Neck Creek scope out

Following our new found passion in exploring New Zealand Canyons, we scoured the maps looking for a potential creek that may offer some form of adventure close by. I found a creek at 'The Neck' of Lake Hawea/Wanaka, which we later found out is called 'Neck Creek'. After playing around with Google maps and assessing the creek from Google earth we decided that it may hold some potential.

We had limited gear so this was going to be a scope, hopefully ascend up the creek see whats involved. As we drove along towards The Neck we saw our canyon and as we suspected the creek ended with a rather large waterfall. We decided an accent from the base would be awkward so we climbed the ridge line through the recently scorched bush to try and drop down into the creek from higher up.

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Lower Fall

We eventually came to a saddle which enabled us to drop down back towards the creek where we met with the water. By this point it was raining so we figured we may aswell put our wetsuits on and stash the bags and head down. We knew we would have to return as a descent down the main falls would require a longer rope than what we had.

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Start of Canyon

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The canyon began with a few small pools and a gentle flow of water from which the walls began to raise and steepen up. It was evident that there was no access or escape from here on in. So we only descended obstacles which we could retreat up. We arrived at a large boulder choke, Sam managed to pass under it whilst I pass over it.

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Boulder choke

Abit further on we hit a small 3m fall jammed up with logs, we careful dropped down balancing along the logs, being careful not to dislodge any of them. Just beyond the fall the creek dropped 8m over a large boulders, to the right there was a sloping wall where a large trunk had lodged itself in. We put a short rope around a stump and Sam lowered himself down the drop.

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mmmm

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Lower off

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Vegetation

Before lowering we could see that we wouldn't get much further than this point, so I stayed put whilst he passed through a maze of vegetation until he reached the point that we spotted early on our walk up, a series of drops and pools above the main waterfall. This was to be the end of our scope.

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End point (for now)

We both retreated form the canyon and trekked back down the to car. Satisfied that we had covered enough ground to say a full descent is possible on our next return with a bigger rope.

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Hagraven Staff of Skyrim

We've Sold It!

The journey of our camper has sadly come to an end, we sold her on 30th June to a young couple from France who are here to travel for the year. It was a shame to see it go but good to know its going to be back on the road touring the country once again. It didn't take long to fill the empty patch on our driveway, infact we've had a car lined up for a while but needed to sell the camper. So now we are the owners of a very well looked after Subaru Legacy which is much more suited for our day to day shenanigans along with adventures that might require the odd nights kip in the boot, we both fit in rather well!

Farewell picture of our camper

Our New set of Wheels

Meanwhile we're still waiting for the snow its a late kick off for the season but the forecast is looking good for next week. My Lifite training went down a treat and theres a lot more to the job than i initially thought. At one point we we're getting kitted up in harnesses, scaling the lift towers and throwing ropes over the cable practising evacuation in the event of a lift failure. Its all exciting and i can't wait to get up there with the rest of my 30+ liftie crew. Plenty of pictures once we're underway

NZ Mountain Film Festival , Wanaka

The NZ Mountain Film Festival, hosted in Wanaka has just kick off its the 9th annual event which will be screening adventure films from around the world along with workshops and guest speaker its sure to be an inspirational few days and me and emma are chuffed to have tickets for the full 5 days.

Emma is due an update soon, so watch this space she's been busy...

New Blog, old blog, which blog!

So as you may know we created this new blog because the subscription for the original joburt was due to finish, but as it turns out the people at mobileme (our server) decide to renew the subscription for another year, free! So now we've got two blogs, but i'm sticking with the switch to this site, its alot better for quick updates and I fancy a change. The original joburt is still active and we'll use it to link photos etc. There is a link on the right hand side if you ever want to go back and check it out.Right then just to let you know the ski season is about to start, I've got 3 days training starting this monday then the mountain will open...just one problem wheres the snow!!!

Settling In

Kia ora once again and sorry to keep many of you waiting, as we have been settling into life here, time has flown by and the question is where to start.

