Hey, everyone! Oh, man, it has been a full ass week. While I was initially hesitant about leaving the South Island, I have been really enjoying my time on the North so far. It has sort of exceeded my expectations, which is really nice. Read on!

Whanganui

Last week, I took the ferry from Picton to Wellington. I was having trouble finding a campsite around town, so I decided instead of driving even more after a long day of commuting, I’d just stay in Wellington. I’m glad I did – it was pretty nostalgic to walk downtown and remember some places I’d gone to eat, etc. It was familiar, and yet very far away.

I connected with my friend Ash, whom I’d met down in Queenstown, and he invited me to come visit with him at his home in Whanganui, a couple hours outside of Wellington. I was making my way to Mount Taranaki, so it worked out perfectly.

Getting to Ash’s was relatively easy. He was inviting me into his Māori community. This was pretty special for me, as I haven’t had too much exposure to Māori culture being on the South Island. Ash and I caught up over tea. It was really good to see him again. We were supposed to meet up in Christchurch a few months back, but something came up and he had to cancel. But here we were, reunited!

He showed me around his community and introduced me to some of his family. Everyone in his iwi (tribe) are related – cousins, nieces, nephews, etc. I think he said there was something like 80 people living there. We walked through the cemetery where some of his family members were buried. All the gravesites were decorated beautifully, with various pounamu, flowers, etc.

Ash had a work call, so I spent some time reading on the front porch, taking in the sun. It was a lovely day out and after so much rain on the South Island, it felt really nice to just be sitting outside without a jacket.

Later, Ash drove me through downtown Whanganui, and then to the beach for sunset. We admired the ocean. As the sunlight reflected a line down the sea, Ash explained a Māori ideology with me. He explained that you give your troubles to the light that shines down the middle of the sea. In doing so, the sun takes the worries along with it while setting below the horizon. I explained that aside from Instagram, I didn’t really have any troubles at the moment. Which was… a pretty nice realization!

As a side note, I have also taken to practicing a bit of reiki recently. My mom taught me reiki a number of years ago. There is one version of it where you shake all your worries/anxieties out to the tips of your fingers. You take the negative energy off your hands and flick it onto plants/trees/etc. When I’ve felt kind of frustrated by the Instagram situation or my car giving me trouble, that’s what I’ve been doing. And of course, I think nature for absorbing those energies for me.

After the sun set, Ash and I went back to his place where he cooked a delicious meal of fish, sweet potato, and veggies. It was SO YUM!!

In the morning, I set off to Mount Taranaki.

Thank you, Ash, for your kindness, knowledge, and hospitality!

Mount Taranaki

It was a gloomy day and set to be gloomier. I had a long drive ahead of me and so I left Ash’s before noon. There wouldn’t be too much time for exploring, but I did want to see Dawson Falls at Egmont National Park before getting to my campsite.

Along the way, I saw the sides of Mount Taranaki, but its peak was blocked by thick clouds hanging overhead. It was much taller than I expected. Mount Taranaki is a “sleeping” active volcano. It is pretty cool because the area surrounding it is mostly flat with some rolling hills here and there… and then there’s just this massive volcano rising out of nowhere. Very cool. I had seen it from an airplane when flying from Queenstown to Auckland, but was hoping I’d see the whole thing in person.

I arrived at the carpark for Dawson Falls and walked the short ten minute hike to get down there. Alright, now THIS is a waterfall. Not the measly little waterfalls down at Pelorus Bridge the week prior haha.

After admiring the falls, I went on a short walk to check out Wilkies Pools.

Wilkies Pools are unique because the surrounding area that forms the pools was formed by a tunnel of lava. Cool! It was already feeling apparent that the North Island was much more active in terms of volcanic/geothermal activity. Love it.

There were a number of small waterfalls near the pools as well. It was a nice walk.

Afterwards, I drove to my campsite which… was inaccessible due to some road works haha. So I ended up staying at a holiday park which actually ended up being really cute. It had everything I needed – warm showers, Wi-Fi, fresh water, a communal kitchen… and a TV room! No one else used it, so that evening after setting up the bed in my van, I watched Contact, the movie with Jodie Foster.

The next morning, I had my fingers crossed I would be able to see Mount Taranaki. Nope. Another gloomy, overcast day.

I went back to a different section of Egmont National Park to go on some small walks. The views were abysmal. It was incredibly overcast. The track itself was nice, lined with mossy trees and ferns. The track led up, up, up, up. I think it technically could go right to the top if you had the proper gear, but I certainly did not haha.

Afterwards, I decided to drive in to New Plymouth to get back to the sea. I stopped to get groceries, then walked a small portion of a coastal trail. The sun had started to come out. There was a cool looking bridge, too. If any of you have seen Attack on Titan, it reminds me of the “final boss”.

