Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Today we left the hostel at 9.30am to head to River Valley. On the way we stopped for food supplies in Turangi, the trout fishing capital of New Zealand and then went to Tongariro National Park for a 2 hour loop walk. Tongariro National Park is New Zealand's oldest National Park, one of New Zealand's three World Heritage areas and the fourth one created in the world. We explored native bush and waterfalls in this volcanic region. A lot of the filming from Lord of the Rings took place in the National Park. The park is dominated by three large volcanoes: Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongarino. Mount Ruapehu captured world headlines in 1995 when it burst into life, blasting a plume of ash and dust 12 kilometres into the atmosphere and emptied Crater Lake. A lahar and a small eruption took the headlines by storm in 2007. Ngauruhoe has had several small eruptions while Tongariro has been dormant since 1927. We saw the Taranaki Falls on the walk. After the walk we drove to see the Tawhai Falls. People were jumping off the waterfall. All the guys jumped off and Steph did it for the girls. She nearly got caught up in the rapids and sailed down the river but managed to pull herself out in time. Rory nearly got drifted down the river in the rapids as well. Everyone jumped at their own risk. James showed off and somersaulted off the waterfall. Very impressive. We then headed to River Valley Adventure Lodge where we are staying here for 1 night. Towering cliffs and bush clad hills surround the lodge. The Rangitikei River runs right past the front door. It is famous for its steep and technically demanding rapids. River Valley is a combination of adventure, atmosphere, fun, great food, beautiful surroundings and friendly staff. Gina and I are in a six bed dorm room with two girls from Canada and two girls from Sweden. In the evening we just chilled out chatting with everyone. Some of the guys after dinner decided to come and sit in our dorm room for a while. When we all got tired they vacated our dorm room and we went to sleep.
- comments