2/13-2/18 Lake Taupo and Taranaki
2/13 – Before we checked into our hotel, we took a side trip to Huka Falls. The drop in elevation isn’t that great but the power of the falls is mind-blowing. More specifically, about 200,000 litres of water plunge over the nine-metre rock face every second. Also, the name Huka is Maori for “foam” – and foam, it does.
We checked into our apartment a few minutes after 2:00 and after unpacking the car and grabbing a quick lunch, we walked along the lakefront to a pub. I had a glass of wine and Markus had a beer. The weather was gorgeous, and we sat outside for almost 40 minutes.
Then, we walked up to the Pak n Save to buy fish for dinner. The snapper that we have had here in NZ is delicious – it is so light and flaky – and fresh! We passed the local McDonalds on our way back to the apartment. Supposedly, it was voted the “coolest” McDonalds in the world (out of 34,000+ locations). Maybe the airplane (part of the children’s play area) has something to do with the cool factor.
Our apartment is in a complex that is right across the street from the lake but sadly, we don’t have a lake view as we are on the ground floor, so only have a garden view. The property is a little bit old but is very clean and has a full kitchen and a separate bedroom. We are only here one night as a stopover before we head to Taranaki tomorrow.
2/14 – Happy Valentine’s Day! We were up early this morning and on the dusty (literally) trail by 8:30. Our route today took us along the Forgotten World Highway. It was only about 220 km but was estimated to take 3.5 hours. Of course, there were delays since part of State Highway 43 was closed from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, with a one-hour opening starting at noon. We timed it really well, getting to the road closure around 11:30. There were only about 20-25 vehicles queued to go through the Tangarakau Gorge. The road works project is to pave the approximately 12 km of roadway that is currently gravel. The project is supposed to conclude at the end of March, but we have doubts based on the progress we saw today. A huge shoutout to Amanda, owner of the Mill House for alerting us to these closures.
About the Forgotten World Highway, which does really feel like a step back in time. More than 150 km in length, the road took 50 years to complete from the day it was begun until the day it was opened in 1945. There’s some extraordinary scenery along here – some of the most unspoiled bush to be seen on any New Zealand roadside, the sheer walls of the Tarangakau Gorge, soaring to 500 metres on either side, to say nothing of the peaks of Taranaki, Ruapehu, Ngāuruhoe and Tongariro floating intermittently into view. There’s also the 180-metre-long, single-lane Moki tunnel, commonly known as the Hobbit Hole; fossilised giant crabs can be seen on its walls. Further down the road, lies Whangamōmona, one of the North Island’s remotest townships – so remote, in fact, that the townspeople declared it a republic in 1988. It’s appears to have hardly changed since the 1920s (we felt that it was a bit fake – looking more like a movie set that is maintained for the sake of appearance). (Credit: https://www.aa.co.nz/travel/editorial/the-forgotten-world-highway/)
We got to Mill House around 1:00 and after being greeted by Kitten, the resident cat, we settled in for the afternoon. The property is set in the middle of a working farm with three rams occupying the field right in front of the house. Amanda told us that they graze there for about ten months of the year and then “work” for two months starting in March. Life is rough for them!
Later in the afternoon, we were sitting on the front porch and were lucky enough to catch the cattle parade. The bulls were being moved to a different pasture and were being herded down the dirt track in front of the house by three very capable dogs. It was a pretty awesome sight! We also went to check out the hen house, home to five chickens. They are very friendly and like to be petted – I don’t think I have ever petted a chicken before. 😊
We celebrated Valentine’s Day with mozzarella and basil ravioli in homemade marinara sauce; served with garlic bread. It was delicious. After dinner, it got pretty cold in the house (outside temp was around 50*), so Mark lit a fire in the wood burning stove. It was so cozy and, we both nodded off!
2/15 – We had a pretty slow day. We lingered over our coffee this morning, and finally got breakfast going around 11:00. This morning, we made a frittata with veggies, ham, and cheese. And the eggs are farm fresh – literally from the five chickens right outside our door!!
We finally left the house around 1:20 for the one-hour drive into Stratford. We stopped at the iSite (visitors information) in town and then walked down to a local café to get a coffee. We were waiting for the 3:00 performance of Romeo and Juliet on the Glockenspiel. It was really nice but was interrupted by passing traffic – especially trucks – since we were on the roadside opposite the Glockenspiel (there would have been no view on the opposite side).
We stopped at the New World Market for dinner ingredients – chicken and vegetables. We had leftover ravioli when we got home, then baked a pizza for dinner. Chicken and vegetables are currently in the oven for tomorrow and the next day.
Wanted to add a little more about Kitten. She is about nine years old and has lived at Mill House for pretty much all of those years. Approximately seven years ago, the owners moved ~2.5 km down the road and took Kitten with them. She went missing for three months, and then finally showed up at Mill House. She has made it her permanent residence ever since; she has a cat door from/to the outside in the bathroom. She loves being around people and sleeps overnight in the bed with us.
2/16 – We got a slightly earlier start this morning and after breakfasting on leftover frittata and toast, we headed out to Mount Taranaki. We were about 6 km from the Dawson Falls Visitor Center and the road was closed (temporarily) because a crane was coming down from the construction site at the top of the road. (These road closures seem to a recurring theme with us!) It was only supposed to be about 15 minutes, but we decided to back track 3 km to Hollard Gardens, which we were planning to visit after the falls. The gardens were established in 1927 and are really beautiful and lush – full of rhododendrons, hydrangeas, and camellias, among hundreds of others . We happily spent 25 minutes wandering through.
We then returned to Dawson Falls and trekked to the base of the falls and back up again (248 stair steps each way). The falls are 18 metres high and were really pretty. We sat at the base of the falls for a while, enjoying the cool air and occasional mist. We definitely took our time ascending the 248 stairs and the 600-metre uphill walk back to the car park. It was so much easier going down!
Incidentally, for those that are curious, Mount Taranaki is an active volcano. Although it hasn’t erupted since 1854, scientists estimate a probability of eruption of 1.0% – 1.3% each year. Statistically speaking, that doesn’t seem that low to us, especially when you’re standing on the side of it.