New Zealand: Rotorua and the Thermal Explorer Highway

Our morning began with a wonderful breakfast (coconut pancakes!) served by Liz.  Another American couple joined us, and we chatted about our trips, driving on the "wrong" side of the road, and where to next.  Dave had to stop and remind us that we had to leave if we were to see the geyser at Wai-o-tapu, their top choice for geothermal parks in the area. After saying our goodbyes, we packed up and headed to Wai-o-tapu.

Rotorua has numerous geothermal parks to visit. However, unlike the United States, most of the areas are privately owned rather than national parks.  So each visitor must pay an entry fee that ranges from $20 to $50 depending on the park. Our hosts highly  recommended Wai-o-taupo for the most bang for your buck, plus they provided a 10% off coupon.

We arrived at the thermal park just a few minutes prior to the scheduled geyser eruption. After purchasing our  tickets, we were directed to the parking lot closest to the geyser. With seemingly seconds to-go before the 10:15 scheduled eruptions, we joined the other tourists in bleacher seats.
Up walked a "ranger" over the barricade to stand next to the Lady Knox geyser.   He nonchalantly started providing a history of the geyser, which was one of only 15 active geysers in New Zealand.  After a few minutes talking he paused and took out a small brown pouch and poured it down the geyser's cone.  Apparently, they intervene in the periodic eruption cycle for the tourists.  The typical natural cycle is 24 - 72 hours, but in using an eco-friendly soap they can force an early eruption.  Feeling like an "Easy" button was used, we were a little dejected as we waited.

The water slowly began to pour over the hole, and another 15 seconds later water was shooting up 30 feet.  Unfortunately, because their hadn't been much rain, the geyser lasted only 2 minutes.  The geyser wasn't as impressive as Te Puia the day before, but the rest of the park was supposed to be very good.  And that's exactly where a few hundred people were heading after the short eruption.

The park had 25 or so named geothermal features, and we decided to walk the 75 minutes or so to see them all.  Most names were of course hell themed such as inferno crater and Devil's bath.  The paths and boardwalks were well maintained between the highlights and the signage good throughout.  As a visitor, you quickly get used to the smell of sulphur.

One of their more well known areas is the Champagne Pool (similar to Prismatic Pool in Yellowstone).  Around the edges, orange and yellow colors exist due to the algae living in the hot waters.  A heavy steam came off the water and frequently blew towards the small crowd of viewers.

We did the whole of the park which took us along boardwalks, through trees, expansive views over Frying Pan Flat, down to Lake Ngakoro, and then back again to the Champagne Pool.

The last stop before exiting was at Devil's Bath. This was a delightful yellow-green pool of water that was bubbling in several spots. The naming of these features was usually not all that inventive once the theme of 'hell' was decided upon.

Leaving the main park, we made sure to stop at the mud pools.  We had been told they were the largest in the area and we were not disappointed.  Some of the sections slowly built up pressure like a balloon expanding, while others would be dormant for a minute or two before sending mud several feet up and out. We watched the bubbling and sometimes exploding mud pools for 10 minutes before heading for Taupo.

Overall, we enjoyed Wai-o-tapu more for its varied and quantity of geothermal features.  However, Te Puia's geyser was more impressive and the Maori cultural information was informative for those with an interest in anthropology and history.

Lake Taupo and the corresponding town of Taupo sit near the center of the north island.  We stopped for lunch, hiking socks (all were dirty at this point), and gas.  Based on the pamphlets and talking to a few locals, it seemed like a good stop for a few days the next time we make it back.

After lunch we went to Huka Falls, one of the most visited places in New Zealand and is the river barrel escape scene from the Hobbit (Desolation of Smaug).  The water is forced through a narrow slot creating rapids for the light blue water. 

One of the adrenaline activities was to jetboat through these, but we never saw that boat.  It was a nice scenic way to further break up our drive to Tongariro.

