March 26-27, 2019: Two Days in Taupo
March 28-29, 2019
On our way out of Taupo, we had to stop for coffee. The only thing we saw on the road was a Burger King. Surprisingly it was the only good coffee we had had so far on this trip.
Forgotten World Highway
Unfortunately, this was the moment I realized I needed to get something for motion sickness. Even when sitting in the front seat, I had to close my eyes and try to sleep to get my mind off of the windy roads and my mom making exclamations anytime it felt like my dad was getting too close to the edge of the road. This highway was an unpaved gravel road with many blind spots. It was as if we were driving through a rainforest and then opening up into hilly pastures. We had a couple of sheep and cow crossing and saw barking pups in action. We went through the Hobbit Hole and thankfully no one came barreling through the other side. At the time it was stressful for all involved, but looking back on it, it was the perfect showcase of New Zealand’s diversity.
Stratford
We took a stop in Stratford to use the public toilets. We stopped in to the I-Site to get some food recommendations. The funniest thing was the woman innocently saying “We have sandwiches. Do you know Subway?” We settled on Yummy’s fried food. Literally everything in that restaurant was fried. We ordered a fish and chips combo and a fish, hot dog and chip combo. Even the corn combo was fried. Needless to say the three of us could have split the fish and chips combo which was super cheap anyway.
We arrived in New Plymouth and checked in to Novotel. After settling in and inspecting all the free bathroom toiletries, we took a stroll toward the Tasman Sea for a sunset walk.
Mt. Egmont
Our mission for the day was to explore Mt. Egmont. We took the drive and saw some rain clouds surrounding the peak. Because of the weather, our trail options were limited. We decided to do a small loop trail that was recommended as “easy” and “family friendly”. Maybe everyone in this country is fit because we did not consider it easy or family friendly. There were steep stairs and not so stable areas, but we made it and treated ourselves to coffees and muffins at the visitor’s center.
Afterwards, we walked back into town and had a snack at the Public Catering Co. One of the reasons for this big family trip was to go back to a country that we were in for 18 months when I was just a wee lass. My parents have always wanted to come back. Now that we were here, we had to take a drive by my dad’s old office building.
Coastal Walkway
In need of some ocean scenery, we drove to the Coastal Walkway. While mom read her book, father and daughter took a walk to the Te Rewa Rewa bridge and back. Unlike the Forgotten World Highway, this path was completely paved with walkers, jogger, bikers and surfers. After working up a sweat, we were craving a burger. And when you crave a burger, you crave a burger. There was a place called Burger Fuel just around the corner from the hotel. I enjoyed the burger, but overall it was a subpar burger. The flavor was there, but the bread was soggy.
New Plymouth is far from the “touristy” vibe that Taupo exuded. It was great to walk the shoreline and see how many surfers there were. Kids were being dropped off for after school activities, people of all ages were waiting to catch the perfect wave, everyone out there to have a good time.
Tid Bits
Van camping has had an explosive popularity in the country. I was surprised to see how many facilities were set up to accommodate them. We later learned that the country has started in build camping areas just for vans so that resources could be better allocated. Amazing!
Because the country seems to be so outdoor friendly we were surprised to see that dogs were not allowed in Mt. Egmont. We soon learned that this was to protect the bird species in the park. Upon searching for some artwork, we learned that birds are a sacred animal. If you’re looking for artwork of a bird, this is the place to get it.
March 30-April 1, 2019: Three Days in Nelson