But we had a blast. Not only did we get to stay in one of the nicest little vacation homes we enjoyed our week of relaxation and adventure. We took a load of books with us to give us plenty of excuses to sit still but of course it only worked a few days. The rest of our time we spent exploring.
There were a number of hiking trails near by so we hiked through some amazing terrain. Our first day out we went for a hike around a lake. There were twisty turny trees along the trail that just made you smile. One tree Glenn got to know the ins and outs.After taking a short hike around a lake we decided to go to the hot spring pools. There were private rooms with hot pools that did not have chlorinated water. You paid for a fifteen-minute time slot to soak. We enjoyed the naturally heated water and let our muscles relax. When we it was time to get out of the pool I felt like I was going to pass out. I had to lay down on the floor for a bit to try and get my head to stop spinning. Glenn eventually went back to the front desk to return the key to the room and came back with a bottle of juice. What a relief this cold juice was just the medicine I needed to subside the vertigo. The moral to this story---Do the hot pools on cold days or be sure to drink a lot of fluids on hot days.
The two longest hikes we did started at either side of the Tongariro Crossing. On Wednesday we set out to hike and we started from the parking lot that most of the pamphlets recommended as the place to finish your hike of Tongariro Crossing. It was a misty day so we decided to hike to the hut that was said to be two-three hours walk. It was a misty and cloudy day. At the start of the hike we walked through a lovely green forest the trail soon became stairs so we climbed and climbed and climbed. Emerging from the lush greens of the forest we found ourselves in a landscape that we could hardly describe. Maybe something like a misty desert—I know that is an oxymoron but that is the best I can do. From here we continued our up and up climb as we got wetter and wetter (one would think we would have dressed better for this weather oh well). We crossed little creeks that steamed a bit and smelled of sulfur. The vegetation and rocks around this section ranged in color from rusty reds, brilliant yellows to deep plum purples. I was quite fascinated with these variations so took many pictures. We eventually made it to the hut (Ketetahi Hut) and took a little rest and ate some food. Our downward climb went much quicker and of course the shower we had when we got home was well appreciated.
The next day was sunny and warm. We started out the hike stunned by the amazing view. It was a much more gradual hike to begin and we took our time admiring the streams that gurgled along the trail. We also noticed the black trails of hardened lava rock that seemed to flow from the mountainsides.
The trail did get steep as we reached mountainside and we huffed and puffed our way over rocky terrain till we made it to leveler ground. Once the ground had leveled we found ourselves in a snowy valley, called the South Crater, between two volcanic Mountains, Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe. On the side of Mt Ngauruhoe there was steam billow. Glenn smiled at me and said with light hearted but slightly tense voice, “You know these are still active volcanoes.” We climbed a bit more past the South Crater and enjoyed the view. Then we decided it was time to make our way back to the car, round trip we hiked for six hours. That evening we slept well.Can you find me in the picture below:)
