Heading North to Lake Taupo
Good Morning Everyone!
I am off early this morning to catch a bus to Taupo, which is about 6 hours north of Wellington. My backpacker mates and I went out for a great Saturday party last night, they said that they wanted to give me a right send-off, and needless to say it was a bit difficult dragging myself from bed after just 2 hours of sleep! ; )
The Taupo region hosts New Zealand's first National Park. This park contains three magnificent volcanoes - Mt Ruapehu, Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe (the latter which stars as the scary ‘Mt Doom’ in the movie “Lord of the Rings”). If the weather is good, I hope to be hiking the Tongariro Crossing, which is a full days' hike to the top of Mt. Tongariro. If the weather isn't good, I am sure I'll find something equally fun to explore. : )
I enjoyed Wellington. It is a fun city with a very active nightlife. There are many delicious spots to dine in, funky stores, interesting architecture, and tons of green space. I walked up to the Mount Victoria lookout yesterday which gave me a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. It was very scenic. The gang at the Worldwide backpackers mostly consisted of people on a one-year work visa. They hail from all over the world: Ireland, the UK, Germany, and Switzerland. And they were very welcoming to travelers like myself. It felt a little like one big family.
I've actually found that traveling the way that I have been is a great equalizer - it doesn't matter where you come from, or where you are going, how long you are staying, what you do back home, everyone is on equal footing. It's pretty liberating.
I am off early this morning to catch a bus to Taupo, which is about 6 hours north of Wellington. My backpacker mates and I went out for a great Saturday party last night, they said that they wanted to give me a right send-off, and needless to say it was a bit difficult dragging myself from bed after just 2 hours of sleep! ; )
The Taupo region hosts New Zealand's first National Park. This park contains three magnificent volcanoes - Mt Ruapehu, Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe (the latter which stars as the scary ‘Mt Doom’ in the movie “Lord of the Rings”). If the weather is good, I hope to be hiking the Tongariro Crossing, which is a full days' hike to the top of Mt. Tongariro. If the weather isn't good, I am sure I'll find something equally fun to explore. : )
I enjoyed Wellington. It is a fun city with a very active nightlife. There are many delicious spots to dine in, funky stores, interesting architecture, and tons of green space. I walked up to the Mount Victoria lookout yesterday which gave me a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. It was very scenic. The gang at the Worldwide backpackers mostly consisted of people on a one-year work visa. They hail from all over the world: Ireland, the UK, Germany, and Switzerland. And they were very welcoming to travelers like myself. It felt a little like one big family.
I've actually found that traveling the way that I have been is a great equalizer - it doesn't matter where you come from, or where you are going, how long you are staying, what you do back home, everyone is on equal footing. It's pretty liberating.
posted by lala at 2:03 PM
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