Huka Falls and Lake Taupo

On the way back from the Tongariro Alpine Crossing Marcell and I made a short stop at Lake Taupo and its adjacent Huka Falls.

We parked at a car-park that was located nearby and embarked onto a short walk of about 15 minutes that led us to the waterfall. So here´s a few pictures of the Huka Falls and Lake Taupo:

Sunset at Lake Taupo

Mount Taranaki

Our first real trip here on the North Island (except from exploring the city of Wellington) was the ascending of Mount Taranaki, the lonely mountain on the western side of the island. In case you´re pondering about the name, Mt Taranaki is a perfectly shaped volcano and the only mountain within a radius of hundreds of kilometers, which makes the term perfectly suitable in my opinion.

Unfortunately the mountain had concealed itself in clouds and fog by the time of our arrival, so we actually couldn´t see anything of the mountain itself. I just took this picture above from the internet to give you an idea of this staggering place.  

Although we weren´t sure if we would escape the fog by ascending the path to the top and whether we would be able to catch a glance of the impressive summit or not, we decided to climb up the mountain anyway. So we took our small backpack, filled it with snacks and water-bottles and off we went.

The path leading up to the crater ushered us directly into the wall of fog and clouds.

Somewhere about half way up to the top we found this transmitter mast and reckoned it was a decent place to have a short break and gormandize some muesli bars and cookies to invigorate ourselves before continuing our climb of the lonely mountain.  

The path got steeper and steeper and we climbed higher and higher and eventually reached an altitude where we left the thick layer of fog and finally caught a first glimpse of the snow-covered, stunningly perfect formed crater that had finally disclosed itself. 

As we ascended further, we soon reached the first snow. Mount Taranaki is about 2500 meters high and therefore covered in snow all year round. Fortunately for us there had already been some other bold adventurers who had climbed the mountain a few days before, and had left their footprints in the snow and therefore had created a tiny path through the snowfields so that we didn´t sink in too much.

The summit was in reach - but dusk was already approaching and we didn´t have the necessary equipment like ice-picks etc to master the perilous climb through the ice. Although the crater seemed to be soo close, we reckoned it too risky and decided to not climb up further and instead go back down. So we had another round of snacks and took some decent pictures before we got ready for the descent. 

The way down - meaning going back into the wall of fog.

Marcell is taking a rest during the "exhausting" way down. 

It was a bummer that we didn´t make it to the summit, but after all we consider ourselves lucky that we at least finally got to see the crater at all, which had concealed itself for so long. Mount Taranaki was definitely one of the most impressive mountains I´ve ever ascended. The lonely mountain creates a very tranquil, divine and unique atmosphere that makes it so special in the legends of the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It was an honor to climb it!

Wellington

On Sunday 8. November, the day after we finished our three day long Abel Tasman hike, Marcell and I drove to Picton Harbour and embarked on a journey with New Zealand´s "Interislander", the ferry that crosses between Wellington on the North Island and Picton on the South Island.  

The boatage itself was with over $250 for the three hour long trip quite expensive, but as this is the only option to get your car from one island to the other, we didn´t really have a choice. But the stunning scenery on the way from Picton Harbor out to the open sea between the two islands made it totally worth it.

Due to a profound miscalculation in the timing of our drive from our hostel in Nelson to Picton, from where we departed at around 10 am, our drive was quite a hassle. We temporarily thought we wouldn´t make it to the boarding on time. But Marcell once more proved his superior driving skills and we made it to the final boarding call right on time - last car to get on the ferry - lucky us.

The first attraction we visited in Wellington was the Weta Cave Workshop, a fascinating atelier where props and requisites for numerous blockbuster movies like "The Lord Of The Rings" or "halo" were designed and produced. Unfortunately we weren´t allowed to take any pictures inside the workshop, so we only took some pictures with these ginormous troll-fellas, emanated right out of Tolkien´s fantasy.
The workshop itself was really absorbing and we had heaps of fun to learn about how props for movies and TV series are designed and produced at Weta Cave.

Afterwards we drove back to our hostel and strolled around the city centre for some time, had delicious dinner in a Turkish restaurant and drank a cold beer in one of the adjacent bars.
The next morning we got up pretty early and explored Mount Victoria, a 250 metre high lookout hill, located at the outer southern boarder of the city, from where we had a fantastic panorama of Wellington and it´s harbor.

Unfortunately it was already time to leave Wellington behind us and decamp for another adventure: Mount Taranaki, also known as the lonely mountain.

The Abel Tasman Track

On Thursday 5. November Marcell and I sallied for our last adventure on the South Island: The Abel Tasman Coastal Track. A breath taking, 60 km long track along the northern shore of the southern island.