In the afternoon, I returned to the same campsite. I worked on a drawing, made dinner, then had tea on a picnic bench outside. The clouds started to clear and I was able to finally see the peak of Mount Taranaki. While I was hoping to see the entire volcano, this was good enough. It reminded me of seeing the peak of Mount Denali back in Alaska. I’ll take what I can get!

I ended up staying near Mount Taranaki for longer than anticipated just to POSSIBLY get a glimpse of the entire volcano. But the next morning, I was set to leave.

Tongariro National Park

I had two options to get to Tongariro National Park from Mount Taranaki. They were both allegedly the same amount of time. I decided to take the road I hadn’t yet taken before, named “The Forgotten World Highway”. And forgotten, it was. Most of the road weaved around farmland, occasionally climbing up in altitude then winding right back down. The area was so green and very pretty. But then came the road works.

Oh, boy, was it BAD. I have an entirely new definition of gravel roads now. It seemed like I was driving on top of tennis ball-sized gravel for what must have been twenty minutes. I was terrified Goldie was going to pop a tire. Luckily… she did not. Thank you, Goldie. She is truly such a legend. I have my fingers crossed she will just allow me to see the rest of what I have planned before selling her haha. Please cross your fingers, too LOL.

Anyway. Eventually I made it to Tongariro National Park. Before arriving, I was able to see Mount Ruapehu about an hour and a half away. It is the tallest mountain on the South Island, and is also a volcano. Shortly after, I got my first glimpses of Mount Ngauruhoe. Where I wasn’t able to see the entirety of Mount Taranaki, I believe this made up for it. The views of these volcanoes were fantastic.

I arrived at the park visitor center around 1pm. I originally planned to walk the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, but not doing my homework, I didn’t realize it had a lot of snow and was quite a serious trek when it isn’t summertime haha. The ranger gave me an alternative suggestion – a 4-6 hour return hike to check out the Tama Lakes. I was really feeling kind of bummed about not being able to do the crossing. My friend Syd had done the crossing years ago and there is an “Emerald Lake” there which is a bright green lake that looked unworldly. And I wouldn’t be seeing it. Damn it! (More on green lakes later.)

I’m really glad I did the Tama Lake hike. I actually was able to hike it in just under 4 hours! I was proud of myself for that. I was hustling, though.

The hike offered magnificent views of both Mount Ruapehu and Mount Ngauruhoe. I was feeling very lucky to see these volcanoes on a clear day. There were also many signs of volcanic activity. Rocks, all over the place, what looked like old lava tunnels. Some of the boulders had red iron deposits on them.

Before getting to the Tama Lakes, I first was able to stop at Taranaki Falls. Great, another waterfall! This one was incredible to me – pouring down over volcanic cliffs. THIS was a proper waterfall. Proper-proper.

I talked with a lady from Auckland for a few minutes – she offered to take my picture. I said, “Sure, my mom will love it!” Haha.

I continued on for maybe another hour and then reached the Lower Tama Lake. I’d told myself – alright, maybe I’ll just check out the lower lake, since I wanted to try and get back before 5pm. The spot I’d parked my van at was only available until 5pm. But then I decided to press on. It was saying only 35min to Upper Tama Lake and I was making good time. The Tama Lakes were formerly lava lakes, making them prettttttty cool to me.

The incline was SERIOUS. I was moving at a snail’s pace, nearly tripping over the shuffling rocks as they shifted below my feet.

Finally, I made it to the Upper Tama Lake. I’m so glad I did. The views. THE VIEWS!

Wind started to pick up and I was on what seemed to me like a very narrow shelf of land, with dramatic drops to either side of me.

I began my descent. I am not the biggest fan of heights. It depends on the situation, though. If there is a guardrail, I’m fine. But with this… not so fine. I kept my eyes on the track markers. If I thought the incline was bad, the decline was 1,000x worse. I tried to keep the steep descent out of my mind. Instead, I focused on getting to the very next track marker. “Just get to the next one,” I told myself, trying to remain calm.

In the end, I survived. Phew.

I hustled back to my van, but there was no way I would be getting there before 5pm. 5.45pm was the expected time. I made it around 5.30pm. Luckily, no ticket. Another phew!

I drove to my campsite, only 7min away, and after dinner, set up camp for the night.

In the morning, overcast skies took over. Neither of the volcanoes were visible at all. Boy, did I pick the right day!

I went on some easy walks in the area, one including a waterfall, and then I continued on to Taupō.

Taupō

Jasper had suggested I stay near Taupō for a few days but upon arriving, I wasn’t feeling there was much for me to do. I pulled over to a lookout spot and caught up with my friend Michael on the phone for about an hour. I had my car running because I was charging my phone battery and the dude parked next to me signaled at me maybe half an hour in. I roll down my window and he goes, “CAN YOU TURN YOUR CAR OFF? IT’S LOUD AND ALL I’M SMELLING IS YOUR EXHAUST.” Whoops. Sorry, dude.

