Tongariro crossing

Today's plan was to head out to hike the Tongariro Crossing near Mt. Ruapehu, one of three main volcanic cones in the Turangi/Taupo area. Unfortunately, it had clouded up as the weather was forecast to do and a mist greeted us in the morning.

So we drove to the start of the trek, just under the cloud layer, and could see nothing of the views that we knew were there. The trail was officially closed due to weather, So we headed out to continue the drive around the whole area. It poured rain for the last half of our 220km day. Back in Turangi we cooked a chicken dinner and made plans to head out to the west to Stratford and Mt. Taranaki in the Egmont National park. Heavy rains are expected tonight but easing by noon, so fingers crossed. Thus concludes our first week in NZ.

The photo is of the start of the crossing - only fog and cloud above us and trail was closed for a few days.

Impressions: Friendly people, good coffee, excellent meat pies, lots of Greenstone (we call Jade) in traditional carvings of a fern, fish hook, eternity symbol, etc. clean water, neat roads, sulphurous mineral pools, lots of sheep and cows, pines, cabbage trees, and flax (a plant that the Maori make rope and grass skirts out of, expensive groceries, gas is $2.18 per liter, about double the cost of home! More later.