Last bit of traveling on the North Island (part 2)

Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn…

As expected, the weather changed during the night and the clouds in the distance heralded the possibility of rain.

Yet I really wanted to hike the Mangorei Track to Pouakai Tarns, spot were some of the most iconic pictures were taken. It is probably for a good reason that the view of Mont Taranaki taken from Pouakai.

There’s probably a good reason why the view of Mount Taranaki from the Pouakai Tarns has been featured on the cover of the Lonely Planet.

But with the weather forecast looking stable for the next few hours, it also meant that the wind could clear the clouds and make way for clearer skies.

So after breakfast I decided to head into the city centre for a decent coffee and a stroll to get a taste of the atmosphere.

Around 11am, I decided to force fate and head for the start of the trail (more info about the trail here).

Basically, you have several options. One is to make the whole 52km-loop around the montain, with overnight stays in mountain huts, that you have to book in advance to make sure you get a spot. This will take 4-5 days.

If like me, you’re more into a day-activity, you can also do the Mangorei Track, that takes you from the parking spot to the tarn. The whole loop, walking at a steady and dynamic pace, will take probably around 3h.

The whole idea was to walk to the tarns, hoping the clouds would disappear by magic and give way for a decent shot.

Long story short, didn’t happen 🙂

But deep down I knew it was going to be very complicated to get all the right conditions gathered to get the perfect shot(s).

Clear skies are only the first requirement.

But there’s another factor that affects the result just as much: the wind.

If the wind is more than about 5m/s, the surface of the tarn become turbid because of the swirl. And thus, it’s impossible to get the reflexion of the mountain in the waters.

So when you see pictures like the first one above, you can be almost certain that the photographer has spent several days in the area, most likely bivouacking nearby to be on the spot when the conditions are right again.

Still, it would have been nice to have at least the view over Taranaki. It would have been worth the effort.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the walk. Even though it was a bit of a climb. Most of the walk was in a lush forest with many plant species unknown to me.

After exertion, convenience…

Back to the car, I had to plan the rest of the day. But I didn’t feel like doing it with an empty stomach. So I drove back to New Plymouth for a late lunch.

Once I had the basics covered (food), I turned to my trusty guide for options.

I started to narrow down the options and finally decided to go to Whanganoui.

The drive would take about 2h30min, which would leave me enough time to stroll around the city.

And with almost perfect timing, just as I started the engine, the rain started to fall.

Whanganui

Why did I decide to go to Whanganui? Hard to say…probably a gut feeling. Was it worth the trip? Well, again, everything happens for a reason. However, if I were on a tight schedule with limited time in New Zealand, this is probably not the first place I would go 😉

Even though we Europeans are more used to old stones and have a different relationship with old things.

However, I find that these provincial towns in New Zealand have a certain, almost old-fashioned charm.

Since it was raining quite heavily, I decided to call it a day. After a quick shower at my motel, I went back to the city center for some…[add your guess] food.

Your guess is probably right ;-). I found a decent Japanese restaurant, called Japanese Kitchen WA.

With some Gyozas and Ramens, the day ended well.

Penultimate day

With the weather still humid/rainy the next day, I decided to slowly head back north, with a final stop in Rotorua before heading back to my cousin’s for the last few days.

Why Rotorua? Hard to say. Inspiration was a bit lacking and after almost 2 months of intense travel/discovery I was exhausted from the constant planning and selection of activities/places, etc.

And since I had already been in Rotorua, during the Coromandel Roadtrip, I had one last item on the wish list, the Polynesian Spa (more on this later). So I would take the opportunity to tick that box.

But first I wanted to have a look at the local market and walk along the river. After the usual takeaway coffee and feeling like I had seen it all, I decided to hit the road.

Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland

On the way to Rotorua, I decided to make a stop at Wai-o-Tapu Therma Wonderland (more info here).

As if the experiences I had in New Zealand were not enough of a change of scenery. So I thought, why not take a little detour to a place that feels like another planet?

Definitely worth the stop if you ask me.

Rotorua

After the sunny spell in the afternoon that allowed me to make the most of my visit to Wai-o-Tapu, it started to rain again just before arriving in Rotorua.

Perfect for a visit to the SPA, don’t you think?

So now let’s talk real. Should you go to the Polynesian Spa (info here)? It depends on your expectations and previous experiences.

It certainly looks super nice on the official pictures.

But personally I was quite disappointed. As I was alone, I didn’t feel like paying extra for my own private pool. Something you might want to do if you’re travelling with your partner or friends.

But the public pools for adults were overcrowded, people were super loud and the water was not super hot.

So if you have a vehicle and feel a bit adventurous, you’ll have a much better time at Kerosene Creek.

This not so secret place is completely free, in the middle of nature, and will be more enjoyable in my opinion.

And with the money you saved, you can indulge a nice massage at Rotorua Thai Massage.

This place was legit, clean and for about 90 NZD I had a full body massage for an hour. So real Thai massage is not for the faint-hearted! The nice lady who attended to my swollen body didn’t look like much, but she had a hell of a grip 🙂

So it’s quite painful, but you’ll be walking on a cloud… but probably 24 hours after the treatment!

I ended the day in a fine Japanese restaurant: Yamato. It had been 24 hours since I last had Asian food after all 😉

The next day I woke up quite early. Probably because the motel I was staying in looked like a place that would be in a horror film ;-).

After a little stroll along on the pedestrian esplanade, not far away from where we slept the first night during our Coromandel adventures, I stopped at a local diner for an early lunch at Fat Dog’s Cafe & Bar

And that was the end of my last road trip in New Zealand.

It was time to head back to my cousins for the last few days. And even though it wasn’t time to get nostalgic yet, I knew I was going to miss this place.

I’ll leave you for now and come back with a final post with some concluding thoughts on my experiences in New Zealand. And of course, with a selection of my favorite images from the last two months.

Talk to you soon!

Un abrazo grande!