Tongariro! Tongariro! Part 1, Ngauruhoe.

The Tongariro Crossing is often marketed as the best one day hike in New Zealand. I had a quick look at the website, and it looked amazing. It was going to be my 2nd climb around a volcano since Aso, Japan. Tres excitement.

The weather really makes a difference on a mission like this so I was anxiously checking the report (which changed its mind like twice a day) to make sure the day we planned to walk was going to be a clear and beautiful one!

We drove from Auckland, and it was a nice ride. It was during the week so we mostly had the road to ourselves apart from a few big delivery lorries. Michal booked us into stay at Club Habitat which had a motel look going on. It was pretty ghetto but did the job for two nights.

Over dinner we discussed how we were going to get to the national park. The shuttle buses offer to take you to the start of the trek for $20/$40 for return. Since we had a car we were reluctant to pay this price- it would have been $200 alone on transport, we said pfft! Many options were discussed, we tried to ask if anyone else was doing the trek the next day so we could share a lift; hitch hike; just pay the shuttle. Turangi is closest to the END of the trek, I didn't know this, and just thought it would have been closest to the start so I don't think my input in the discussion really made any sense. ANYWAYS, after phoning the bus company, we decided to drive to the end of the trek, and then jump on the 7.30am bus which would take us to the start of the trek. The woman at the hostel reception told us we could only buy return tickets. Don't believe her lies.

Ok, so the next day we wake up at 6am happy as can be, and eat some breakfast. Porridge with a banana, tea, toast. Energy, energy. It was really cold, and I was tired but also kinda nervous and excited.

Scenic lookout point! (NZ roads signs are pretty accurate)

8.30am

In NZ, they call this sort of activity, 'tramping'. You can see Michal's tramping gear which consists of thermals with shorts on top. So many colours! We weren't going to lose her.

The trek starts off relatively easy until the part where you start climbing up towards Ngauruhoe. There are huts dotted off the trek so some people were doing it with all their camping gear, like 50l packs. I don't know how they managed it.

Ngauruhoe in the background.

Mt. Ngauruhoe is the biggest peak in the crossing. Its a monster, and its not part of the trek so there is no path. We had all decided before that we were up for climbing it, and there were several others already half way up by the time we got there.

Looking up Ngauruhoe

Not sure if the above photo does it much justice but it was small grey rocks at the bottom which were easy enough to walk over, and then it changed to like black ash so every time you took a step you would slide down a little which, you know, isn't ideal. Two of the group went racing ahead, and I was kinda in the middle on my own but it was good just going at my own pace. I would stop every now and again to look back at my progress, absorb the view, take some photos, drink some water. It was tough! Definitely a mental challenge as well as physical.

Michal, and Annie

Keep on, keepin' on. I think you can get a sense of what it was like from the above photo. Nothing for miles, crumbly rocks, crazy steep gradient, and tiny little figures following me up.

After a while, these big boulders appear, and people were climbing over them and I was thinking to myself what would take less energy- to walk round the side of them and use my arms to help pull myself. Or climb over the boulders. I did the first option for a while but it was getting tough with no gloves, and the people in front of me who climbed over them seem to have created some distance so I tried that after a while. When I turned back, I couldn't even see Michal and Annie anymore. Boulders must have been huge. Then the rocks change again, to red and kinda less crumbly but still very loose under foot. I could see Nil, and Molly at the top, and my tummy was rumbling and I just wanted to sit down for a while, and eat, and not have to climb, haha.

Anyways, just as I'm about to climb up the last few boulders to the top, I hear a grumble. Which was scary because it echoed for ages, (I know it wasn't my tummy), and I thought to myself, it can't possibly be an active volcano otherwise we wouldn't be allowed to climb it. Why is it grumbling then?!! To the left there was a smoking peak, and the sulphur was a lot stronger here. I look up at the others who are already up there, and they don't seem too concerned about the noise so I carried on pushing to the top.

TOP OF THE WORLD! I love that feeling when you reach the top. TOP OF THE WORLD.

THE CRATER

The view from the top. MEAN.

Take a hat for the top, its gets really windy, and an extra layer too for when you're eating your sandwiches and cooling down! We stayed up here until everyone was up, and just relaxed for a bit. I was thinking as I was going up, hmm, this isn't going to be easy coming down...

yikes!

These rocks were LOOSE. I found the best way was just to have one foot in front and slide. It created a small avalanche of sorts but there was no one directly below me. I had cleared a path with my path but didn't let Annie use it because she was sending rocks tumbling down after me, pretty scary. This sliding down gets a bit tiring, and boring after about 10 minutes. Took me about 40 mins to get down. Can you imagine sliding for that long! It was fun though because there was no path you actually had to think about what you were doing. I loved it.

Ok, the whole trek took us 10hrs so I'm going to break this into two parts...

http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/

Sabeto mud baths, Fiji

Bula bula!

So another day in Nadi town... to be fair there's not much happening on the mainland and your main decisions are where to sit and read with the best tanning/ not likely to burn spots (delete accordingly). So it was one of many lazy days at Bamboo hostel, and they had organised a trip to the mud baths. The only thing that put me off was the cost- it was $35 for transport to the mud baths. Not a lot of money but someone was trying their luck somewhere. I checked again when I knew the car was filling up, and the guy said it was still the same price. I said I would give him $20, and he said, yes ok, don't tell anyone. Well I'm telling the world, you sneak!