Our Home, Wanaka

Firstly I’m happy to say Lee has got a job working as a ‘liftie’ on the ski field, something he has always wanted to experience. It will allow him to have plenty of time boarding and a chance to do his instructors course, and he will be able to slow down those lifts for all the newbies i.e me and reduce the risk of embarrassing face plants. I hope.

Wanaka is turning into a pretty amazing place to live, with autumn passing by and winter approaching the colours and scenery have been incredible. Town has turned a little quieter, so we have had more time off work, but more importantly time to get out and play.

Before Ben and Jules left to start their journey home, we had a number of trips to Hospital Flat, our local climbing playground. Fifteen minutes down the road, the routes are short well bolted and get all day sun. To celebrate Ben’s birthday and wish our friends well, we enjoyed a final meal at the spice room, an indian where I’ve also found some work. It was sad to see this lovely couple leave but I’m sure we’ll meet again.

Climbing Wanaka

Sarah, a friend from Uni was also able to join us for the meal, thinking she would get away with just passing through briefly on her travels, but I insisted she stayed a little longer and came for a walk upto Rob Roys Glacier with me. I wish you all the best back in the Lake District now, I know you love it there.

With the excitement of seeing somebody I know from home I thought it was also about time I visited another uni friend Hannah who is living in Kaikoura. Marie a friend from work was mad enough to believe in my idea of hitching there. I am sorry to admit we hitched, I know some of you would be concerned about it but it is more accepted here and it all turned out well.

Hitch To Kaikoura

With only three days to get there and back before work the journey began, now Kaikoura is a good eight hours drive away so you can see why the idea was a little crazy, however with great success and kind drivers we set off at 10am, arriving outside Hannah’s work at 7.30pm. Not costing a cent to get there we celebrated with a few beers and planned our one day there. First thing was to book onto a coach to get back, as we didn’t want to worry about not making it home for work.

Hannah & Emma, Kaikoura

We visited on such a beautiful day, and I loved just sitting by the sea. The highlight was definitely visiting the seal pups at a waterfall where hundreds visit to play in the fresh water pool. (See Videos Ohau Stream Seal Pups)

It was exciting getting away for a few days, but it was also really nice returning back to Wanaka and having a feeling of home, especially with two cuddly boys waiting to be fed.

I have also been busy heading out with groups of students from the local high school. Mt Aspiring College has a fantastic outdoor education programme where students 16+ have lessons on climbing, kayaking, tramping, winter sports and lots more. Apart from it just being fun tagging along, I thought it would be good experience seeing what teaching outdoor Ed is like in NZ. The teachers are all good fun and have become excellent sources of information for all the unknown spots to visit.

I was delighted when they asked if I would like to join a group on the Routeburn Track, which is another of the great walks. The students all took care of one another, and it was great chatting with them along the way, over the three days. The scenery was incredible as we started in Glenorchy, making our way into Milford. Multi-day tramping is big in NZ and it is well set up with huts along the way. In the height of summer, thousands may do this tramp but for now it is perfectly quiet. Having someone who had also guided on the walk nearing fifty times meant we were able to visit secret viewing points.

Routeburn Track

There are also some fantastic walks around Wanaka, and there is always someone eager enough to come out too. Marie and I also seem to get spectacular weather and we had fantastic views of Mt Aspiring from Isthmus Peak. Recently Helen also came too as we scrambled upto Breast Peak, admiring the handy craft of a newly built hut, hidden away.

Mt Aspiring National Park (Home)

Lake Hawea

We have also finally met up with the boys in Queenstown from uni, and when I say we bumped into Ben Farren, I literally did, gazing up across the road there he was, with a huge grin and hug to match. Our quick shopping trip turned into a good catch up and plans to meet again. Ben and Breakall came over to Wanaka recently for a bit of man time when I was away on the Routeburn, although I did get to head out for a climb beforehand. Unfortunately no pictures but it was a good time all getting on top of the tombstone, chilling out and being reminded of the Lake District. On the other side of the world you never know who will be there with you at times. Lee spent a rather intoxicating night over in Queenstown with the boys and has just recently got back from a surfing trip down in Dunedin.

