Day 15: Taupo - National Park

On about half of the occasions I've stayed in backpackers on this trip I've been lucky to have a room to myself. On the other occasions I think 90% of those I've shared a room with have been from Germany. Last night in Taupo was no exception. The girl in the bed next to me (that is the bed next to the bed I was sleeping in!) was German and was up at 04:30 to go off on a multi day trek, and the other 2 occupants were two young German lads who were also here with their bikes. The challenge for Jacob & Jonas however is that they are here for 6 months and are working their way around the country, so they've got loads of stuff to carry. Seriously, I've never seen anyone try to cycle distance with so much baggage.

Remembering the generous act of kindness shown to me 2 weeks ago by Paul & Ann I thought today was a good opportunity to pass the favour on. Jacob and Jonas were going to Turangi, which I was passing through, so I offered to take their luggage there in the car and meet them at a café at lunch time for them to retrieve their gear.

Whiled away an hour or so in Taupo over a classic New Zealand coffee, a flat white.

The story goes that New Zealanders are so butch (especially the men) that they don't like asking for "ponsy" European drinks like a Latte or a Cappuccino, hence the creation of the flat white. A large black coffee is a "long black".

Followed the lakeside road down to Turangi

then waited for the intrepid Germans to arrive and helped them get their stuff to the backpackers.

I then had only about a 30 minute drive to get to the turn off for the road up to the Whakapapa ski area on the slopes of Mt. Ruapehu.

This is volcano country, and is also where many of the locations used in Lord of the Rings are to be found, including Mt. Doom (or Mt. Ngauruhoe to give it it's correct name).

My plan was to cycle up Mt. Ruapehu, parking the car at the bottom, but the weather seemed to be closing in so I drove up instead, hoping that the forecast for tomorrow is right and that the rain front will have passed through by lunchtime.

The landscape is dramatic as you drive up the at first shallow then steep slopes of New Zealand's largest volcano.

Got back down to National Park where I checked in to the backpackers (a good place with I think only 3 guests tonight so it's a room to myself again), popped into a café in the village for a snack then drove down to Ohakune, hoping to get up the road on the southern slopes of Mt. Ruapehu before the fast approaching rain clouds swept in. Just made it!

Both on the way up and the way down I was the only car on the whole 17 kms of both winding and steep climb & descent.

A fantastic feeling of isolation.

Many candidates for "panorama of the day" today, but I couldn't resist this opportunity on the way home...

The "bahnorama of the day".

Cooked dinner back at the backpackers and then plan to spend the evening catching up on some reading before I dream of a rain front rapidly moving through the area tonight to leave clear skies for tomorrow's ascent.