Week 16 - From Mount Taranaki to Tongariro National Park

We started the new week in New Plymouth. In the morning we took advantage of the dry and sunny weather to walk the coastal trail. Unfortunately, the weather turned worse around noon, but we used a short break in the rain to clean the van.

On Tuesday, the weather was unfortunately not much better. When it wasn't raining, there was still the cold and strong wind that kept us from doing anything outside. We made a quick stop at a small café before heading to our night parking spot.

Wednesday showed no sign of improvement either, but it was perfect weather for a visit to the indoor pool (mostly for the showers). We then spent some time in a large tourist information center with an attached library, (Free Wifi ;) ) before heading to the next parking spot.

Then, finally, the weather improved, and we could start the next day with sunshine. After completing the essential camper tasks (filling fresh water, wastewater, and gas bottle), we headed to the Rotokare Scenic Reserve. Here, we enjoyed a leisurely walk around the small lake and kept an eye out for various bird species that are native there. We spotted some of the Hihis, which are particularly protected in this area.

After a quick detour to the bell tower in Stratford and a stroll along the local river, we continued to our new parking spot for the night.

On Friday, we wanted to leave early to hike once more at Mount Taranaki. However, upon arrival, the mountain was shrouded in dense clouds. At the visitor center, nothing could be seen of the summit. We decided to take a short hike to Dawson Falls instead. As visibility did not improve afterward, we decided to drive on to Whanganui.

After almost 2 hours of driving, we reached the parking lot and took a walk through the city center. Like most city centers in New Zealand, there are no beautiful pedestrian zones, old buildings, or anything like that. However, Whanganui had a highlight in store for us. On the opposite bank of the river, there is a lift that takes you up to a small hill overlooking the city. First, you have to walk through a tunnel to reach the starting point of the lift, which then takes you up in under a minute. This lift is an official part of the transport network in Whanganui and has been in operation since 1919. It is still largely in its original condition and shakes accordingly. The lift is operated manually by a staff member, who was incredibly warm. You could really feel that she loves her job.

As our originally planned overnight location was unavailable on Fridays due to the Saturday market, we had to make an unplanned stop at another parking spot. Sometimes, however, luck strikes even in misfortune, as the new spot offered us a breathtaking sunset right on the beach. To top it off, we could even see Mount Taranaki completely without clouds. The day once again showed us that in the end, it usually turns out well, even if the original plan doesn't work out.

On Saturday, we had to get up early and head to the Atene Skyline Track hike. It awaited us with 15.5 km and almost 600 meters of elevation gain. During the hike, we were able to get another nice view of the peak of Taranaki. Our next destination was also cloudless and visible: the mountains in Tongariro National Park.

We spent the night at a very simple parking area in the national park. (Basically a picnic area with a few benches and a pit toilet right on the road.)

Today was designated as a rest day for us. We drove leisurely from our overnight spot in Whanganui National Park along the Whanganui River.

After breakfast in Jerusalem, we continued to the visitor center of Tongariro National Park. Here we gathered information for our next hike. On the way to the hostel (we booked it for 2 nights because it gets very cold here at night), we made a short stop at the Tawhai Falls. We got a real bargain at the hostel. We are paying only 34€ for both nights in total. Although we will be sleeping in an 8-bed room, with that price, we can't and won't complain. Let’s see what we will report next week.