Dunedin Surf

Back to bits and pieces, Lee has done an awesome job getting the majority of the wood ready for winter, and as the leaves have fallen from the trees we have been pottering in the garden still amused with the novelty of it all. An attempt has been made at getting some seeds ready for winter veg, but as my mum says, you just got to bung something in and see how it does.

The van has also gone through a bit of TLC another project to keep Lee busy whilst i’m bringing home the bacon, he has covered up all the rust and just to test his skills further I thought i’d reverse into the next door neighbours post box, leaving a nicely dinted, scratched van and a post box in two. Both were repaired to a high level of workmanship. The reason being we are hoping to sell her, although we have had a fantastic time travelling  in it, it would be more economical having a car.

Firewood

Hope you enjoy seeing some of our new photos, all well and happy over here especially now that mum, dad and Hayles have got themselves booked in for christmas. I’m so excited about sharing so much with you, but mainly to just give you all a huge hug. For the time being we’ll have winter to keep us busy and i’ll look forward to telling you about the snowboarding.

Lots of Love to you all, Lee, Em and Ozzy cat xXx

Our Home In Wanaka

Apologies for the big gap since our last blog we’ve been through an exciting time recently and yes! we are now firmly set up in Wanaka, the next stage of our NZ trip is underway.Firstly, as you all know Christchurch was hit by an 6.3 earthquake on the 22nd February. Luckily enough we had left the area and were in Wanaka at the time, fortunately our friends and family in Christchurch are also safe and sound. Our thoughts are with the people of Christchurch as well as the Japanese, what is the world coming too?So lets take you on a journey of our time spent in Wanaka so far. We arrived here on the evening of 14th Feb, the crazy thing was that the camper broke down as soon as we arrived at our camp spot! it wouldn’t start up again! The following morning I had to ring up the AA luckily enough the guy knew exactly what it was, a common problem for these vans the distributor points had worn. A simple and cheap job to fix luckily. So with our camper ironically breaking down in Wanaka we dropped it off at the garage and headed into town for the first time.Wanaka is set at the bottom end of Lake Wanaka and is the the gateway to the Mt Aspiring Nation park. The town is considered as the sister town to Queenstown, its got all the ‘extreme’ activities you could hope for but is far more relaxing and doesn't have the hordes of people on organised pub crawls, plus the climbing and ski fields are closer and better!So we headed for the centre of town our focus being to look for work and accommodation, but which one first? We came across the first estate agents, popped in and came out with two possible viewing, one later that day at 4pm. We carried on down the street and came across another estate agents this time the lady offered to take us for a viewing there and then, so off we went. Already we had 3 potential houses up for rent and we had only been here 30mins. The next place I came across was the Job agency, there was some vineyard work available starting the next day, so I signed my name down. Emma meanwhile was on the other side of town I got a call saying she had found a job housekeeping at Edgewater, a posh holiday resort, she would start tomorrow too. We couldn’t believe how the day had gone. It was reaching 4pm so we set off to view the house, inside we already knew that we wanted it, everything had gone so smoothly already, we turned up with a massive grin and loved it, by 4:30pm the house was ours. What a first day.We couldn’t move into the house for another week, but it was no worries as we were both busy working. I enjoyed a week of putting nets over the vines with some other travellers who have become great friends. Ben & Julie (UK), Angharad (UK) and jamie (NZ) along with the boss Steve, we all got on really well, to the point that Ben & Juile are currently staying at ours along with frequent visits from Angharad for tea and games of cards.Our little crew stuck together with the agency, doing numerous jobs over the passing weeks such as fruit thinning and house removal work.Emma meanwhile has been meeting many people at Edgewater, many of whom quickly noted her efforts and she was soon getting offers to work in the restaurant as well as housekeeping. I have recently joined her and the team of cleaning fairies who work hard out between the hundred or so rooms. At least there is always lunch to look forward too which comes every day, as much as you want free of charge.These jobs are only the start, we just needed something to help pay our first set of bills and get us set up for the winter. I’m currently waiting for positions to open on the mountain so I can hand in my C.V. We also have a contact with the head of the local college’s Outdoor Pursuits course who Emma is meeting up with this week. I’m starting my training course with a local adventure company call ‘Serious Fun River Surfing’ / ‘Frogz’ who guide people down the white water of the Kawarau River, it starts this week and will involve training me up so that I can guide people down the river on hydrospeeds and body boards next summer.(Emma)Our house is lovely, we have done a little video tour for you to watch (see videos) so I wont describe it here. The main thing to know is that there is plenty of room for you to come and visit of course.Oh we’ve also got a kitten! With a cat flap already installed, we decided to share our little place. Ozzy is fantastic, crazy at times but always up for a cuddle in your lap.We’ve been in Wanaka a few weeks now, but not really had chance to get out and explore, the novelty of having a house has meant we have enjoyed hanging out with friends and cooking lovely food. It has been especially good using veggies from the garden and having the use of a toaster!Days off have cropped up however and we have made the most of them, like walking upto Roys Glacier in the National Park along with plenty of local crag climbing. When Ben and Jules booked to do the white water surfing, I agreed Lee should join them, and luckily the opportunity to work for the company was achieved from doing so.So there you go a quick run down and update of where we are at. We have an address and a number, for anyone who wants to contact us more directly. We shall promise to keep our blog going though as it is part of the journey.Lots of Love Lee, Em and Ozzy XxX

