For me, winter means icy surroundings with the expectations of snow. If, or usually when it comes, chaos ensues. The government can’t keep up with gritting the streets which angers some whilst leaving others in a giddy whirl of excitement. People abandon their schedules and take to the streets or nearby fields. Snow angels, snowmen, sledging and snow ball fights can be found in all directions. Facebook is littered with weather updates and injury reports.
My British winter was replaced by a soggy summer in Sydney. New Zealand is certainly helping me make up for lost time. Whilst my friends and family back home are revelling in a rare heat wave I’m spending my days fending off the cold…and failing. By the time I reach the south island, I do believe that I will be wearing my entire wardrobe Cool Runnings style - "I'm not smoking, I'm breathing!" It's not as cold as Calgary, Canada but it's still a little nippy.
This cooling and unpredictable weather does have an unfortunate pitfall. Some of the activities in the itinerary have to be cancelled. This time, it was the Tongariro trail that had to be called off. It is pot luck as to whether people get to do this during the winter months. It made me feel a little better knowing that others previously hadn’t been able to do this so it’s not just our bus that had been affected.
As there was no rush, we had a later start and a slow-winding journey. We made a series of stops along the way.
Mambo took us to a thermal area with pits in the ground. We placed food in there and walked around the surrounding area for ten minutes or so. When we returned, the food seemed to be piping hot but was just about warm. It was still tasty though and a fantastic idea. It’s not a usual Stray stop.
Mambo cooks up a treat, hangi style.
This is how the pros do it.
To make up for missing the Tongariro trail, Mambo took us to a two hour trail near the Tawhai Falls. It was yet another moment where my trusty hiking boots came in handy. I’ve been lugging those things around throughout my trip but only ever used them in Japan.
Despite the dire weather, the walk wasn’t too bad. New Zealand can look beautiful in all weather conditions.
Along the way, I had a good chat with some people off the bus about travelling and future plans. At one point Mambo and I broke away from the pack and had quite a fun chat about the different kinds of people he gets on the bus and how he reacts to them. I told him that I find it hard making friends with girls and find guys easier to get on with. We had a joke about it but Mambo concluded that perhaps because I already assume that I won’t get on with girls, it may come out in how I present myself. He had a point, as I always believe that positive thinking creates a positive outcome as does negative thinking leads to a negative outcome. Maybe I should put a bit more effort into speaking to more girls rather than assuming the worst.
With all our stops out of the way, we headed straight to our home for the night. It was simply called The Park, located in the town National Park within the National Park. It’s not a place you can forget in a hurry!
This place was definitely a luxury hostel compared to a lot of the places I have stayed in. The studio-style rooms were clean if a little cramped but I was happy to be sleeping in a single bed rather than a bunk bed. It wasn’t too much of a bother as I spent most of my time there out of the room. They had a huge common room with a TV, café and bar along with a well-equipped communal kitchen.
For once, food was the last thing on my mind. As soon as we arrived, I dumped my stuff and jumped into the outdoor hot tub. Well, I didn’t literally jump in. As it was so cold outside, the hot water prickled my skin. After precariously dipping my toe in and shuddering, I hopped straight in. It took a minute or so for my body to relax and embrace the heat. Ahhhh….
I’d forgotten what it had felt like to be this relaxed. My hot tub stupor was somewhat interrupted when I saw that Liz was staying at The Park. Liz decided to hop off and wait for a clear day to do the Tongariro Trail. Liz and the others from the bus that I was previously on, did half of the trail but had to turn back. Everyone was exceptionally annoyed as would I have been too. Another group that had planned to go out that day had cancelled and even the guide told them that he didn’t expect to get across to the other side!
Although it’s a famous trail, I’m not particularly driven to do it whilst I’m here purely due to the unpredictability of the weather. I don’t have time to hang around and wait nor do I have the patience of only going half way.
It started to rain again which was my cue to get out of the hot tub. I showered and changed then went to the common area for dinner. I ate with the others and we spent the evening watching silly YouTube videos and swapping stories. Apparently I had missed out on a massage session in the hot tub. It was a staggered massage where one massages the person in front and so on and so forth. Don’t get too excited, they were all guys! I guess this is how the guys on our bus choose to bond.
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