New Plymouth? Nope. Tongariro Again.

From Wellington, I hugged the Western coast of the island, heading North in the direction of New Plymouth and the Mt. Taranaki, the Mt. Fuji look-alike that I missed during my first sojourn on the North Island. The trouble is that this coast is often shrouded in clouds, blocking out the majestic views of the mountain that dominates the area (which in Maori legend was said to have been alongside the central island volcanoes before a dispute and losing his love, thus fleeing to the coast to be alone). As I moved further North, though, the skies grew a bit cloudy, creating some doubts as to whether I'd even be able to see the mountain and main reason for visiting the area. At the junction of two of the main freeways, I pulled off to get a weather report, and I found that a trip to the volcano would be more or less fruitless, so I took the winding road heading North from Wanganui to Tongariro. The quiet road followed along the scenic Wanganui road before heading up into the characteristic green, rolling hills with groves of trees sprouting randomly from the grasslands. Much of the area had been affected by a volcanic mudslide and other strong rains and washouts, so there were a few areas where the road was down to one lane, as the former lane had followed the water down the side of the steep hills. The drive was beautiful, though, passing in and out of desolate, yet lush valleys, and a few of the trees are starting to change colors to nice shades of yellow and light green. Additionally, the clouds that had scared me away from New Plymouth turned to puffy, bright white shapes set in contrast with the bright, clear blue sky and the never-ending green landscapes ahead and behind me, enticing me to more than a few precarious stops for some photos.

A few hours later, I arrived back in the town of National Park, the gateway to Tongariro National Park and that one day walk across the stark volcanic landscape that I had completed a month earlier. I checked out the three restaurants in town, but they were either too expensive and bland or not open (the pizza/burger place), so I had to change my dinner plans a bit. With some of the obligatory backpacker pasta and sauce in my van, I decided to stop back in the hostel where I had stayed before. I knew the place well from staying there two nights, so I headed straight for the kitchen and cooked a nice spaghetti dinner before washing my dishes and discretely making my way back out of the place. Dusk was beginning to set, and I was anxious to find a place along the road to the park before darkness came. Not far down the road, I found a DOC (Dept. of Conservation) campsite, which is not a bad deal at $4 a night, so I opted for a safe pullout instead of "freedom camping" along the side of the road, and I never mind giving money to the park organizations that make my trips so enjoyable. I had also just passed a cute kiwi crossing sign with a kiwi silhouette, so I was hoping that I might have a kiwi sighting around the van, too. (Speaking of that, my earlier possible kiwi sighting in Hokitika turned out to be a weka, another flightless NZ bird - I researched this in the Wellington museum) I was also happy to have a safe place to stay as the rain poured down for most of the night, passing by early in the morning as the sun came up, and I began another day on the road. The current weather also made me realize how lucky I was the first time in the area, as I had a perfectly clear, wonderful day for my hike over the volcanoes, which are quite fickle and walkers are warned about how quickly the weather can turn bad, making the walk miserable and, more importantly, obscuring the sweeping views of the peaks and craters all around. I've had a few days of rain here and there, but for my whole trip, I've been extremely fortunate that the Weather Gods (or God, depending on your persuasion) have been with me. The temperatures have been perfect, and I've experienced wonderful days in the places that are known for their moody, capricious climates.

Passing through the center of the island, I'd soon be heading back up to Taupo, and then over to Rotorua, the tourist capital of the North Island. I'm not ecstatic over the prospect of the tourist mecca, but it is also one of those must-see sort of places here, so I'm planning a quick stopover in the place.

(The idyllic road from Wanganui to Tongariro)(A green, pointy valley along the road)(A picturesque row of some of my favorite types of trees in NZ, though I still don't know what they're called)