24th February Turangi - Ohakune

Today we are heading to Tongariro National Park. Three volcanoes are located close to each other here, Mt Tongariro, Mt Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom from 'Lord of the Rings'), and Mt Ruapehu. Well, the weather god is a bit moody here on the North Island and thinks it's necessary to drive rain clouds over the land again. Unfortunately, this will mainly affect the central east coast. So, things are quite steamy there. It's crazy.

We are spared from the rain, except for a little drizzle, but the three volcanoes are wrapped in clouds and there is simply nothing to see. In Whakapapa, we start a short hike to the Taranaki Falls. We have a clear view towards the west plains and could see all the way to the west coast if there weren't a few mountains in between. But towards the east, where the volcano peaks are, only clouds. There is a strong wind blowing and it's quite cool at 10 degrees. This area is also the winter sports area of the North Island. There is a large hotel that looks very exclusive and some houses, that's it. After that, we drive to Ohakune, the ultimate winter sports resort, but those expecting a flair like Ischgl or something will be disappointed. Everything looks a bit ordinary here. There are also waterfalls to see and we don't want to miss them. Ohakune is also surrounded by dense rainforest. Quite different from what we have back home.