After my phone call, I went to check out the Huka Falls. It has very powerful rapids that lead to an even more powerful waterfall. A sign said that the waterfall could fill five Olympic-sized pools in one minute. How crazy is that?!

I stopped at Spa Thermal Park, which was a popular spot with natural hot springs. I was so excited to get some hot spring action in! Unfortunately, the water was lukewarm at best but it was a beautiful area with a small little waterfall.

And then it started to rain haha. After hanging out in my car, I ended up driving to my campsite for the night, where it proceeded to rain until the morning. So much damn rain on this trip! I do love rain, but geez. Springtime in Aotearoa, I suppose.

Rotorua

I was eager to get to Rotorua. This is an area famous for its geothermal activity. I find it truly fascinating. Volcanoes, hot springs, steam vents, bubbling mud pots, oh, my!

It was only about an hour drive from Taupō to Rotorua. Along the way, I wanted to stop at two natural hot springs. One of them was called Hot ‘n Cold, the other was Kerosene Creek.

Hot ‘n Cold was… perfection. SO nice and warm and in a beautiful natural setting. I’d gotten there earlier in the day so I had the place mostly to myself. The reason it’s called Hot ‘n Cold is because the hot spring merges with a cold river. It’s perfect for finding the right temperature that suits you, depending on far away you place yourself from the cold river. I certainly prefer warmer.

I then drove on to check out the Waiotapu mud pool. It was a quick, free attraction, but it certainly showcased the geothermal activity. The mud bubbled and popped, over and over again. Such evidence that Mother Earth is alive! I loved it. But boy, did it stink. So did the hot springs. So does the whole town of Rotorua. It’s the sulphur – it’s a similar smell to rotten eggs. My whole body stank of it until I had a proper shower haha.

After the mud pools, I went to check out Kerosene Creek. I’d heard of it many months ago. The hot spring led into a lovely waterfall. I bathed for some time but it was much colder than Hot ‘n Cold. I was slightly disappointed. Cold and wet, I returned to my van.

I had more time to kill, so I drove into downtown Rotorua to check out Kuirau Park. And WHAT a park it is. The thing that is craziest to me is that… it is just a regular park with a playground, but it also happens to feature some amazing geothermal activity. They even have a small little “public pool” area where people can soak their feet in regulated hot springs.

They have built fences along all the thermal areas. A walk around the grounds shows you small mud pools, steam vents, hot springs, and more. I was really pleasantly surprised. I couldn’t keep shaking how bizarre it seemed that this was all free, at a public park in town. HOW?!

Later, I drove to my campsite for the evening. Had some dinner, read some of my book, ate one of those DELICIOUS chocolate bars from Makana Confections… yum. I have to remember to take a picture and post it on here for you all to see.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do the following day. I felt I needed more time in the area around Rotorua instead of moving on. I decided to fork out some cash and go back in the direction I was the day before to go to a paid thermal park.

Waiotapu Thermal Park had a $45 entry fee but was pretty worth it, in my opinion. If only for the grand finale. There is a geyser that erupts daily at 10.15am. Upon arrival, I was directed to the geyser. Well, 10.15am came and it still hadn’t erupted. Instead, a staff member spoke through a speaker system and told us the story of Lady Knox Geyser. Many years ago, a group of prisoners in the area stumbled upon a hot spring and decided it was a great place to wash their clothes. Somebody dropped a bar of soap and… a geyser erupted. Something about the soap caused the geyser to erupt. They decided to return back to the area and tested it out again. Each time, they would add stones around the geyser so they could pinpoint exactly where it was. This led to the formation that is shown in the images. It’s not natural, but was rather man-made.

At the thermal park, they re-enact the situation. A staff member dropped eco-friendly soap shavings into the geyser and a minute later, it started bubbling and then the geyser erupted for maybe a minute before dying down. How crazy is that? I was expecting a natural geyser haha. I was wrong.

The walk around the park was really very surreal. So much geothermal activity. Steam vents, bubbling mud pots, sulphur terraces, etc.

In certain places, the water was different colors depending on the minerals. There was a small river that had a milky-blue. There was a green-ish lake, due to plentiful algae present.

They had the Artist’s Palette, which is a hot spring with runoff deposits from Champagne Pool.

There was a small waterfall cascading over green rocks.

Just so, so much stuff.

Champagne Pool was allegedly a major highlight but due to it being a windy day, it was kind of hard to see the famously orange-rim of the hot spring (seen in some pictures above). I couldn’t help but compare it to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Prismatic Spring. These areas certainly had their similarities. I would argue that Yellowstone is more incredible, though. But they are also different.

