The Natural Beauty of NZ

Warning: long post

First off, my apologies for complaining about being in New Zealand. Jet lag mixed with "economy shock" was a bit much at the time. The fact that Auckland is a disappointing city didn't help either. 

Getting out of the city and into nature was exactly the cure I was looking for. Took the bus down to Taupo. From there I walked a half hour in the direction of Kinloch until I found a good spot to try and grab a ride to town. To my ecstatic surprise, a guy picked me up after only 5 minutes of awkwardly thumbing at passing cars. He wasn't even heading to Kinloch but had some time to kill and felt like helping a stranger out. +5 points to the people of NZ. 

The moment I got dropped off at the shoreline I knew I made the right decision. I still didn't even know if I'd meet anyone at Kawakawa Bay and the forecast called for rain every day, but it felt good. 

My first view of Kawakawa Bay. Seclusion at its best. 

The hike took over 2 hours and my shoulders felt like they were going to implode, but the amazing biodiversity kept me distracted. 

When I arrived at sunset, there were 2 couples already there; an American couple on their honeymoon and a German/Swiss couple that just wanted to see everything NZ had to offer. Best part being that they all were there to climb. We immediately connected and the 5 of us talked about all the climbs we wanted to do the next day. 

Kawakawa Bay was absolutely stunning. We were the only 5 people for miles. There was a toilet and spacious shelter and plenty of spots in the woods for camping, all right next to the water. The best part being that the lake was so clean that we could drink the water without any filtering or purifying. I don't think I've ever been to a lake this clean. 

A 15 minute hike in the morning got us to a beautiful rhyolite cliff right at the shoreline. Tons of bolted sport routes and established trad lines, all of them 30-45 meters tall. Both couples brought trad gear and it felt so great to be plugging gear again. The clouds came and went but didn't get any rain all day. The lake looked especially spectacular when the sun came out. 

Tonsai had amazing climbing and views but the seclusion and cleanliness of Kawakawa certainly gave it an extra special vibe. 

Sunset on day 2 was especially breathtaking. 

Any time you come near the shoreline all of the ducks come swimming over hoping to get some scrap food from your dishes. 

The next day involved nonstop rain; literally from waking up to going to bed, until waking up the following day. Luckily we had a super nice shelter and we passed the time cooking food, doing yoga, talking about future travels and making up games like this one, which was a sort of ghetto version of cornhole. Our beer can bowling game was also a hit. 

The next morning we hiked out in the rain, went for a swim and grabbed some food. We decided to go in on an Airbnb together. With 5 of us it was cheaper to rent an entire house than it was to stay in hostels. For dinner we cooked burritos which were exactly as delicious as expected. Also, it was my first time in a month that I didn't have to sleep in a dorm and it was such a relief. 

The next day the Swiss/German couple offered to give me a ride to Wellington since all 3 of us were planning on heading there. This was my first taste of the luxury of having a car in a foreign country. I got to see just how easy it is to make plans and see different places when you own your own form of transportation. A tease, but I was also grateful to get a free ride to my next destination. 

On the way we stopped at the Tongariro National Park, a place I wanted to see anyway. The low lying rain clouds were abound and we worried that we wouldn't be able to see anything. They came and went and we got some nice views while hiking around.

This is me pretending to have a horrible time in NZ. I still haven't seen the Lord of the Rings but I was told that the volcano behind me was Mordor or something. 

As we drove away, the clouds disappeared. Here's an even better view of this so-called Mordor. A worthwhile stop and I'm excited to see the even better beauty of the South Island. 

I'm now in Wellington at a Burger King reconnecting with the world that I've ignored for the last week. Tonight I'll be staying at the home of Jenna's brother, Jonathan. I'm excited to meet him as I've heard a lot about him but haven't had the chance to meet him yet (since he's been living in NZ). Tomorrow I figure out if I stay in Wellington another night or take the ferry to the South Island.

Side note: to all of you faithful readers of my silly blog, thank you for your continued support. Knowing that you gain something from my endless ramblings certainly helps motivate me and inspire me to continue this blog as well as my travels overall. Many thanks!!