NZ : Mt Doom!

On the way to Taupo the two of us and our hitch-hiker Kevin stopped off at an awesome little spot called Butchers Pool (less scary than it sounds.) A natural thermal pool in the middle of nowhere in a farmers field. We couldn't resist jumping out of the car and in road trip style getting on our swimmers and jumping in for a bathe in the bubbling, sulphurous waters. It was really gorgeous and the misty rain added to the experience.

Our journey continued as we headed toward Huka Falls in search of the illusive 'Hot and Cold River' that we had heard so much about and for a short 2 hour tramp to see the popular falls. The Huka Falls were impressive to say the least, approximately 220,000 litres of water per second gushing over the 35ft cliff. After finding a fallen tree the child in us couldn't resist trapezing cautiously along its length much to the disgust of the passing tourguide and the amazement of the children she led. Nothing like being a bad example.

 

By the end of our walk we were ready for a refreshing dip in the hot and cold spring where the cold water of the river meets the hot flow of the volcanic spring. We bathed under warm waterfalls beneath a small walking bridge, barely daring to poke our toes out in to the icy cold flowing river adjoining the pool. We managed a stealthy change of clothes before bidding farewell to Kevin and set off to meet our next couchsurfers, Nathan, Sam and Rob.

These guys were what we had been searching for from the couchsurfing experience.
With an instant rapport we whiled away the evening laughing, dancing up a storm in the living room and being far too easily convinced to sky dive the following day. Fortunately, being agreeable suits us as Taupo SkyDive was to be the most EPIC skydive we have done to date. Sam was the pilot and Rob and Nathan were part of the SkyDive team which very kindly entitled us to staff discount!
These guys were a blast and not many people in just 24 hours could convince us to jump out of a plane.... again!

 

 

After more adrenaline junkie fixes we had a short jaunt over to Extreme Backpackers in preparation for the infamous Tongariro Alpine Crossing a.k.a. MOUNT DOOM.
The walk was 19.2km with a 2,700ft incline, this was going to be some challenge and our biggest walk yet.

Our bags were packed with goodies to give us strength, the camera was charged and we had our waterproofs at the ready as we embarked early Sunday morning. Nothing could prepare us for the staggering sights that lay ahead. As we walked we were able to pinpoint the geographic locations of The Lord of the Rings battle scenes and the final resting place of the Ring. On our descent we passed the gorgeous Emerald and Blue Lakes. Due to recent volcanic activity (the track had been open little over a week to the public as a recent eruption caused the path to be unsafe) there was a thick, acidic sulphurous smell in the air and nearby plumes of smoke could be seen seeping from the mountain range.

The uphill part of the walk was tough and often there was loose ground which meant 2 steps forward and 1 step back. The winds were up and howled around us near the Red Crator, the peak of the walk, we felt as if we might almost be blown off of the side of the mountain. With a wide and steady stance we made our way down the rocky descent.

 We decided toward the end of the walk that we wanted to compelte it in under 6 hours (the guidebook suggests that the walk take 7-8hours) and this was where we decided 'fuck it, lets run!!' The last 2km was spent with intermittant sprints and light jogs, red faced and puffing Jan was first to reach the hidden end of the track with moments to spare, turning back to shout 'SUSIE RUUUUNNNNN.'
We made it to the end in the nick of time 5h59mins.
PAH-PLOW!
Thumbs Up!

With wearing eyes and aching legs we treated ourselves to a night in the living room of our cosy hostel with a take-away and, of course, NZ Xfactor.

With every new experience we are guilty of calling it 'the best experience ever' but this really was phenomenal and won't be forgotten.

Peace and love,

Jan and Sooz