Parts 1 and 2 took place in the South Island. It was time to start the North Island leg of the trip, and in order to get there, we took a ferry from Picton to Wellington. Luckily, the rain had gone away so we were treated to some blue skies and clear views on our journey.
Though as you can tell from Sven's attire, it was still jolly cold.
Wellington is a great place. Arty, interesting, and packed with pubs, bars, and restaurants. Which were all busy! After some wandering around, we decided to embrace this local pastime by settling down for a beer and pretending that the price was in ZAR and not in NZD.
Our motel in Wellington was less than extraordinary, even though we had free entertainment in the form of Abba karaoke from the bar next door the whole night. The next day, it was time to head to the centre of the North Island, to Lake Taupo.
It was a long drive, and the scenery mainly consisted of sheep. But suddenly, there was this.
The landscape also changed dramatically - gone were the sheep frolicking on green hills. We were now in volcano territory, driving along the appropriately named Desert Road with stark moonscape-like panoramas on either side. The mountain above is called Pihanga (at least, I think it is), and it is volcanic.
Our destination was Motuoapa, which is right next to the lake.
We spent some time walking around at the jetty and climbed up the hill nearby. New Zealand is full of well-maintained walking and hiking paths, many of which are just quick walks but inevitably reward you with a lovely view.
And wherever you go in the world, you're bound to find a Bok fan.
The North Island is packed with volcanoes and active geothermal thingies. The next morning, we headed north on a day trip to Rotorua, a base point for viewing many of these geothermal wonders. But our first stop was to see some trees. Not just any trees, a special forest of redwood trees with a suspended walkway.
We were lucky enough to have timed it so that we had the walkway almost entirely to ourselves.
After our very enjoyable forest walk, we had to decide which of the geothermal parks to visit. Te Puia or Wai-O-Tapu? Both were apparently interesting, so we eventually decided on Wai-O-Tapu because it was cheaper. (I know, I know, it's kak travelling on the Rand.)
It didn't disappoint. The lake above is a steaming concoction of various minerals (which provide the different colours) that originate from below the ground. It's very smelly too.
The whole park is full of other delightful bubbling, colourful, and foul-smelling things. In the end, we were quite satisfied with our decision to go for the cheaper option.
Next: New Zealand Part 4