Tuesday 26 March 2013

Post #156 - March 16, 2013 - Taupo, New Zealand (draft)


What we did: Tongariro Alpine Pass (hike)
Budget: NZ$150/$125; Spent: NZ$191/$160

Woke up at 4:45am to get ready for our hike; we got picked up at 5:20am; we were told that we wouldn't be able to complete the full hike because a volcano in the area had erupted; interesting way to start the day!
We were on a bus until around 7:15am, when we started our hike
We were both pretty out of it and lethargic; Patty complained about hiking not being her thing
Scenery was very interesting, because it’s a volcanic area
After about 1.5 hours of hiking we got to an awesome view of Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings movies
We were tempted to try to climb it, but our bus driver had recommended against it because the weather was expected to be changing rapidly today, so we walked on
We got to a very high point that had wonderful views of Mt Doom and the surrounding land, including some lakes
We were both pretty tired by this time; we had been hiking for about 4.5 hours
We decided to turn back and try to catch the early bus at 2:30pm because we didn't have anything left in us
We were tired and somewhat grumpy on our way back
It was an exhausting hike; arrived around 2pm; bus arrived shortly after; 2-hour ride back to our hostel
On the way back, the bus driver pointed out the volcano that had erupted and there was a lot of steam coming out
When we got back to our hostel, we decided to go to McDonalds for a coffee and chat
We stayed there until around 7pm, when we went back to our hostel to see about getting their chili dinner; got the chili dinner and had a somewhat relaxing night, chatting and surfing the internet

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