Hello South Island

Our journey has finally reached the South Island and over the past two weeks we’ve had a good taster, and its still only the beginning. The spectacular scenery has captured us and the fact that the population is the same as that in Auckland gives you a sense of how these Islands differ. This is the part of New Zealand we have been waiting for.Our trip began with a three hour ferry journey from Wellington to Picton across the Cook Strait, and it certainly was windy. It was only until we cruised into the shelter of Marlborough sounds that we were able to stand up and admire the first sights of the south. The choice in which direction to head from Picton was quite difficult, either go west to Nelson or east to Kaikoura in the end we settled with west.Nelson & Golden BayNelson is a lively but relaxed city and the starting point to some of the counties most stunning walks and dazzling golden beaches. Hot spots are the Abel Tasman National Park, Golden Bay and the 35km sandbar of Farewell Spit. We spent a good ten days exploring the region starting with the Abel Tasman Coastal Walk, one of NZ Great Walks, tramping through native bush, golden beaches and estuaries. Along with the scenery came some exciting wildlife including seal pups and our first penguin sighting.From the Abel Tasman we headed north along Golden Bay to the Farewell spit, we welcomed the cooler air and a spot of rain, as the heat over the past week had started to be uncomfortable. The grey weather added to the remoteness of the area too, the sands blew around our feet forming wonderful formations. The farewell spit is a huge sandbar with vast areas of wetland, an important stop off for migrating birds. The spit is sadly a common spot for whales beaching and we were shocked to hear that 80 or so had done just that a few days after we had visited.Nelson Lakes National Park consists of two glacier formed Lakes, Rotoiti and Rotoroa which are a half hour drive South of Nelson. The park consists of high passes, forest valleys and basins, as well as being a popular spot for boating and fishing oh and not to mention sandflies. Our time in the Lakes was short, the engine of our camper was over heating, hiding away from the sandflies meant we didn’t get eaten but the heat from the engine made the camper rather toasty in the evenings, so with all this in mind we took the road into Westport to see what we could do. Buying some coolant did the trick.West Coast & Arthur’s PassWestport is at the northern end of the West Coast Highway. This side of the Island is renowned for its wet weather and sure enough we hit rain. We had hoped to stay a few nights sampling the surf but the forecast was rain all week. Not to worry though if the weather is bad on the west a good idea is to head East. So off we set but not before seeing some of the coastline on the way to Greymouth. The jurassic like scenery on our left and the surging Tasman on our right made it a wonderfully spiffing drivePancake Rocks is unavoidable along this stretch of road, so we stopped to see this geological bafflement, best visited at high tide. Pancake Rocks consist of layers upon layers of teared rock. The big swell made it even more of a sight as the water shot through the blow holes and crashed against the shore.From Greymouth we headed East through the mountains. The journey through Arthurs Pass was really incredible the scenery surrounded us on either side, the land is covered in trees with many opportunities to explore. Still with the rain coming down we didn’t feel the need to stay around, travelling back here is something for us to keep and look forward too.ChristchurchNew Zealand is not big at all really, so if you keep moving you soon arrive where you want. So this week we have finally arrived in Diamond Harbour, home to Andy and Hillary, relatives of Emma, our base and postal address for the past six months.We have been relaxing in comfort and in good company along with evening entertainment by the harbours famous band ‘Kab Sauv,’ who gave us an exclusive performance, can you imagine the beauty of song flowing through the air when Emma joined in!A hop over the harbour brings you into Christchurch, we spent a day seeing the sights along with signs of the September earthquake. The journey home was fun too, including a ferry ride and a walk along the coast. Our eyes have been wide open looking out over the back garden for dolphins who often come to play here, apart from when we are around of course! The hills surrounding the area here provide some fantastic tramps and we ventured out for a few taking in the views from different spots. There are again so many more opportunities to have here, but as you will read next we just got to keep moving.I hope it wont be long until we arrive back here to climb the rocks, ride the tracks and surf the waves and not forgetting to see the dolphins. Hillary and Andy thank you so much for everything, the meals, the wine, your advice and help, we hope to invite you to Wanaka soon. Good luck with the Wwoofing Hillary, look forward to hearing about it.Emma is now well and truly kitted up for the winter season, spending nearly four hours in the shop was not quite so great, but it was only us and the owner in there so we really got special attention getting the perfect boarding gear for an excellent deal. Just four months to wait for the snow now.Heading for WanakaWe have been moving faster through the South, travelling rather than exploring the land. Our focus now is to get to Wanaka sooner rather than later, to find a place to settle for the coming winter season. It will get busier as time passes, and the competition for accommodation and jobs will be harder. We are both feeling ready to move out of the camper, but will keep hold of her as its going to be great exploring the south from our Wanaka base, not having to worrying about carrying all our stuff around. We leave for Wanaka tomorrow and so hopefully the next time you hear from us we’ll have an address and an invite for you to visit.Hope you are all well, I know many of you back home are looking forward to spring. It’s going to be exciting making plans with family and friends who hope to travel over this year.Lots of Love and look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy the picturesLee and Em Xxx

