Tongariro Crossing
New Zealand is absolutely ridiculous. I’ve never seen such a variety of landscapes – volcanoes, glaciers, thermals, snow-capped mountains, clear-as-mirror lakes, rain forests, fjords, geysers, you name it. The country is not that big so you don’t even have to travel far to see them all.
To prove my point, I will start with the ridiculous photos of Tongariro Crossing.
To prove my point, I will start with the ridiculous photos of Tongariro Crossing.
This hike practically ruined every hiking trip I did afterwards. The 17km-trail is called New Zealand’s finest one day trek, and yes it is.
A steep uphill at the beginning of the hike is called Devil’s Step. Every 5 steps resulted in breathlessness, and a panoramic view was a good excuse to stop and recharge the lungs.
A steep uphill at the beginning of the hike is called Devil’s Step. Every 5 steps resulted in breathlessness, and a panoramic view was a good excuse to stop and recharge the lungs.
This could have been Mars.
Bloody crater
The triangular mountain is Mt. Ngauruhoe, Mt. Doom of The Lord of the Rings. Right in front of it is the bloody crater. So Doom!
Zebra series
Once you hit the top of the mountain, sweaty and out of breath, you see this. I mean, WTF!
It almost made me cry.
Now I will never be able to go on a nice little hike through leafy mountains. I will need a higher dosage.
A trail towards the end of the crossing.
The day after: Mt. Ngauruhoe from outside
Mt. Ruapehu
Along with Togariro Crossing, over the top outdoor activities took place in a pleasant little town alongside the “bigger-than-Singapore” Lake Taupo; horse trekking, sky diving, kayaking, hiking. Non-stop.
I hadn’t been on horseback for a while, so I thought I would do some light ride with other inexperienced tourists. It turned out everybody in our group were seasoned riders. (How did that happen?) An immediate canter ensued. I went along. I must have looked idiotic, though, without any "horse-riding muscles" to put myself together. My legs certainly felt idiotic afterwards.
Skydiving wasn’t scary but felt very weird. A sense of falling disappears right after the jump. Probably because 12000ft is too high to notice any change in scale of things on land. Then the parachute opens, and everything becomes incredibly quiet.
I hadn’t been on horseback for a while, so I thought I would do some light ride with other inexperienced tourists. It turned out everybody in our group were seasoned riders. (How did that happen?) An immediate canter ensued. I went along. I must have looked idiotic, though, without any "horse-riding muscles" to put myself together. My legs certainly felt idiotic afterwards.
Skydiving wasn’t scary but felt very weird. A sense of falling disappears right after the jump. Probably because 12000ft is too high to notice any change in scale of things on land. Then the parachute opens, and everything becomes incredibly quiet.
Huka Fall
What's in their water?
Wai-O-Tapu
Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland
The colors of sunset reside in this boiling land, in a form of sticky liquid.
Rotorua
A mud pool near Rotorua. Lovely gray. I can't stop thinking about what would be inside.
Orewa
What’s up with the sky?
Tranz Coastal
A ferry to the South Island was delayed for an hour, but the connecting train waited for us. The conductor was in a full tour guide mode.
Franz Josef Glacier
Hello there.
My first glacier was waiting for me at the end of a trail through a rain forest.
Boosted by the successful first bush walk, I decided to try one more. It was called Whomp Lake trek, and described as “an easy 1.5 hour forest walking to a lake.”
It started raining.
I kept going.
It was long.
There was not a single soul in the forest.
Rain started to form pools along the trail, and they got bigger and bigger.
My feet were already wet, and to culminate the misery, I had to act clichéd and trip.
I finally reached the lake.
...it was small.
I turned around and ran all the way to the parking lot. I had never been happier to find a “Car Park” sign.
Outside the forest was absolutely, so-unfairly sunny.
My first glacier was waiting for me at the end of a trail through a rain forest.
Boosted by the successful first bush walk, I decided to try one more. It was called Whomp Lake trek, and described as “an easy 1.5 hour forest walking to a lake.”
It started raining.
I kept going.
It was long.
There was not a single soul in the forest.
Rain started to form pools along the trail, and they got bigger and bigger.
My feet were already wet, and to culminate the misery, I had to act clichéd and trip.
I finally reached the lake.
...it was small.
I turned around and ran all the way to the parking lot. I had never been happier to find a “Car Park” sign.
Outside the forest was absolutely, so-unfairly sunny.
Glacier walk. A half-day trip was little too short. I wanted to go deeper.
Our guides had to fix the trail with pickaxes along the way.
Our guides had to fix the trail with pickaxes along the way.
Queenstown
Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world, birthplace of bungee jumping.
When they offer you a chance to ride a horse in Lothlórien and Isengard, you have to go for it, right? Horse trekking started in Lothlórien (its real name was Paradise) and ended in Isengard.
When they offer you a chance to ride a horse in Lothlórien and Isengard, you have to go for it, right? Horse trekking started in Lothlórien (its real name was Paradise) and ended in Isengard.
Milford Sound
A road to Milford Sound was full of creatures that prospered under the thick gray sky. These rocky mountains, for example, wouldn’t look quite right under the happy sunshine.
Moeraki Boulders
On the road to Tekapo
You would think I would eventually get sick of snow-capped mountains and sky-reflecting lakes.
Never gonna happen!
Aoraki Mt. Cook
Weather was crazy good. (According to the bus driver, it was “bloody marvelous, magnificent.”)
The whitest, highest one is the Mt. Cook.
Lake Tekapo
This region is called the “Real New Zealand.”
The bluest lake was surrounded by massive mountains from the Ice Age.
Same spot, different time and angles.
(Above) Afternoon, near the hostel; (Below) Morning, during hiking towards Mt. John
(Above) Afternoon, near the hostel; (Below) Morning, during hiking towards Mt. John
Cowan Hill trail
Sheepdogs are an essential part of life in this region, so they made the statue to express their gratitude.
For some reason, these meadows excite me to no end.
When I got back to the hostel, the orange light of the setting sun was everywhere. It made me consider waking up early to see the sunrise, but then I realized that didn’t sound like me. Who was I kidding.
Erehwon
Erehwon (a.k.a Edoras) was my last destination in New Zealand. I had the hardest time leaving New Zealand after this trip.
This landscape feels completely out of nowhere, and that is where the name Erehwon came from – “nowhere” spelled backwards.
This landscape feels completely out of nowhere, and that is where the name Erehwon came from – “nowhere” spelled backwards.
Since Erehwon was a far off region, I had to book a tour to get there. When they came to pick me up, there were two tour guides inside the van and no o. That was so New Zealand. They wouldn’t cancel a tour because there aren't enough guests. They would rather add one more tour guide so it wouldn’t be awkward for the only guest.
It was a weird sight. There was a vast flat surrounded by giant mountains, and in the middle of the flat protruding alone was a (relatively) small hill. Glaciers shaped the flat, but the hill was made of super-solid rocks so glaciers couldn’t quite crush it.
Lilac-colored mountains. White trimmings along the mountaintop. Cloud shadows.
This region gave hell to the Lord of the Rings crew during shooting due to the atrocious weather. It’s windy all year around, and hardly ever sunny. But the day I went there, the weather was exceptionally gorgeous. Even the tour guides couldn’t stop taking pictures.
This region gave hell to the Lord of the Rings crew during shooting due to the atrocious weather. It’s windy all year around, and hardly ever sunny. But the day I went there, the weather was exceptionally gorgeous. Even the tour guides couldn’t stop taking pictures.
There is a mesh of streams around Edoras.
Unlike Gandalf on galloping Shadowfax, we crossed them in a comfy 4WD.
