Monthly Archives: March 2016

The rain let up briefly around sunrise, and there was a brief period of sun around 2PM, as we came north, but otherwise it’s been a consistent downpour, with blustery winds on the coast. We went out for a brief hike from out campsite after breakfast, along a swollen river, crossing two bouncy suspension bridges. The forests here continue to amaze us. California forests are beautiful, but they are ecologically almost desert-like in their sparsity. These are tropical forests and jungles. Ferns, tree ferns, vines, trees, lichens, and shrubs are all a vibrant (and shiny, from the rain) green. Every town we pass through has a water conservation sign on it, with a dial from blue to red. Given how much rain we’ve seen, this seems oxymoronic, but it seems like they don’t have large reservoirs like we do, and I suppose they have rainy summers. 

Our thought had been to either do a gold rush hike through tunnels and timber tracks, or a hike to see two Kauri trees. Unfortunately both involve some steep climbs, which in the rain, with Aleko in a carrier, can be precarious. Plus if he times out when we’re at the end, making him sit soaked through another 90 minutes of rain seems like a bad idea. He lasted about 25 minutes in the morning hike rain. Unfortunately, given the weather, there’s not much to do. We swung by Hot Water Beach (geothermally active beach so at low tide you can dig holes that fill with wonderfully warm water), but low tide was at7:15 and that’s a bit late – night falling as the roaring surf comes in sounds a bit tricky to manage with the Captain. We stopped by a small art and crafts store and bought some gifts as well as a new car for the Captain, a Kiwi bird with wheels and a pull string. So we’ve driven up to a camping spot above Cathedral Cove and are gazing out at the roaring sea as it breaks on the rocks, playing with the Captain, a warm dinner in our bellies. We’ll either spend the night up here or head down to a car park campground in an hour or so. 

– The Professor

The rain let up briefly around sunrise, and there was a brief period of sun around 2PM, as we came north, but otherwise it’s been a consistent downpour, with blustery winds on the coast. We went out for a brief hike from out campsite after breakfast, along a swollen river, crossing two bouncy suspension bridges. The forests here continue to amaze us. California forests are beautiful, but they are ecologically almost desert-like in their sparsity. These are tropical forests and jungles. Ferns, tree ferns, vines, trees, lichens, and shrubs are all a vibrant (and shiny, from the rain) green. Every town we pass through has a water conservation sign on it, with a dial from blue to red. Given how much rain we’ve seen, this seems oxymoronic, but it seems like they don’t have large reservoirs like we do, and I suppose they have rainy summers. 

Our thought had been to either do a gold rush hike through tunnels and timber tracks, or a hike to see two Kauri trees. Unfortunately both involve some steep climbs, which in the rain, with Aleko in a carrier, can be precarious. Plus if he times out when we’re at the end, making him sit soaked through another 90 minutes of rain seems like a bad idea. He lasted about 25 minutes in the morning hike rain. Unfortunately, given the weather, there’s not much to do. We swung by Hot Water Beach (geothermally active beach so at low tide you can dig holes that fill with wonderfully warm water), but low tide was at7:15 and that’s a bit late – night falling as the roaring surf comes in sounds a bit tricky to manage with the Captain. We stopped by a small art and crafts store and bought some gifts as well as a new car for the Captain, a Kiwi bird with wheels and a pull string. So we’ve driven up to a camping spot above Cathedral Cove and are gazing out at the roaring sea as it breaks on the rocks, playing with the Captain, a warm dinner in our bellies. We’ll either spend the night up here or head down to a car park campground in an hour or so. 

– The Professor

After our hike, we continued south, to our second and final cultural stop, Rotorua. Rotorua is a large lake that was once the crater of a volcano. The whole city is geologically and thermally active. Walking through a park near the lake, a railing surrounds a fissure in the ground from which billowing, sulfurous steam emerges. There are many thermal spas, lots of extreme sports (no fewer than two Zorb establishments on the way in), and vents everywhere, with pillars of steam scattered throughout the city. 

In addition to all of these, Rotorua is a center of Maori culture. In the 19th century, Maori from villages in the area became guides for dignitaries to the local pools and geysers, and traveled to Australia and London to perform ceremonies and share their culture. Today, there is a large museum and several active villages that provide tours. We went to the less glitzy of the two, Wharakarewarewa. Our guide showed us the pools in the village, ranging from 90C to a jacuzzi-like bubbling cauldron that is 190C. Several smaller vents have wooden and cement boxes built around them, with lids one can close; these are for cooking. You can put food in a pot, put it in the box, go to work, and when you come home dinner is done. Or, you take food and hang it on a rope on the end of a stick and swish it through a pool, like shabu-shabu at a grand scale. They siphon off some of the hot water, which runs through channels in stone or cement for tens of feet, cooling, before emptying into bathing pools. She said that much as other people in other climates have evolved to extreme conditions, some people in the village can bathe in almost 70C water (158F). 

The rain started to grow heavier, so we decided to head back north. On one hand, we would like to go to Tongariro, to see the volcanoes (Mordor! Mt. Doom!). But with this rain, they will be shrouded in mist and hidden from view. Plus, that will be further south and so mean a longer drive back over the next few days. So instead we are heading to the Coromandel Peninsula, where there are amazing rocky beaches that look like they could give Ton Sai in Thailand a fair comparison, gold rush trails and tunnels, and Hot Water Beach. Tonight we’re at the Dickey’s Flat campground right by Karangahake Gorge. We think we will likely spend our last night (Wednesday) at Ray’s Rest, a beachside campsite on the west shore of the Firth of Thames, so we can quickly get to the airport the next morning. So tomorrow night is up in the air – we’ll see how things go and maybe make our ways up the west coast of the peninsula. 

– The Professor