Goodbye North Island

Tomorrow we set sail for the south island, but as the north has given us so much, it feels good to share a few more memories of the past couple of weeks, and bid our farewells for now to all the people we have met. We shall see you again for sure.Im beginning to think that Lee was a mole in a past life, we all know he loves caving but did you know how much joy he gets from digging soil. With a blocked toilet situation, he was straight out there to source the problem, shovel in hand, i was standing near with some soap. Unfortunately the fence was not finished at Ben and Sarah’s, but Lee managed to set another few more posts when we popped out for a visit. I was inside tucking into the best iced coffee ever (coffee with ice cream) and trying to understand the rules of a board game when we noticed he was gone, there isn’t many people who would disappear off to dig holes in the hot sun. Then lastly how happy can you imagine he was at the mention of a 100m trench being dug at Prabh and Emma’s whilst we house sat.So happy in fact that we had the trencher hired out the second day we were there, expecting to need it for the day, but in actual fact all done and dug within two hours. He managed to draw out the process of filling the hole in again throughout the day, but did a fantastic job and even connected all the wires back up again.I couldn’t complain whilst he enjoyed having a lie in, i was delighted to be up seeing to all the animals, checking they were happy with food and water before setting the bread maker into action. What a treat to have a kitchen, not once did i resent doing all the cooking as i whizzled and sizzled with every appliance i could find. The blender came in particular use for fruit smoothies to cool us down in the incredible heat we had. When the sun did dip down a little i was out grooming the horses, taking the ponies for a walk, and Lee and I even managed to take the horses out for a ride together. Going out by myself was becoming difficult as Nippy and Lucky were having issues with separation. Whizzy the golden lab was my little shadow, and for his companionship i felt it was only right to visit the stream everyday, he was in heaven fetching a stick and he cooled me off as he splashed by.When the Mokha’s arrived back from Wellington we enjoyed being around for a few more days, more horse riding, having fun with the girls and visiting an axeman and horse show. Prabh, i have mastered the art of making Roti in the van although the skill is more to not get flour everywhere.More chilling out was had at Jimmy and Iva’s, with a cheese fondue experience one night. The boys erected a wood shed in the garden and Iva and I went on some more bike rides, being joined by Julia when we visited Kai iwi for a picnic and a swim.Our last evening was spent at the new Indian restaurant in town, Fliss, Iva and myself visited the beach for a final swim before joining the others for some yummy curry. It was really nice to have a treat with some of our friends from Wanga we look forward to seeing you all again soon.Passing through Palmy we stopped to see Josie, wishing her well at the new house but leaving with a bag of oranges picked from her old garden. Waikanae beach was home for a night, and after a refreshing morning swim we made for Wellington.Life in the capital has been a little windy, but that is what is expected dimly. The pour down kept us hidden away in Te Papa and having an early night with a film and looking at the mapa. The sun however draws the city alive, with concerts in the gardens and people dancing the jive. We are sure there is much more to explore, but parking on the streets is getting tough, and we want to be out in the wilderness rough.Lots of love to many people we know, looking forward to the future flow.Lee and Em xXx

