The easy way to climb a mountain

The famous Five grow up, buy a bus and hang out at National Park.😉

The gondala was closed due to a power cut in the morning so we had a coffee...

...then visited Tawhai falls - also known as Gollum's Pool as lots of sites in this area were used when filming The Lord Of The Rings.

Finally, with power restored, we took the Sky Waka up Mt Ruapehu

Being summer it wasn't the ski season but some remnants of snow could be seen...

So Malcolm went to investigate, and throw snowballs!

The next day we headed home. A good week's tiki tour.

 

The Tama lakes Walk

We freedom camped beside the railway station and cafe, where we had lunch.

The next day we set out with our friends to walk to the Tama lakes. These are some of the photos...

if you enlarge the phot by clicking on it, you'll see Malcolm at the top of this waterfall.

Malcolm and I went up this scree slope to view the higher lake. This is looking back at the lower lake and Mt Ruapehu

This is the upper lake with Mt Ngauruhoe behind.

Selfie at the top

Our walking buddies, Elaine, Allister and Jo.

Lunch stop at the lower lake

The walk took about seven hours return but was well worth doing.

 

Kaimanawa and Whakapapa

We drove south, this is a view of snow-capped Mt Ruapehu with Lake Taupo in the forground.

Coffee stop

Freedom camped in the Kaimanawa Forest. We had no map of this area so didn't really know where we were going! very peaceful night beside the river...

..where we saw these guys set off white water rafting.

There were lots of waterfalls here.

We drove across this dam to our overnight parking spot.

The next day we took the turn for the Pillars of Hercules. We thought it was a walk but we were able to drive there. The Pillars of Hercules is a gorge with a swingbridge. I think there is a walk to it from a DOC camp, but we need to research further before we come here again.

On the swingbridge.

Looking down into the gorge.

The end of the road beside the P of H.

The narrow road in the Kaimanawa Forest

We headed to Whakapapa hoping the Chateau cafe was open but it wasn't so we had coffee on the bus before heading to National Park where we met up with our friends.

 

Cambridge

We have been wanting to re-visit Cambridge since we were there in rainy mid-winter. First we explored the shops, malcolm was drawn to Over The Moon, a cheese shop and delicatessen.

Next we explored lake Te Ko Utu, hidden away in plain sight in the town centre. It's below the level of the main streets so we'd never seen it before.

There were lots of babies - pukeko, ducks...

...and lots of mature trees, exotics and natives.

Pukeko feeding her chick

Coot feeding her chick...

...leading on to us having a feed :-) Good Union is a restaurant in an old church with seating outside, perfect for a hot day. They brew Good George ales and cider.

Next we walked around the top of the lake past the bowling club, an Edwardian bandstand, rose gardens, etc. All very pretty.

We stayed again in a POP (park over property)a grassy garden with lots of shady trees.

 

Tiki tour to National Park - to Miranda

We headed off from Whangarei, heading for a freedom camping spot called Rays Rest on the Firth of Thames, near Miranda. Coffee stop at in the bus cafe.

It's a beautiful spot and it was lovely to have breakfast on the beach just after sunrise...

...then we were off to Cambridge.