Getting ready for the march: packing clothes and food for three days into my freshly purchased 80 litre backpack, which was quite heavy afterwards, I can assure you that!

 The starting point of the Abel Tasman Track located in the marvelous town of Marahau. 

 The track led us through pristine woods for about three hours until we reached the first of many beaches. 

 As we had one ginormous and one tiny backpack we had decided to swap backpacks every hour or so. Here Marcell has the honor to act as our pack mule and carry the 30 kg rucksack for the next 60 minutes.

 We found a tranquil spot in front of a little creek and decided to have a little break and relieve our shoulders from the heavy burden of our backpacks.

 Every now and then the path left the woods and led us to a marvelous beach.

 En route to the first hut, which would turn out to be a hike of a little more than seven hours.

 The path, consisting mostly of sand and soil, was so dry and compressed at some points that it almost looked and felt like concrete. 

 After about four hours of hiking we reached our first bay. Some lazy tourists took the shortcut via the Abel Tasman Ferry and arrived by boat; still full of vim and vigor. I´m not sure if I can say the same about the two of us.

We spotted a neat little place down at this river and decided that it was time for another break.

 We approached the river that functioned as an influent stream for the sea and sat down, ate some muesli bars and drank some cold water for refreshment.

 The sight of this tree and the astonishingly familiar seeming face carved into it, made me ponder whether I had been a tree in one of my former lifes...

 Approaching the second big bay marked two thirds of our stint for the first day. Hiking for five hours had been exhausting and made us weary and we were already looking forward to finally reach Awaroa Hut, where we could stay for the night.

 It was already getting dark when we reached a huge swing bridge on the final kilometres to the hut.

 Right in time for the sunset we reached Awaroa Hut, our home for the next night. Although we couldn´t actually see the sunset, we could still witness of the beautiful colors that coated the sky.

 Our second day on the Abel Tasman Track was marked by blazing sunshine and a crystal-clear blue sky without a single cloud.

 Marcell is getting ready for the hike - in the background you can see the meandering river flowing through Awaroa Bay directly in front of the hut.

 In contrast to the part of the track we had hiked the previous day, today´s path would only lead through the woods for a very short time and we would be hiking through the sand along beaches and bays for most of the time.

 Time for a surf

 We only had four hours of hiking to do on this second day, so it was pretty relaxed and we spent a lot of time taking pictures and videos or simply relaxed at the beach.

 Marcell obviously enjoyed taking off his hiking boots and walking barefoot on this wooden boardwalk.

 Tranquil and absolutely gorgeous view of one of the countless beaches we encountered that day.

 A little later we reached a part of the track that reminded us very much of the famous tidelands in the very north of Germany. The seabed was very flat and even at this place and the difference of up to 3 metres in the sea-level between high and low tide created a vast dry-land with numerous ships stranded ashore during low tide.

 A few hours later (during high tide) the water levels would rise by three meters and the whole area would be covered in water - perfectly suitable for taking a boat-ride. Not so right now during low tide ;)

I can´t tell you how good that feeling was - walking barefoot through this path studded with small mussels and gravel, covered in tepid water after a daylong hike.

And luckily for us we had already reached our destination for today - Bark Bay Hut - after only four hours of hiking. It was only 3 pm by the time we approached the hut so we decided to enjoy the rest of this beautiful day outside and play some card games in the sun.

Our third and last day of the Abel Tasman Track started pretty much exactly like the second - beautiful weather and tepid temperatures, a perfect day to hike. This third day would be a lot harder than the second because we had to tramp twice the distance, resulting in an eight hour hike.

 I guess that´s exactly what I had in mind when I was thinking about going to New Zealand for a semester abroad - turquoise ocean, golden beach and all of that in a pristine National Park where you couldn´t find a single piece of litter.

This stunning bay would be the perfect spot to go kayaking. Unfortunately we didn´t have the time to do so. So I might have to come back to this place in February when I´ll travel around the South Island with my parents.

Most certainly one of the most breath taking sceneries I´ve ever seen in my entire life.

We had to be back at the car park in Awanui at 5 pm in order to be picked up by the shuttle that would bring us back to Marahau where our car was parked, so we had made the decision to take a shortcut. This new path led us up for 400 metres of altitude and was quite exhaustive.  But the view from the top made it totally worth it.

Selfie on top of the hill. From here it was just another 45 minutes of walking down the hill until we reached our final destination, the Awanui car-park. 

We had done it - Abel Tasman, 60 terrific, tranquil and untouched kilometres of beach-hiking along New Zealand´s most beautiful coastline.