Festivities

Hey MERRY CHRISTMAS, hope you all had a good one and enjoyed the festivities. We thought of you all and look forward to hearing what you got up to.Our day was spent with friends in Wanganui, and after carving the roast beef and putting finishing touches to the mince pies we opened up some presents with Jimmy, Iva, Josie and Chendi with some classic cheesy christmas songs playing in the background, Lee searched out a woolly jumper, scarf and hat to bring an essence of home, and we started to finally feel the christmas spirit.The rest of the day was spent at Ben and Sarah’s, where everybody enjoyed the warm sunshine with a feast of salads, meats and sweets, watered down with cheers and bubbles. It was a fantastic day with Perudo being played continuously and even though we missed our family we felt surrounded by friends.Leading upto christmas, before heading over to Wanganui, we spent a few more days on the surf highway, where we last left you. We really got into the swing of things in New Plymouth, enjoying our days on the beaches catching rays and waves but something was inevitable, we were to buy a surfboard. With christmas around the corner we assured ourselves it would be worth it, why lie on water, when you can walk on it like Jesus. I still need to build up confidence but Lee as always is getting the hang of it with ease.When the desire to get in the water has been forfilled, the pleasure from catching fish has taken hold. In New Plymouth on the docks a four hour wait was made worth it when a snapper finally took a bite. With decisions made of calling it a night, we saw the pull of the rod, full credit to Lee in dealing with the kill, preparation and cooking, it was awesome. Then recently in Wangi he managed it again and on a trip out with some friends he was the only one to catch a kawai and also an eel. It was all grilled and served up to share, never thought I’d ever eat eel but cut it into little steaks with a dap of curry powder it tastes great, really meaty.Being back in Wanganui has been really good for us, as it has allowed us to live here and feel more connected with New Zealand, Jimmy and Iva have been amazing letting us stay for so long, but also so many other people who have invited us in to stay or have diner, we have loved it, and will always be grateful.With Iva keen to get out on her new bike, we were more than happy to have a personal tour guide, cycling to Paloma Gardens, Kai iwi (Food People) beach and more, clocking up over 100km in two days at one point. Us girls also hit some yoga classes, and to cool down we visited Mosquito Point on the Wanganui River which is a great spot for a swim, chill or (dog) cliff jump.The reason for getting a part time job was simply because I thought why not, not because the surfboard had caused a pinch, honest. The day I went looking I got asked back to start that night and so my three weeks at Angora, the mediterranean, turkish restaurant began. In the hectic, busy, hot environment I was once again reminded about the joys of hospitality, the great thing is New Zealand customers never complain, the bad thing is, they never tip. Lee helped in the kitchen for two nights but I couldn’t blame him for calling quits, I was delighted too when christmas eve arrived and my final shift was finished, pheww back to living a holiday. Lee also got stuck in with some manual labour, pruning Jimmy’s Eucalyptus and helping to build a fence at Ben’s, he has more offers on the way.We also tried our luck at having a stall on the local market, the week before christmas. Iva and I spent the week creating lavender stuffed soft toys, using locally grown lavender from Ben. The freshly cut bunches sold a treat and Iva also gained interest in her art work. Even though Lee and Jimmy had enjoyed the week relaxing at Ben’s bach fly fishing, they encouraged us on throughout market day as the rain poured down. We made a good $60 each and enjoyed the experience immensely, and even though the toys didn’t all sell they were accepted in a shop on the high street, where two more have already been sold.We knew coming to Wanganui would mean having good times with awesome people and thats just what we have had. A place so far from home, yet somewhere we can always come back too and feel welcomed. Plans are to be here for a couple more weeks, house sit for the Mokha family and look after all the animals, I cant wait to get out on Nippy again. Then our journey to the south shall begin, I will feel sad to leave here but excited for the lands ahead.Happy New Year to you, with lots of love Lee and Em xxx

