulary for a type of lava flow) - it was hard to imagine that when snow covers the mountain, these become the home of thousands of skiers!
It was good to get back on firm ground after nearly an hour of buzzing round volcanoes - an unforgettable experience but it might be a while before we are venturing to the skies again in such a little plane! The rest of our time in Turangi was a combination of intense competition - Jon continues to reign supreme at crazy golf but I was victorious at dominoes and pool -
- and relaxation by the Tongariro River. This was our perfect spot for a picnic on Tuesday... we could see the trout in the river but the fisherman didn't seem to be catching many. We also ran and walked along the Tongariro River Trail and visited the trout museum too... I never realised just how many different ways there are to tie a fly!
Before we came to Turangi, we spent a weekend in Mount Manganui. We watched England play New Zealand at the Bay Oval... Mount Manganui is visible in the centre of the photo:
Jon managed to wangle a photo opportunity with Danni Wyatt of England and Kate Broadmore of New Zealand - both played in the ladies team at his cricket club last season.
We found time to investigate an international food market after the cricket and instead of a parkrun this week, we climbed Mount Maunganui on Saturday... the views from the top and the ice cream afterward made the climb worthwhile.
From Mount Manganui, we travelled by coach via Rotorua and Taupo to the southern tip of Lake Taupo. We've both been through this part of the North Island before so had decided against stopping but there are plenty of places to visit if you ever come this way. I loved exploring all the geothermal sites on previous trips - Orakei Karoko and Wai-o-Tapu were two of my favourites. It felt a bit strange to pass through without stopping but we're glad we headed for Turangi instead. We did just get time to catch some great views of Lake Taupo though.
And that brings me back to the cafe at the National Army Museum - Ruapehu is still there - and our four hour sojourn between buses! Jon really wanted to visit, so I'm looking after our bags, drinking tea, blogging and looking at the volcanoes whilst he explores the museum. I've already drunk my way through my first pot of tea and the cakes are starting to look appealing! Jon has just popped back for lunch - he's got as far as Gallipoli in the exhibitions. I'm just hoping he reappears in time to catch our bus to Wellington in two hours time.
We've got a trip to the Westpac for more cricket on Friday and we might even fit in a return to our Burger King in Courtney Place - the location of our first meal together seven years ago when we met in Wellington! Jon is also aiming to complete his 50th parkrun at Porirua this Saturday.
I'll finish with one last Ruapehu update... It's still there and still a great sight to behold!
Happy travels
Liz T
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