New Zealand: Tongariro Crossing, Waitomo Caves, and Rotarua

Here we are with my final post from my New Zealand travels. Many tourists elect to simply skip the north island of New Zealand in favor of the more well known destinations in the south. However, we devoted 5 days at the end of our trip to drive up from the capital city of Wellington in the South, up to Auckland in the northern part of the island before flying home. On the way we stopped off at Tongariro National Park in order to hike the infamous Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This day hike is a bit strenuous, with 20 kilometers of standard trail, and additional side walks for those who want to see a bit more. Tongariro National Park is made up of several dormant volcanoes, with the area filled with signs of volcanic activity. Hot pools, sulfur steam, and sharp volcanic rocks were everywhere. This area was the setting for Mordor in Lord of the Rings, and there certainly was a darkly beautiful feel to the whole place.

We arrived to a view of Mt Ruapehu, the largest mountain overlooking the area. Covered with snow, this tall peak seemed older, seemingly much shorter than it must have been before its huge eruptions years ago.

Halfway into the Tongariro Crossing trail is an options to climb to the top of Mt. Tongariro, or to really do something difficult and head up the slopes of Mount Ngauruhoe. Mt. Ngauruhoe really looks like an active volcano. No set trail exists up the side, so we had to climb up the shifting sands and rock, often sliding back with each step. The view of the dramatic, alien landscape from the top was totally worth the climb though. Equally fun was the opportunity to jump down the side of the volcano, using the steep rocky face almost like a sand dune to descend the face in 15 minutes, a stark contrast to the 1 1/2 hr climb to the top.

Another view of the more pacific Mt Ruapehu, with the agrarian New Zealand landscape pushing towards the big volcano.

After Tongariro National park we headed over to the Waitomo Caves. These limestone caverns were simply beautiful, with stalactites and other formations that defied imagination. One of the caves was rather developed, and had set lighting, and a remarkable spiral staircase leading down to the entrance, put in to avoid ancient Maori burial grounds at the other cave entrance.

My final photo is a shot from Rotarua, a geological hotspot in the center of the North Island. Here, geysers and boiling mud puddles show just a hint of the amazing heat and power that exists under the earth’s crust. This amazing geyser spouted almost continuously, meeting with the stormy clouds above.

We finished our New Zealand adventure with a day in Auckland before flying on to Fiji for a day, and then back to California. New Zealand certainly is a beautiful and magical place, well worth a trip.

After all of these travel photos, those who have just come across my blog will be hard pressed to see that I’m in fact a wedding photographer most of the time. Don’t worry though. I have lots of other photos coming up shortly, including album designs, and my engagement shoot with Julie and Jeff in Golden Gate Park.