Sunny Days In Taranaki

We hope you enjoyed our previous blog about our tramp along the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, it comes highly recommended.After a few more days of relaxing and enjoying the bach in Taupo we made plans to leave, and at the same time the news about the Pike River mine explosion came to a tragic conclusion.  As with the rest of the country we had been watching in hope over the previous few days.Leaving Kuratau we headed west once more towards the Taranaki District, but this time we took the Forgotten World highway (SH43), New Zealand’s oldest touring route. A Rugged 155km 3hr journey between Taumarunui and Stratford, which twists through hills and steep bushy draped cliffs of the Tangarakau Gorge. There are several sights to see through this rural part of NZ, the highlight being the Gorge itself as well as driving through a tunnel called ‘Hobbits Hole’  Along the way we stopped off at Damper Falls, at 85m it is the second highest waterfall on the North Island. Surrounded by native bush, the falls spill over a papa bluff but unfortunately due to the dry weather it was a mere trickle, but we still got a sense of its size.Toward the end of the highway we passed through the unusual town on Whangamomona once a bustling frontier town, with up to 300 residents providing service to hardy farmers trying to wrestle a living from the nearby bush. But in 1924 the town suffered from a great flood, since then the population has diminished and now only 30 residents live in the town. Whangamomona declared itself a republic in 1989 due to past political headache, and you can now get your passport stamped or even buy a Whangamomonian version.After the days drive we arrive in familiar territory, New Plymouth. We had arranged to meet up with Vicky and Shaun, friends of Emma’s auntie and uncle Vicky and John. We arrived at a pub called Fredericks, not knowing who we were looking for we rang Vicky’s number and gazed around at the table seeing who was picking up a phone, there they were, “Hello,” joining them for a refreshing beer we caught up and swapped stories.The past few nights we have stayed at their house and enjoyed numerous BBQ’s, beers, sunshine and  showers as well as meeting a number of their friends along the way. During our time here the weather has been outstanding, the best November for years as Shaun stated. So we made the most of it and hit the beaches.Back Beach close to town gave us opportunities to go surfing, snorkelling, swimming and sunbathing, and really just to get a taste of what life by the sea can have to offer. I am even more tempted to purchase a surfboard, but the body boards are fun and helping us learn in the mean time.As well as the beaches we have enjoyed a number of other places such as Lake Mangamahoe, a beautiful spot which sets itself in the foreground of Mt Taranaki, which still has a fair amount of snow on it. I was also lucky enough to head out to sea with Shaun on his boat to try our luck at fishing. We headed a good Km or two from Port and got our rods out, but unfortunately the wind and swell got up so we eventually had to call it a day, and with no catch we headed back to port with some speed and air.The past couple of nights we decided to head out in the camper, it has been a while since we last slept in it. We spent the nights at a ‘secret’ location where we are lucky enough to have the entire beach to ourselves, cooking delicious foods upon the open fire, its hard to believe we are now only weeks away from christmas.Lee & Em

