An Unexpected Journey - Three

April 12 - 13, 2016

Today we drove a beautiful route southeast from Rotorua to Napier.  A stop at Wai-O-Tapu was recommended, but when we arrived, I was reluctant to pay the entrance fee.  Tim talked me into it, and I'm so glad he did.

Sign of the times...

Wai-O-Tapu is a very colorful and diverse geothermal area, rated on Trip Advisor as one of the most surreal places in the world.  If you've been to Yellowstone, you understand the "otherworldly" nature of such a place.  We had several different trails to choose from, all well-tended and easy to navigate.  We could get up close and personal with bubbling mud pools, steaming, brilliantly-colored springs and ominous-looking underground caves.

Another American(!) guide here gave several talks around the park.  She said that capturing the geothermal energy as alternative power had significantly lowered the water table all around the island.  Where there were once 130 geysers, now only thirty remained.  We also learned that the seemingly inhospitable hot springs are actually teeming with tiny creatures called extremophiles.

Extremophiles are organisms that live in extreme conditions of temperature, acidity, salinity, pressure, or toxin concentration.  The main types of extremophile found in geothermal areas include:

• thermophiles (heat-loving)
• acidophiles (acid-loving)
• thermoacidophiles (heat- and acid-loving).

For an organism to be classified as an extremophile, it must live its entire life at these unusual conditions. Many will actually die if conditions are less extreme.

                                                                               http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/life-in-hot-springs/

The hike was beautiful and fascinating, with so many unique things to see.  One pool was a startlingly-bright neon green, and so acidic that birds flying too close to the surface would die, their bodies soon dissolved in the acid.

mud "river"

"Champagne Pool"

Next we drove to Huka Falls, an intensely powerful and beautiful sight.  This set of waterfalls on the Waikato River originates at Lake Taupo.  The river narrows from 100 meters across to just fifteen meters across, and all that water slams through the narrow canyon walls at 220,000 liters per second.  The water is a brilliant blue topaz crowned in icy white.  I could have watched it for hours.

It was a beautiful drive through the rugged Ahimanawa Range.  We stopped for lunch in the city of Taupo, where we watched an intense game of giant chess in the park.

backpacker vs. local senior

From there it was on to John Hawkes Bay and the city of Napier, the "Art Deco Capital of the World."  This city on the Pacific Coast was rebuilt after a 1931 earthquake, and has a vague sense of an old black-and-white movie set.  We checked into the groovy-looking Scenic Hotel Te Pania, which had a retro sixties vibe.

Not much was opened as we strolled through town.  A lovely sculpture of the kow hai flower was illuminated in the town square.  We had dinner at the Hog's Breath Cafe and called it a night.

Next morning, after a so-so breakfast, we took a stroll along the tree-lined waterfront, the best part of our stop in Napier.  Massive Norfolk Island Pine trees lined the walkway, stunningly straight and symmetrical - the cones were huge and the "needles," if you can call them that, were bigger than my foot!  An enclosed concrete pier jutted out over the ocean and the rocky beach.  We could hear the mesmerizing sound of the small rounded stones clicking together as the waves receded.

Art deco architecture

A lovely, small garden gracing one end of the beach is home to the notable Pania of the Reef statue.  Pania of the Reef is a character from Maori mythology.

We enjoyed yet another beautiful drive, today from Napier to Wellington on the southern end of the north island.  We passed through the massive Manawatu Gorge, and left the main highway in search of some set locations from the Lord of the Rings movies.  The atlas given to us by the travel company showed the locations of Helm's Deep, the Rohan River, and Minas Tirith, just to name a few.  This was indeed a treacherous decision, as we found ourselves winding up and down Akatarawa Road, a single-lane mountain pass with no visibility of what was approaching from the other direction.  Locals barreled through like it was nothing, but we cautiously maneuvered each and every twisty turn.  I was so glad I wasn't driving, but Tim bore the full force of my anxiousness, poor guy.  And we never did find the locations we were looking for.

At last we made it back to the main highway and encountered the only significant traffic of our trip in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand.  We checked into the fabulous Bolton Hotel, where we enjoyed the in-room kitchen, sitting room, and, most importantly, a washer!  The only downside was the parking, which was in a structure across the street.  It was pricey, and the low ceilings and narrow turn radii were a bit daunting.  We nearly broke off the antenna of our rental when we had to back up one of the ridiculously steep and narrow ramps.  After that, we decided the valet parking was the way to go.

The concierge sent us up the street to a great pub, Bethel Woods, for dinner.  We enjoyed some delicious pub grub, and live music that made us miss our boys.