Holy smoke

This morning, a glimpse out of the curtains is enough to predict the weather… Ok. What do we do here in bad weather? The Tongariro Alpine crossing would not be doable with strong winds and snow, and the skydive cannot be done with these clouds.

We surf our brochure-flooded campervan to help us decide on the course of the day. There are all sorts of information here, maps, activity guides, things to do under the rain, accommodation and restaurants directory. The Lonely Planet could be obsolete in this country…

We drive 40 min in search of a better weather and stop at Wai-O-Tapu, the revered Maori thermal area. At 10:25 every day, the Lady Fox geyser erupts and stays in eruption for about an hour. We take a walk among the very colorful craters, mud pools, and the devil’s bath filled with yellow sulfur waters. The eggy smell fills our nose and the smell of sulfur everywhere blends with the smokes. The lunar landscapes are quite spread in the area and there are incredible pools with reds, yellows and green colors mixing.

The skies are still covered and it rains non-stop. In any case, a blue sky is hidden behind the clouds. We go back to Taupo after a brief stop at Rotorua, and we ask about the weather. It looks better tomorrow, so we head to Tongariro National Park and stay at Kiwi NP in preparation for tomorrow’s treck.

Breakfast at Repleto in Taupo, good hot chocolate. Lunch at Japanese restaurant.

Comments

[Steph]

Hi Rita, Jeremie and Noemie

Hope you are all well.
Looking forward to the rest of your New Zealand trip and your future adventures.
I was wondering if you would be able to give some advice as you have travelled many countries and most of the these countries being very different from one another.
What sort of luggage do you recommend and use? I am going to Uganda this year (my first time in Africa), but will also be doing city trips, etc...
I have looked at these travel packs on wheels which can convert into backpacks and holdalls as well. I want to buy luggage that can be suited to a safari in Africa and to a city trip (two very different holidays). In my backpacking days, I just used a backpack, but do like wheels now!
What would you suggest as an all round good bag that is adaptable to all sorts of different types of holidays?
Thank you for your time.
Steph