Our first week in New Zealand

Arriving into Auckland was like walking into a dream. The sun was shining as we left the airport and met polite New Zealanders who would help us at any opportunity. We expected the big city of Auckland to be busy and crowded but what we found was a laid back, welcoming place with very few people, particularly compared to the UK. New Zealand has a population of only 4.6 million people with a quarter of them residing in the city of Auckland. It really puts it into perspective when you know that 65 million live in the UK, especially as the two countries are around the same size. Auckland was a modern city with a delightful harbour and we spent many afternoons watching the yachts come in whilst tucking into some great food. We were so excited to spend the next month finding out more about this beautiful country.

The next part of our journey was meeting up with Josh's family to start a three week road trip of a lifetime through the North and South Island. Our first adventure was exploring the Northland Region where we headed through miles and miles of breathtaking scenery, farmland and not much else. None of us could quite get our heads around the lack of people in this huge country and how peaceful it was to travel around. We saw a lot of beautiful cows in the North Island which surprised us all as we expected to be inundated with sheep. We had an amazing day out to the island of Waheike which is a sunny paradise of vineyards, beaches and unbelievable views and only a short ferry ride away from Auckland. Our tour, complete with very informative guide, took us to the most gorgeous spots where we all got to enjoy some very nice wine. We had a laugh at lunchtime up on the highest vineyard on the island when the wind picked up and all our salad blew away onto the people sat next to us. Olives were also on the menu and we learnt a lot of new facts about true extra virgin olive oil which we now know should taste like grass and apples. We had a wonderful day all deciding that this boozy, laid back island full of sunshine would be a perfect place to live!

We said goodbye to the stunning house we spent our first few nights in Auckland and headed south. For our first stop off we were going to somewhere very close to our hearts, the Shire. Hobbiton is where they filmed some scenes in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. It was a land of perfectly laid out houses, props and delightful scenery that transported you straight into their world. The tour began at the farm entrance where we learnt how a member of the film crew knew he'd found the perfect place the moment he set eyes on the rolling hills and tree by the lake as he was flying over the land in a helicopter. It was interesting to learn that for the Lord of the Rings films Hobbiton was dismantled and destroyed. It wasn't until the Hobbit Trilogy that they decided to rebuild everything with a more permanent future in mind. This has created a mystical land where you feel you've been transported directly into Middle-Earth. Even though the clouds were grey, it couldn't have been more magical.

The attention to detail in the Shire was fantastic, it genuinely felt like we were Hobbits wandering around with miniature clothes hanging up to dry and real fruit on the trees. The best part was seeing Bilbo's House on top of the hill where nothing had been spared including a pipe on the bench and the famous no admittance sign. Although we couldn't see the inside of the houses, all this was done in the studios down in Wellington, it was enthralling to be amongst the collection of little round doors and walk along the same path as Gandalf rode in his cart. It was a dream come true and we all adored the tour with complimentary beer from the Green Dragon Inn at the end. We reluctantly left to head over to Whakatane, meeting some bad weather on the way, but that didn't stop us admiring the stunning views of the rugged coastline from our house. Another big part of this country are the kiwi birds, which although we hadn't seen, we were lucky enough to talk to a volunteer surveying the area in Whakatane who pointed out where these little fellas were sleeping during the day. They are nocturnal and also heavily protected so they're very difficult to find, but it was amazing to know they were sleeping nearby in their own little underground houses in the hills.

Sadly we were unable to go to the infamous White Island due to the poor weather and sulphurous gases currently being spewed from this very active volcano. A little disheartened we headed to Rotorua where there are delights of a thermal kind. We saw the most marvellous lakes of red, yellow and blue all containing different deadly chemicals that have risen from the depths of the earth. The sulphur clouds were a little overpowering at the champagne lake where we stopped to admire the vast boiling waters and try not to breathe in the fumes. It was a fascinating place to wander around with each corner showing us a new spectacle from lime green lakes to bubbling mud pools. We all had a great laugh at another spot where the biggest geyser in the southern hemisphere was refusing to give us a show. We waited for over an hour, nearly giving up convinced that it was all a sham, when the geyser shot up in all its glory 30ft into the air. At this park we also learnt about the Mauri tradition of using flax to make a variety of clothes, baskets and tools as well as the culture surrounding their wood carving. It was really interesting to learn a little more about Mauri culture especially that they arrived in New Zealand from Polynesian Islands only around 700 years ago. 

The next day we were on the move again with a stop off at the beautiful Hukka Falls. This was to go on relaxing boat ride to where 220,000L of water cascades down the rock face per second. The journey along the river in the little boat was very relaxing, we spent the time spotting lots of birds, drinking tea and enjoying the peace and quiet. This was until we heard the rumble of the falls as we approached and the water began to glisten bright blue. Our captain was so wonderful, he told us lots of interesting facts about the area as we gently glided through the water. Then when it came to the edge of the falls he put it full throttle and charged head first into the crystal blue water. The falls were so powerful none of us could believe it so we travelled up to the viewing point later on to see it again.

Our next place to stay was in Okuna which is located near to a well known hike and some beautiful snowy mountains! We all woke up early ready to tackle the 20km Tongariro Alpine Crossing through the volcanic wastelands known as Mordor. They used Mount Ngauruhoe as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings films and when you catch your first glimpse of it you can see why. It's a perfectly conical volcano which looms over the grey, ash laden land around it and you can't help but feel a little frightened. We felt the volcano following us as it dipped in and out of the cloud cover, then when we were high enough, the clouds descended on us and we had very little visibility. We were walking through a collapsed caldera between the many volcanos when the mist swept around us making the next steep ascent look even more of a challenge. Don't underestimate the climb, it's easy enough to complete but it is difficult to manoeuvre in the slippery ash when you see the steep drop to the side of you with nothing to hold on to. We all made it to the top, 1800m up, gasping at the unbelievable views surrounding us as we stood higher than the clouds. The glistening emerald lakes below, all different shades of green and blue, were a lovely surprise making a good prize for getting to the summit.

As we stopped to have lunch we began to hear an ominous rumbling. We all looked at each other assuming it must be a plane, but as it continued we realised it was the groaning of one of the volcanos as it spewed sulphurous gases. Eventually we decided we should really get a move on if we were to make the last shuttle bus back to town so hurried our way down to complete the next 10km. The descent was very long but through land that resembled more of the Scottish Highlands than the lava channels of ash we'd seen just a few km before. The volcanos are very active, the most recent eruption in 2012, which you can see from the solidified rivers of rock and large boulders that lay scattered around after being flung from the craters. In fact there is a hut along the path which shows the damage an eruption can do from a few km away. There is a large hole in the roof where a piece of rock crashed though and trapped a traveller resting in his bed, luckily only injuring his leg. It was a relief to complete the 8 hour hike and our aching legs were thankful for the hot tub in our chalet, of course accompanied by glasses of wine. It was a lovely way to end our first week together. We'd definitely had one of the best weeks with wonderful company.