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Craters of the Moon: Lake Tapu

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After we left Tongariro National Park, we head north toward Rotorua.  But we have several stops planned along the way.  Our first stop is Craters of the Moon which are geothermal pools.  We see a giant geyser off to the side of the road as we approach our site.

All of the craters at Craters of the Moon are the result of hydrothermal eruptions.   This is when a steam vent is temporarily blocked and the pressure behind the blockage builds up and causes an explosion.  Hot water, steam, mud and pumice are thrown up into the air causing the surrounding soil to collapse forming a hole or crater.

The loop around Craters of the Moon

There is a a lovely 40-minute loop walk around the craters of the moon that takes you around the property.  You can add an additional 20-minute walk if you decide to do the upper loop and the stairs to the top of a large geyser (which we opt to do).

The largest crater in the park is 40 meters across and really hard to miss.  There are puffs of smoke everywhere you look.

There is only a light sulfur smell which is surprising.  The temperatures rise between 5-8 degrees around the park.

Wayne get’s a free facial at one of the geysers.

The Craters of the Moon were created in 1991 so the park is fairly new.  But they have a nice path that takes you around the park and lovely signs that tell you about what you are seeing.

Super fun experience and it only cost us $10NXD per person.  All of the money goes to supporting the trust that runs the park.  

  • Kilometers traveled: 120km
  • Hotel: Arawa Hotel
  • Travel time: 1.35hr
  • Kilometers Walked: 8.6km

Events from this day occurred in Mid-March.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events. Check out our last blog post Tongariro Park National.

Tongariro National Park Hikes

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We came to the Tongariro National Park so that we could do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing which has been hailed as the best one day hike in the world.  It is 19km (12miles) and takes about 7-8 hours.

However, our plans were changed and we had to skip this beautiful hike.  Matt hurt his knee while jumping over the Moeraki Boulders and had a severe limp.  Then we watched the video and I realized that I probably would have much difficulty on the descent as it is over 1,000 meters straight down and that would wreak habit on my knees.

So, what did we do with our now free day?  Different hikes that did not have steep climbs.

Taranki Water Falls

About 45 minutes away from our hotel are the Taranki Water Falls.  They are a whopping 20m tall and can be found in the center of the Taranki Falls loop walk which is about 6km and takes 2 hours.

The views are lovely with towering mountains and vast fields.

Volcanoes and mountains reach for the sky.

We crossed over several rivers and enjoyed many small waterfalls

Half way thru the track we finally come to the Taranki Water Fall and it is majestic!

The waterfall jets out of the mountain and lands into a beautiful small pool at the bottom.

The views are really stunning.

Whakapapa Gondola and Restaurant

Just down the road is Whakapapa (which is pronounced “fakapapa”) where the longest gondola and the highest restaurant are located.  This is a ski resort in the winter so there are ski lifts, snow machines, and snow makers all over the place.  In the spring, summer, and fall, it is used for mountain bikers and hikers.

We were hungry after our walk and were really looking forward to eating at the highest restaurant in NZ.  However, it was closed so we were robbed of the experience.

The view is still stunning, but I can only imagine it being spectacular in the winter when it is all covered in snow.

Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed which seriously irritated me!  But we did enjoy the view and they had a fabulous tiki at the top.

Next we decide to go to do the loop around Lake Rotopounamu (say that 3 times fast).

Lake Rotopounamu Loop Walk

Another 30 minutes down the road we arrive at the Lake Rotopounamu Loop walk which is 5km and about 1.45hrs.  This track circles a beautiful lake surrounded by native forest and is a special favorite of tree lovers and birdwatchers.  It is a relatively flat walk with less than a 150m incline and you are literally surrounded by forest and trees.

We come across three beaches along the loop and they are all beautiful and isolated.

On the way home we pass by the two volcanoes that threaten the life of the locals in Tongariro National Park.

We also find the mountain that we ascended in the gondola (see arrow).

All in all a wonderful day.

  • Kilometers driven:  210
  • Hotel: The Park Ruapehu
  • Kilometers walked: 13.5

Events from this blog post occurred mid-March.  Our blog post run 10-12 weeks behind live events.  In our last blog post we had a long travel day in the car and ferry, but arrive safely at Wellington.

Big Travel Day

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We have a big travel day today and have to get up at the ungodly hour of 0430.  We leave Christchurch before 0500 barely awake.  Not too excited to be driving in the pitch black with low flying clouds and fog all around.  It makes for slow going. 

The drive is about 4.5 hours on a two lane windy road along the coast and up and over the mountains.  The beautiful moon is still out but the moving car makes it difficult to get a good clear shot of her.  I guess if you have to travel so early it is a blessing to be rewarded with the moon and sun rise.

Two hours into our journey the sun starts to come up.  What a beautiful site to see after traveling in the darkness.

I have yet to post photos of us in the car – probably because it is not too exciting, but here we are.

Lucky for us, we arrive with 20 minutes to spare.  We had to be at the ferry dock before 1000 which is the last time vehicles can check in and we arrived at 0940.

Picton Ferry Dock

We get in the que (NZders love their ques), get our pass and pull into the loading lines.  By 1000 we were slowly moving to our ship to board.  Somehow they load all the trailers, trains, campervans, cars, motorcycles, and passengers early.  Our boat the Aratere leaves 10 minutes early.

We are very lucky that our ship left today.  We had several friends booked on the Kaiarahi and their ferry transports were cancelled.  They each received an email stating their ride was cancelled and nothing else.  Evidently, the ship broke down and is out of service for a week!  We are so blessed!

Wellington

We arrive into Wellington just in time to check in to our hotel West Plaza Wellington.  After we drop off the car we walk down to the city center and hop on the cable car.  

The cable car celebrated 121 years this year.  It is 785 meters long and rises 199m up.  It goes through three tunnels and 4 viaducts.  The two cable cars are powered by a steam engine which powers a winding gear that drives a continuous wire rope / haulage cable.  This operates one line or track which can haul two cars in either direction.

Two of the three tunnels are lit up in a colorful design.  They can even custom design the light show for special occasions.

The 2023 cable car (top left) and the track (top right)

The top photo is the original winding house for the cable car system which operated this line from 1902 to 1978.  The cable car on the lower left is car #1 and the one on the right is cable car #3.  Both original, both restored to their former beauty.

Cool experience and interesting museum to explore.  It was a long travel day to get to Wellington, but worth the drive in the end.

  • Kilometers Traveled: by car: 361km by boat 67km
  • Hotel: West Plaza Hotel Wellington
  • Total travel time:  9 hours
  • Kilometers walked: 5.2km

Events from this blog post occurred in mid-March.  Because we have so many interesting and thrilling things to share with you, we created more blogs.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events.  We explore Christchurch and learn about the massive earthquake that destroyed 85% of the city in our last blog post.