The drive takes you out of New town, and past the airport with the sleeping giants in the distance. Legend has it that the giants had too much kava and fell asleep there on the spot. There is now a beautiful garden of orchids at the bottom of where they lie, and it is also another attraction on the mainland but we didn't venture that far.

The route goes off onto a rocky side road. Gravel. And there had been a thunderstorm over night so there was puddles, and over flowing rivers. We had to walk the last part because the taxi driver didn't want to wreck his car which is understandable.

The mud bath

So we get there and meet our host for the day. There is a small hut which they also call a changing room, and here you can change into your bathing gear. Next she took us over to the mud pool, and put down a big bucket of mud: 'Cover your whole body, and don't forget your supermarket...' so we spent the next 15 or minutes covering ourselves in mud. Lovely. Its very good for your skin because of the sulphur content apparently. edit* I think my skin was a little bit softer afterwards!

Checking for missing patches

Then we had to let the sun dry the mud onto our skin, kinda like a mask but an all over body mask. The mud cooled down my body at first but then it started to bake onto my skin, and it changed grey like clay and made my skin feel tight. Yikes!

Drying off in the sun!

Once dry we lowered ourselves slowly into the mud pool. Its such a bizarre feeling because you take one step and your foot just sinks into the mud until your knee deep, and you take another step and the same happens. And you're supposed to wash off the caked mud in more mud! Fun times! Also, just to make your skin crawl a little- who knows what is crawling around in that mud... no one knows because you can't see what's going on. Clear as mud, my friends!

Ok so once we were done scrubbing off, we were taken over to the hot springs. The first pool our host took us to was small, and bubbling, and she said that this was the hottest one, too hot to go into so we followed a small shaded path til we came to another mud pool. This one was more of a caramel colour. It was lovely. Like a warm bath, but muddy. Very relaxing, and you're surrounded my greenery so its beautiful.

The taxi was only waiting for an hour so we only had time for a quick soak. There was a kava ceremony going on so we joined them for a couple of rounds. A couple of the girls hadn't tried it yet so I just told them it tastes like what it looks like... :]

Kava

MUD! Of course, I only said that to freak them out. I like Kava, and will write more about it in my next post. Ahh the cost of this experience, we were asked for $12 each. Which is not a lot but I also read somewhere that they asked for donation only so it might be good to check with your tour guide. Anyways, probably a once in a life time thing for me because it will for sure be more expensive in New Zealand. Enjoy!

Bula bula!

Fiji, one of my favourite places in the world.

Arriving at the airport you are greeted by a group of men with guitars and a ukulele dressed in Bula shirts. Its 6am in the morning, and they are singing (what I later learned was the Bula song). The welcome song which I would hear several times throughout my stay. Its one of my favourites, I even got one of the locals to teach me it.

I had organised to be picked up by the hostel, Bluewater Lodge, Fiona was waiting patiently for me, and even gave me a quick tour of the town (one street) before driving back to the hostel for breakfast. I love island life. Fresh papaya for breakfast. The only bad thing was, mosquitoes were also feeding on me!! Use repellent in abundance at Bluewater.

After a much needed snooze, I headed into town on the local bus. Big purple bus, with no windows and you pull a string which is attached to what looks like a bicycle bell to tell the drive you want to stop!

ring ring!

Head to Jacks in town for all your souvenir needs; Mama's pizza for the best pizza ever- order one size smaller than you normally would unless you want to eat left over pizza for the rest of your life! Check out the supermarket too. I love looking around foreign groceries stores.

Most people only use Nadi as a stay over before and after Island visits. The Yasawas are on the West of the mainland and the closest one, South Sea Island is only 1 hr away.

South Sea Island- tiny!

Pete and myself headed to Long Beach which is 4hrs from the mainland. We had no idea it was so far away when we booked but its right up at the North of the Yasawas. It was a small family run resort. Basic in that there was nothing to do but lie on a hammock reading a book, or walk along the beach... Perfect. Even all the postcards have Perfect written on them. The food was also basic, and a lot of people complained about this but we were on an island! What did they expect??

Lunch... innovative, right?

I love learning how the locals live. There were only 3 other foreigners at Long Beach while we were there, and whilst all the tourist would bathe in the sun all day, the locals would sit in the shade and play Flicky Flicky- which is square wooden board with wooden discs which you flick into the pockets. Its a 2-4 player game. Its like pool and you choose your colour (black, or white) the red one is always the 2nd last one to go in. The white one is like the cue ball.

Local Fijian game, Flicky flicky

The next day I was shown how to weave a basket from the leaves of a coconut tree before we went rummaging through the forrest for bananas. The bananas were not quite ripe yet, and the pineapple season had just finished so we settled for young coconut. I first came across young coconut in Thailand. They are green, and smooth, and not at all like the brown, furry coconuts we get at home.

Rubin climbing up to get some coconuts for us

Then we sat and Rubin used his machete to open up the coconuts for us and we drank young coconut juice straight from the tree. Very refreshing!

We stayed at Long Beach for two nights then went to Octopus resort for two nights. They had doubled booked the dorms so we were put in a en-suite bungalow which was just tragic ;-) This place was pric-ier but definitely worth the extra money. 3 course meals, entertainment every night, there's a reef like 10m off the beach so there is great snorkelling- I saw a squid eating a fish!!

Preparing Kava

Kava is one of the local drinks used in special ceremonies, and at Octopus, in the welcome ceremony. Its made from the root of a pepper plant and its supposed to make you feel relaxed, and sleepy. I never had too much of it because it made my throat go a little bit numb! If you get the chance to visit Fiji, you'll have plenty of opportunities to try Kava. Enjoy!