Day 13 • Wellington - Tongariro National Park (Whakapapa)

Faster than cyclone Gita ... After the rather confusing news of yesterday, we decided to leave Wellington early this morning and head north. Originally, we wanted to spend the morning in Wellington. But the weather didn't cooperate. The rain was quite heavy and the cyclone was forecasted to hit the northwest of the South Island and the south of the North Island around noon. We would have been right in the middle of it. The first 50 kilometers were quite turbulent and we were relieved when the rain eased up a bit and we could drive towards Wanganui. On the way, we thought about what we could do today. Due to our early departure from Wellington, we would have arrived in Wanganui very early. But the place doesn't have much to offer except an old elevator operated by an old lady. Thanks to Google and the research we did beforehand, we came across a stop on tomorrow's tour towards Rotorua. The volcanic landscape of Tongariro National Park. It is located about 100 kilometers north of Wanganui and is the oldest and most diverse national park in New Zealand. It has three active volcanoes: Tongariro (1968 m), Ngauruhoe (2281 m), and Ruapehu (2797 m). We would have had to drive the 100 km back to Wanganui later, so we decided to change our route. We quickly booked an accommodation in Whakapapa at the visitor center.

Normally, you can see the volcanoes from afar. But today, they were covered by thick clouds. And for those who are thinking why we went there today ... Well, because it will be the same tomorrow. :-) The drive there was still great because the vegetation suddenly changed completely. It almost felt like being in the Lüneburg Heath. Well, the heather grows here on volcanic ash and debris. :-) It must be a beautiful contrast in the sun. As we were already warned in the town about Gita's arrival, our excursion was somewhat limited. Nevertheless, it was cool to stand on another volcano. Unfortunately, we couldn't go all the way to the top today. The nice man at the tourist information was right. Since about 5 p.m., we have been feeling the effects of the cyclone here as well. But it's all within reasonable limits. According to the media, the places we visited in the past few days, like Abel Tasman, Franz Josef, Christchurch, Wellington, and many others, have been affected and it is still ongoing. Tomorrow, we can continue our journey to the north. Maybe we can report about something other than the weather. :-)