Glowworm cave, three sisters, and a shy mountain

Hello everyone,

Today there are two entries. I wrote the last one on 11.03 but couldn't publish it because I didn't have internet. But today it finally works.

This entry sums up yesterday and today (13.03). Yesterday we got up early to take a detour to the 'city center' of Te Kuiti. The highlight is a statue that shows a shepherd removing wool from a sheep. Interesting fact: there are 14 sheep for every resident in New Zealand. We didn't believe it, especially since we've seen more cows than sheep so far, but oh well :D

Since it was raining again, we made a quick stop at the supermarket and the hardware store to get supplies and some things for Sandy. Sandy is now wearing jewelry, namely a car air freshener, and enjoyed a window cleaning to make driving easier for me.

After that, we passed by a farm stay because I saw a sign saying backpackers are welcome. They actually offer the opportunity to wwoof there. Wwoofing means working for room and board. So now I have my first contact information for when Mom is away.

Then came the actual highlight of the day: the glowworm cave. I'll keep it short, the cave itself isn't anything special, but when the lights go out or when you take a boat ride into the part of the cave where the river flows, it's amazing. I have never seen anything so fascinating. Lots of green-blue glowing dots in an otherwise pitch-dark cave. We couldn't do the whole tour because of the rain, but we got to experience our personal highlight and also got it for half price. Yay. :D

When we came out of the cave, we were greeted by bright sunshine, of course, now we had to sit in the car for hours. :D But it made the drive much more pleasant and we could enjoy the beautiful landscapes. And to calm us down, it started raining again shortly after. ;)

Some of the roads here are really fascinating, winding up and down mountains, in sharp curves, with a speed limit of 100km/h. We realized that New Zealanders can handle it, I prefer to drive a bit slower :D

Along the way, we stopped whenever the weather and traffic allowed, and saw some beautiful spots. Following a spontaneous idea, we turned off just before our destination and followed a sign that said: Three Sisters. It turned out to be a good idea. Since it was low tide, we could walk along a rock wall, across the seabed, to three massive rock formations that are probably almost completely submerged in the sea when it's high tide. It was a really great and adventurous walk.

Afterwards, we continued to our accommodation in New Plymouth. On the way, we could already see Mt. Taranaki, an impressive mountain. When we arrived at our accommodation, the first thing our host said was: Quickly take a photo of the mountain, we haven't seen it for days, it's a bit shy and likes to hide. 10 minutes later, that giant mountain disappeared. To calm down, we first went to the city center and had a delicious and cheap meal at a Thai snack bar. Since the meal was so quick, we could also go to the ocean for a moment and watch the last remnants of the sunset. Lovely.

This morning, I finally had the opportunity to talk to my boyfriend, which was really nice. :) Then we had a super delicious breakfast from our host, with homemade bread, freshly laid eggs, and, especially important for Mom, a tasty cup of coffee. After this great breakfast, we drove to the city again to open my bank account. Unfortunately, we were not successful again because today was a public holiday... But I'm sure we'll get it done eventually. After this setback, we set off towards Mt. Taranaki because you can wonderfully drive around it and enjoy the incredible view of the mountain. That is, if it's not being shy and attracting clouds like a magnet.:/ Following the advice of our host, we first drove up the mountain to at least have a nice view of the valley, and I must say, this advice paid off. Not only was the view beautiful, but the road, once again, fascinating as it led through the jungle. Then we continued around the mountain to the Dawson Falls. These were waterfalls. Several hiking trails started from the parking lot, and we decided to do the Wilkies Pools Loop first. It took us up the mountain, along the river, to the pools, where the river water has eroded the solidified lava. Feeling adventurous, we decided to do the full loop, even though it meant crossing the river. Fearlessly, Mom stood barefoot in the river and brought the electronic devices to safety before she helped me cross the river with dry feet. Cheers to Mom :D When we arrived back at the parking lot, we decided to also do the second loop - Kapuni Loop Track. This led down the mountain to the waterfalls. And as always... where you go down, you have to go back up. Conclusion of the day: climbed 52 stairs and walked almost 9 km. Not bad for a hiking start. And all of this in a little over 2 and a half hours. I particularly enjoyed that the sun was shining the whole time during our hike. However, the lady did her best to be covered by clouds. Oh well, can't change that. After that, we finished the remaining route around the mountain. After this exhausting day, we made a quick stop in the city and walked along the sea and then back to the car through the city. That's where we came across a restaurant specializing in pizza. I have to say, it was the best pizza I have ever had in a restaurant. So anyone who is in New Plymouth should try Sauce, right on the main road.

After that, we just drove to the hotel and arranged accommodations for the next few days, booked our ferry to the South Island, and finished planning our route.

Now I'm exhausted and saying goodnight from my bed. I wish you all a great day.

See you soon

Jessi

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