STRAY Tour
Day 5
Our big plan for the day was to do the Tongariro Crossing, apparently one the best day long hikes in the world which takes in Lake Taupo, the emerald lakes, and two volcanoes (one of which was used as Mount Doom or whatever its called at Mordor in Lord of the Rings.) It was raining so hard the walk was cancelled and we spent the morning in town drinking coffee and buying supplies.
I think the Maori people must have been dead lucky when they found this place and called it Aotearoa. 'The Land of the long grey cloud that pisses it down every bloody day' would possibly be more accurate.
We drove straight through to our accommodation for the night called 'The Scotel.' The main hotel is an old converted Mental Hospital, miles from anywhere with a newer block added a couple of minutes further down the road. The new bit was still really nice though. The interior looked like the place Jack Nicholson went a bit mad in, in 'The Shining.' Add that to the dark forests, omnipresent cloud and hammering rain and the place really seemed spooky. Until we found the free Spa and games room, at which point it became the best place in the world!
As I sat in the spa that afternoon with four nurses in bikinis, feeling toasty warm while looking out at the rain through the steamed up windows, I figured to myself, this backpacking lark ain't bad.
We (the nurses, a few Jeffs and me) felt comfortably isolated that night as we drank in their bar, next to a big fire, listening to the rain hammer down on the wooden roof.
***I lost my notepad/diary for the period from now until Queenstown. I'm doing the next bit from memory so the next week or so may be easier to digest in places (ie. less detail) but ultimately not as good a diary for me.***
Day 6
Arrived in Wellington.
I didn't go out that night I don't think. I did go to bed that night though. Probably. Yeah, I'm sure I did. (Curse my bad memory) Yeah, because I got woken by Sinead and Caitrina when they came in. And Caitrina was having an argument with Jeff (Danish guy) about how to say 'Both' and 'Boat.' Jeff couldn't understand why she was saying 'Boat' for er... Both.