Day 92: Tauranga
Feeling good about myself after trekking all morning, I decided to check out the 'Bay of Plenty,' as my father made a comment about how he hadn't been there. The Bay of Plenty is a region in North/Central/Eastern New Zealand, but there is also, of course, an actual bay bearing the name. The drive into Tauranga in search of this bay proved disappointing. I ended up passing through an extremely industrialized area, which no one seeks out in this country. The Bay itself was nice enough, with a bike path leading to downtown, overlooking the city.
Unsure of where to go from here, I decided I wanted lunch and discovered that the town center of Tauranga is actually quite cute and inviting! Red bricked streets guided you towards shops and restaurants which viewed the bay. May as well spend the night here! However, no sleeping in the car for me tonight. I have a big day tomorrow and want to to be refreshed and showered!
Not long after checking in, showering, and dropping my bag, a margarita sign lured me in easily to dine at the Mexican restaurant with a beautiful view of the water. Afterwards I wandered, shopped, ordered my first Starbucks iced mocha ever, and lazily enjoyed the town.
Day 93: Hobbiton! Rotorua, Ogo (aka Zorbing), Taupo
Rising early in excitement for my nerdy start to the day, I navigated towards Matamata - home of Hobbiton! Hobbiton, of course, is one of the many locations where The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were filmed. The cafe meeting point is accessibly tucked away from the main road, but the actual set remains hidden unless you enter the tour. I booked two days in advanced, as they tend to full up!
In line to check in, I met a couple of Germans registered for the tour before mine. After a few brief moments chatting, I decided to join onto their tour (the company graciously allowed the change). It was definitely the correct decision, and not only for the charming German company (voll einen reinschmieren!).
The first group of the day gets the best pictures.... no other groups ahead of you standing in your pictures!
I hope they didn't mind all of the selfies....
Happy after another North Island highlight, I said goodbye to my new German friends and continued to Rotorua. I ate at Fat Dog cafe per recommendation. The portion sizes are huge! And the atmosphere is very cute and inviting. I didn't, however, enjoy what I ordered very much (bangers and mash), but their sandwiches looked to die for.
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| Nice presentation... but sometimes it's not thr size that matters! |
I walked around a bit, trying to decide what to do with my day. A friend from SF had enthusiastically suggested I try Zorbing, so I figured why not? I'd passed two places on my drive into town, and returned to the closest one. Incidentally, the guy who created Zorbing runs this place, but he sold Zorbing to a corporation, which meant his new place has the new name, Ogo.
Anyways, it's basically rolling down a hill inside a big plastic ball. Dry or wet options available.
Not wanting to get wet, I tried the dry version. I think the wet one would be much more fun as you flop around more and can have a couple people inside. Either way, one more experience checked off!
The vibe in Rotorua didn't pull me to stay, so I continued down to Taupo, stopping at Huka Falls on the edge of town.
When I reached downtown and the vast lake, I immediately looked for a hostel. Something about Taupo invited me to hang out and enjoy it. I walked along the lake front, found a place to have ice cream, and ordered fish and chips from a busy bar on the main strip looking at the lake.
I was about to call it a night when a guy stopped me and invited me to have drinks with him and his friend. Why not? After several, we made our way to one of their friend's houses, "The Club." The guys here instantly gave good vibes and were easy to talk to. The orginal guy I met had one too many and almost got in a fight, so when he left I opted to stay a bit longer.
There are only two bars in Taupo where people go to drink after restaurants close, one of them being my hostel. Fortunately for me, that meant everyone was heading back where I wanted to go - and so on it was bedtime for me - in classic Jenn-goes-to-bed-way-too early style.
Day 94: Taupo Round 2, Aratiatia Dam
I didn't particularly like this hostel and really didn't sleep well. It was impossible to get up and down the bunk with making noise or going into the ensuite without waking everyone up. That being said, I didn't want to go anywhere today either, but I wasn't going to stay in this room a second night.
But, the whole day lay ahead to figure that out.
I decided to go watch the Aratiatia Dam release, per recommendation from my new friend from The Club.
After, I set to take ahead walk around Craters of the Moon when I spotted horse trekking. Why not? I rode a horse named horse through the trees and next to the Craters, instead.
Feeling lazy, not wanting to sleep in my car again, but not wanting to sleep in that hostel, my mom gave me an early birthday present of one night in the Hilton hotel. Let the lazy day continue!
After checking in, craving something healthy, I found a restaurant called Vines in town. Treated myself to tomatoes and mozzarella with basil and balsamic and a warm fig salad. I'd go to this place over the ones on the water any day.
I asked the waiter about the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, as I want to tackle it tomorrow. A guy at the table next to me warned that the weather tomorrow would be terrible and that shuttles had all ben cancelled. My dreams were shattered and I fretted on what to do! If I waited for good weather, I'd waste a couple days and not get to see Wellington...
Putting that aside in my mind, I continued into lazy afternoon watching movies at the hotel and swimming in their pool. The Club invited me over for Sunday dinner. I grabbed a few things from the store and enjoyed my last Taupo night with quality people. I mentioned that I'd wanted to do the Crossing, but worried about the weather. One girl, as it turns out, actually lives and works in the National Park! They said just go for it and make a last minute judgment call. I love people like this - that encourage you to go for what you want and do fun things.
Fast Subway stop, before they closed, to pack a sandwich for my long trek tomorrow! Along with some chocolate for an extra boost!
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