Tag 92-93 Egmont National Park

Our next destination was Egmont National Park. So we hopped in the car and drove west on the Forgotten World Highway. It was a very special drive. We went through idyllic landscapes full of sheep and cows, and through wild jungle. The 'highway' had many curves, gravel roads, single-lane bridges, and railway crossings. There were cows standing in the curves, sheep in the middle of the road, and birds that apparently didn't even think about moving when a car was coming. The highlight of the journey was the Muki Tunnel - about 3 meters high, two and a half meters wide, gravel road, and unlit - more like a hobbit hole. We spent the night in a bird sanctuary, where we went on a night walk through pitch-dark forest (Basti's arm became a sacrifice to Pauline's nervous fingernails) and saw glowworms and actually a kiwi walking through the undergrowth! *excitedlyhoppinginsquaresandhappy* The next day, we explored the national park with the Dawson Falls and Wilkies Pool, but Mt. Egmont (Taranaki) was hiding behind thick clouds. On the following day, the impressive volcano (even a filming double of Fuji) finally revealed itself during a hike around Lake Mangamahoe.