The purpose for heading to Tongariro was to do the Alpine Crossing, a nearly 20 km hike into volcanic terrain that is often cited as the best one day hike in New Zealand.  However, in August and November eruptions ocurred that had a blast radius overlapping the trail.  This meant that parts of the trail were still closed, and we were hoping to hear good news regarding status.

The drive to Tongariro was another 2 hours or so, mostly in the rain.  As we crossed the final ridge we quickly realized there wouldn't be views of the volcanoes any time soon as they were hidden behind clouds.

We pulled into our lodging at Adventure Lodge & Motel in National Park and checked in.  We chatted with the owner Lorraine and learned that the trail still wasn't fully opened, but more importantly that today's weather resulted in cancellations of all Alpine Crossing hikes.  Tomorrow was supposed to be clear in the morning, but we'd have to leave by 6:30 to beat the winds.

With that news, we went to dinner.  As a good omen (hopefully), the skies cleared as we were eating and we finally saw Tongariro, Ngaurahoe (Mt. Doom), and Mt. Ruahepu.

Feeling hopeful (and full), we decided to drive up Mt. Ruahepu to check out the views. With near empty roads, Ashley was able to experience driving on the 'other' side of the road as we climbed the switch backs to the ski base. We left most of our warm clothes back at our lodge, so we didn't last too long once we got out. We did, however, scope out Tongariro and Mt. Doom for tomorrow's hike.

Cold and tired, it ended up being another early night. Tomorrow would be a long, hard hike and we needed our rest.

New Zealand: We're going on an adventure (Hobbiton)

Today we passed through sheep covered hills on the way to Hobbiton, the only set left behind from the Hobbit movies.  But Rotorua, famous for its geothermal areas, was our ultimate destination for the day.
During breakfast, Janet (the owner) heard we would be visiting Hobbiton today.  She was soon sharing stories about how part of the movie crew stayed at her B&B for several weeks during the filming of the Hobbit.  She even had a document left behind that detailed one week's filming itinerary.  Hobbit fever was evident in the area, and it wasn't just the tourists.  It was an interesting start to a day featuring a visit to Middle Earth.

As we got closer to Hobbiton it quickly became apparent why this area was selected.  Rolling hills, sheep, ponds, and occasional trees looked just as the book (and movie) described.

You can't actually drive up to the set, but you do park in a well marked base camp with cafe' and gift shop.  With no other food for 30 minutes, we grabbed a bite while we waited for our tour. 

It was a 10 minute bus ride on a gravel road through a private farm to get to Hobbiton.  During the bus ride our tour guide provided some commentary on how the location was found, why the set has survived, and that 10,000+ sheep still live on the farm surrounding Hobbiton.  The area was chosen after aerial surveillance by movie crew identified a large tree set upon a lake.  Imagine owning a farm and having a representative of Peter Jackson showing up to reach an agreement to film on your land.  It was found on Peter's Jackson birthday, so he calls it the birthday tree (just as in the movie).  The farm owner, however, calls it the money tree.  Its also evident how much the films meant to New Zealand and how important privacy was to Peter Jackson.  The New Zealand military built the unpaved road to the set off the main road and enforced a no fly zone to ensure secrecy.

After the Lord of the Rings, the movie crew took most of the set items (including the colored doors) down.  They still ran tours after, but not much was viewable other than white painted hobbit holes.  Following the Hobbit the set was left as is (the only one), including the living gardens in the area.  They still had gardeners maintaining the area, some of whom we saw on our tour.  We were encouraged with how well the area looked as we pulled in.

Our guide led us into the set area after the short ride.  During busy days the tours still make sure to space out the groups by about 30 minutes, meaning we weren't bumping up against the group in front of us. 

The Hobbit holes came in two sizes, one small for scale (compared to human height like Gandalf), the other normal size (normal for Hobbit height). 