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

In the cover of darkness a journey begins, four beings gathered from far away lands known as Czech and England. Emma, Lee, Petra and Sarka join to complete their quest of walking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.In recent years the battle against the evil thieves who target cars, motorhomes, and other modes of transport in the car parks have left people with little choice but to succumb to the call of the shuttle bus companies, or to be in anguish and worry during the day.Sharing in the experience of paying $40 we joined the bus with more and more people following, eventually outnumbering the amount of seats. Beating the crowds on the earliest of the shuttles at 6am was not looking hopeful.Low level mist surrounded the bus, only to clear upon arrival amongst the shadow of Mt Ngauruhoe or Mt Doom as some may know it. A miraculous plan to hold back for ten or so minutes adjusting straps, slapping on the sun cream saw the crowds disappear.Setting off we began by following the Mangatepopo Stream and soon approached the soda springs, which gives a final glance at lush greenery, as the scene from now on would consist of black lava flows, dusty crater floors, snow, and all colours of rock.With the path steepening at the Mangatepopo Saddle, the shadow of Mt Tongariro appears, huge, bulky and covered in snow it marks the direction of the crossing to continue. Looking right however the challenge to climb Mt Doom shouts out.Petra and Sarka decided to remain on the trail to enjoy the scenery, and take the day at their own pace wishing us good luck and encouragement for the climb ahead we said goodbye for now. Knowing we would have alot of time to catch up we fuelled up with bananas and water.Mt Ngauruhoe is a classic cone shaped volcano of 2km 600m detour with an average time to complete of three hours. Steep, and covered in scree it is known as a two steps up and one step back experience. But something I’m glad not to have missed, to follow in the footsteps of hobbits.Getting into a rhythm quickly helped to save energy and I was delighted to have chosen to wear my huge boots, as they gave more grip. Kicking steps in the snow also helped ascend the steep slopes. A fair few people had decided to tackle the slope, opting for the direct path up the mountain. It was soon apparent of the dangers of the scree, large rocks started to tumble down the hill side “Below, Below” began to sound amongst the crowds as the people above unshifted lose rocks. There was a shoot out “Over here” it was Lee who had traversed over to the solid ridge, he had found the proper accent route, rather than the decent route everyone was tackling, I soon crossed over as did many others.The rest of the climb was a breeze and before we knew it we were on the summit looking down into the huge crater below. We caught our breathe and had a nibble, but couldn’t hang around for long due to the swam of flies that clung to you once you stopped. We traversed around the crater taking in the view over to the mountains of Taranaki, Ruapehu, and Tongariro. Here we were at the height of Mordor, any Lord of the Rings fan would be proud. The decent was fun, scree running down the mountain took no time at all, and since everyone was ascending up the ridge there was no danger. Also by our shock and surprise we were joined by a German lad who had tackled the whole climb in mere converse!Emptying my shoes of dirt and stones, I became aware of somebody sneaking around behind some boulders, this creature knew my name and was calling. Slowly I approached although the voice was anxious for me to be quick, I grabbed the camera and to my surprise I saw him, Gollum’lee.The trek continued across a hot dusty plateau, heading towards the south crater, a steep ridge then brought us upto red crater, which was a spectacle of all shades. Continuing up a little furthar and then the descent was insight, but not truly before we passed by the beautiful Emerald lakes. The weather had turned out to be perfect as the sun wasn’t too hot but shined enough to really make the colours vibrant, no wonder this walk is regarded as one of the most spectacular.As energy was draining we kept moving, the urge to sit down was not worth the effort it would take to get up again. The wind had picked up when we arrived at blue lake and Lee suggested that we get to the Keteahi hut, before digging into more egg butties, I agreed not realising how much further that still was. However the only way was down now, so a little jog brought those delicious sandwiches that much closer.Leaving the hut, the descent continues, at first along knee height bush, getting higher the lower you go, but as the path is well marked it doesn’t take too much effort. Jumping down steps also helped with our progress as we were aiming to get the 4 o’clock shuttle. Nearing the end the walk brings you deep into the bush, with a river running alongside hidden in the trees, rounding the corner and our nine hour tramp was over.Hoping to tempt some of you out here with this incredible tramp, for others we just wanted to share it with you.Lots of LoveEm and Gollum’lee xxx