Waitangi weekend

During my first year in New Zealand, back in 2001, I had the opportunity to walk the Tongariro Alpine Crossing with my flatmate Kate, who was an ultra-fit, experienced hiker from Arizona. I was so convinced I wouldn't be able to keep up with her that I opted to take a 15-minute scenic flight over the Tongariro National Park instead! The aerial views of the volcanic crater and the mineral lakes were spectacular but doing the trek itself would have undoubtedly been more rewarding. Since then the Crossing has been on my list of things-to-do-in-NZ, and eight years later Vaughan & I finally got round to organising a trip there together with a group of friends. To my slight embarrassment it now turns out that this is a totally accessible trek - it's even walked by 80-year-old tourists and parents with babies strapped to them! Some parts are pretty steep -the 'Devil's Staircase' up the South Crater had me hudding & puffing- but all in all it was much more manageable than I had anticipated :-). There's a lesson somewhere in this...

The Red Crater

The amazing Emerald Lakes, whose colour is caused by the minerals leaching from the surrounding rock.

On Saturday morning (after posing for this photo in front of Mount Ruapehu) everyone went their separate ways and Vaughan & I headed off to our second location for the weekend: a farm in the countryside around Taihape. Our friend Bridget has family up there and they were more than happy to have a bunch of us (six in total) over for the weekend. I never thought I'd say this but it came as such a relief to be in the middle of nowhere for a while! Yes, this self-confessed city slicker absolutely loved the remoteness of the farm and the outdoor lifestyle that came with it. The mix of activities was exhilerating and extremely relaxing at the same time: farm tours by Bridget and her sister on the back of a quad bike, intrepid river/bush walks, homecooked meals (including an amazing bbq dinner), a swim in a natural waterhole and even a quick stint on the family horse! Afterwards, my mental batteries were fully recharged but the body took a bit longer to recuperate - I guess it needs a few more weekends like this to get used to all the action & fresh air!