Fire and Water

This last weekend marked my very first holiday, long weekend in New Zealand!  I took the opportunity to finally get out of Wellington.  I had been planning the weekend for a week or two with a fellow, female coworker, Sandra, but was pleasantly surprised when a handful more of coworkers decided to come along at the last minute.  

We were certainly an international group comprising of an American (moi), a Canadian, a trio of Australians, a duo of Kiwis, and an Irishman.  But I guess that's just the way things roll here, both at the office and New Zealand in general.  We headed north to Tongariro National Park, where we stayed at the perfectly situated Tongariro Holiday Park.  The day on the drive up was clear and perfect, and we even considered trekking the strenuous Tongariro Crossing the next day.  But when the forecast showed a gradual turn back to gray, gloominess for the long weekend, only Sandra and Taylor decided to brave the elements.  Nonetheless, the rest of us still ventured to Taranki Falls and the old Maori tribe Te Porere Redoubts, where Maori warriors once tried to fend off European settlers.  The landscape is barren and yet lush all at once, the volcano peaks of Mt. Ruapehu, Mt. Tongariro, and Mt. Ngauruhoe looming above it.  Only small towns and private farms nestle up against this backdrop.  Its vastness reflects its fiery history of volcanic explosions and violent war, but the flowing rivers, the sweeping mist, and glistening blue and emerald pools suggest the constant force of regrowth and life.

In the evening, we recollected and headed to the Tokaanu Thermal Pools.  Natural hot springs are numerous in the area, but the water is so scalding hot, that facilities, like those at Tokaanu, use the natural hot water simply to heat the treated pool water for guest use.  It was still a soothing feeling to relax in a hot, steaming pool for an hour.  

We closed out the night with beer and card games (and eventually a scalding reprimand from the campground manager to go to bed after we grew too loud).  By the morning, the rain had arrived and it was a quiet, but sobering ride back to Wellington.  As I had done on the ride up, I spent most of the ride staring out the car windows, admiring the sweeping, green hills and losing count of the number of sheep alongside the road.  New Zealand is what I have expected it to be so far: simply lush and tranquil.