The gardens still looked like the movies, and clothes lines with clothes flapping in the wind and other set pieces like firewood (Hobbit sized of course) were still about. Ashley had to try out some of the hobbit work tools that were around.

We had intermittent free time along with guided sections for the first 30 minutes.  This allowed us time to walk along the paths and explore the hobbit holes near the bottom of the set.

We eventually worked our way up to Bag End, Bilbo's home.  The bench out front is the actual one used within the movies and the tree is completely reconstructed (fake).  This was the most popular photo op of the day and the longest we spent in one area. 

From Bag End we could see down across the whole of Hobbiton including the Party tree, the lake, and the Green Dragon beyond. It was easy to feel as if we were actually in the Shire.

Shortly beyond Bag End was the lone Hobbit hole that we could enter. It was only 4 or 5 feet deep, providing just enough space for a camera crew to fit inside and shoot outward.

We continued down the path into the clearing with the party tree, famous for the birthday scene and fireworks from the first Lord of the Rings movie.  The grassy area was reclaimed swamp, and a fence along the side attracted our attention.  This was the fence that Bilbo jumped over in the Hobbit while shouting "I'm going on an adventure" (also in trailer).  We both thought for sure Nate would be the bigger nerd today, but it was actually Ashley who reenacted the scene after having said the quote since landing in New Zealand.  She grabbed the tour pamphlet and jogged to the fence for her photo. 

The last stop was the Green Dragon, an authentic (and recently opened) pub along the lake.  We enjoyed our  specially brewed beer while looking back towards Hobbiton. 

Once back at the main visitor center, Ashley was in search of sheep. She claimed she was disinterested in feeding sheep unless it was out of a bottle, but the only option was pellets today. Ashley stood back from a family with small children as they approached the sheep who had come up along the fence. Before Nate knew it, Ashley had the pellets in her hand and sheep reaching out to her. She seemed to enjoy it despite not using a bottle.

Overall, it was a fun experience seeing the actual movie set for a series we both enjoy.  Though expensive, if you have time and are nearby, we would both recommend a stop in the Shire.

The rest of the trip to Rotorua was uneventful, but pretty.  Our route took us around the north end of the lake, so we got views that most don't pass by.  We arrived at Rising Trout B&B on the east coast of the lake about 15 minutes from town.  Dave, Liz, and their dog Elsie greeted us as we came to the door.  After some tea and 30 minutes of chatting they encouraged us to go to Te Puia, one of the geothermal area that stayed open late enough for us to visit still.

Te Puia is most known for their Maori cultural experience and their impressive geysers.  We got in a little after 4, and based on a tip decided to follow the guide (ended up being for the dinner group).  The geysers go off for about 70 minutes every two hours, so after a quick confirmation we were soon heading that way. 

It was the first time Ashley had seen a geyser (other than Wilderness Lodge at Disney), so heaps of photos ensued.

After 20 minutes around the geyser the group moved on to the Kiwi hut, which was essentially an enclosure that housed a northern brown kiwi (the bird).  He was darting all over in the dark trying to eat as much as possible before his day (night actually) was over.

Moving on, the tour went to the Maori cultural area as our guide talked about the main buildings and their history.  The buildings were lined with intricate wood carvings that told oral histories, much as totems do in the pacific northwest. 

Our last stop was passing through the craft schools where we got to see some of the younger male artisans carving the next wooden marvels and females weaving goods from plant materials.

Following Te Puia, we drove back around the lake to Hamurana Springs based on a tip from Dave and Liz.  This area has a 100 year old California Redwood grove along a crystal clear freshwater spring.

It was a nice 45 minute hike through the grove and springs. For only being 100 years old, the trees were gigantic.

We decided on dinner in town mostly so we could visit the Pig and Whistle, an old police station that had been converted to a bar. It had a fun ambiance and was a good way to end the evening. Tomorrow we'd be visiting Wai-o-tapu, another geothermal park before heading south to Tongariro National Park.