HOWEVER, nothing prepared me for the grand finale, which was… a GREEN LAKE, titled Devil’s Bath. It was the most vibrantly colored water I’ve ever seen before. The greenest of green. BRAT green, as my friend Rob suggested. I couldn’t believe it. What an awesome attraction! How was this not more popular than the Champagne Pools?!

It also made up for the fact that I wasn’t able to get to Emerald Lake at Tongariro Alpine Crossing. I don’t think I’ll ever see a green like this again in my life. WOW.

After the thermal park, I returned to Hot ‘n Cold to do some more soaking in the natural hot spring. It was so lovely. There were some mud deposits that I put all over my skin, too. A nice little pampering.

From there, I drove back towards Rotorua. They have a small forest with California redwoods. I walked around for maybe half an hour but then decided I’d had a big enough day. I returned to my campsite, had food, did yoga by the water, and then relaxed in the evening. What an adventure!

Instagram Success

That same evening, I was in a frenzy, trying to get to the bottom of this Instagram nonsense. If you’ll remember, my Instagram was suspended about three weeks ago and I’ve had the worst time trying to get in contact with anybody. I was starting to get somewhere by reaching out through Facebook, but I hadn’t heard anything in over a week, even with multiple follow-up emails.

Last night, I decided to rely on AI to fight AI’s decision to suspend my account. I used ChatGPT and asked for places to contact to help maybe get my account back. ChatGPT suggested a few emails for Instagram I’d never seen before. appeals@instagram.com, help@instagram.com, etc. I decided to use ChatGPT to draft up an email for them, and I emailed them all at once. ChatGPT also suggested some government-y companies. Better Business Bureau, FTC, FCC, etc. I reached out to them, reached out to my senator, congressman, Department of Justice, to California’s Attorney General and my own. And believe it or not… even the White House. LOL. So dramatic.

And guess what? This morning, my account was returned to me. I don’t know what did it. Maybe I just needed patience. Maybe my last email to the new Instagram emails helped, where I threatened legal action. Maybe one of those businesses helped out somehow.

I am really thrilled to have it returned to me. It was a big stressor recently. I know it seems silly, because it’s just a social media account. But I have a small business on there with promoting my art, promoting my blog, my book, etc. I have contacts from Australia and New Zealand that I don’t have on Facebook, etc. I have lots of memories, photos, artwork, videos, etc. all on Instagram and suddenly I just… DIDN’T have access to any of that. And for no reason! It was honestly very frustrating.

If anything, it is a lesson to not rely on social media as much. I’m considering deleting the apps and just using my desktop to have a look once a week, posting about my blog, checking in with people, etc. Although, the social media addiction is very difficult to beat and it seems just about everyone is hooked in. It’s really pretty brutal.

So. Good news. I’m happy it’s back, at least for now. WHOO!

Art of the Week

I drew this one while waiting for a glimpse of Mount Taranaki. After completing this, maybe an hour later, I was able to see the peak! Yahoo!

Reflections

What to reflect on? It has been a hell of a week. I don’t know how these posts are going to be sustainable in the next year. I feel like every day, I’m seeing so much cool stuff. It certainly requires effort to diligently post these every week. Uploading the photos, typing it all up. Oof! But it’s so worth it. I’m really happy I can share these experiences and photos with you all. And when I’m older, I’ll be able to re-live the experiences by reading each of these posts. I hope to turn the adventure into a book one day. I think I can make it happen.

I’d love to hear from you. If you have read this far, please comment below! Let me know how often you read, how long you’ve been reading these posts, etc. What is your favorite part about it?

Things are good, though. I have just over a week before I have to go to Fiji for a week. The NZ government actually just sent an email being like, “hey, just a reminder, your visa is almost up!” haha. From now until Fiji, I will go to… Tauranga, Coromandel… and that’s about it. There are some places in between. I think it will probably be a somewhat chill week, actually. I need more time to practice yoga, to read, to be near the ocean. So I’ll be doing that!

It’s strange to think how quickly time has gone by since I’ve left Queenstown. And yet, it feels like a really long time ago. Even while typing up this blog, I was trying to remember some things from just two weeks ago and was thinking – that was only TWO WEEKS AGO?!

Moving forward, I will need to find more time to relax, exist, slow down. I love to go, go, go, but sometimes I think it’s too much and I’m not able to absorb everything in the way I really should. It becomes “another waterfall, another waterfall, another waterfall” until nothing even matters anymore. I want all these places and memories to mean something, not to just tick a box. And I think I’m doing a good job of it so far, but I do need to be mindful of how I travel.

Anyway, that’s all for now. All good things.

Until next time, I’m sending you all my love. xx