Auckland- Wellington

I Wellington here we come ! An 11.5 hour bus journey down the Island - north to south. It is reputed to be a most scenic journey so I hope it lives up to its reputation. (NZ$68 Auckland - Christchurch - combined ticket).

We arrived at the bus station early so we are now esconsced in the front seat on the upper deck   Seats are not assigned but deck level is. 

We passed by the industrial suburbs of Auckland. Out first pit stop was Hamilton , a major railway hub but had little to offer the general tourist Our lunch stop was Tokopoa,  where we dined al fresco from a local bakers.  

This town is the centre of the forestry industry   The sculpture below pays homage to the contribution of forestry to the area's employment. 

We continued to Lake Taupo. This is a volcanic crater filed by water 185m deep, created by the Taupo volcano which erupted in 186 AD, spewing out 24 cubic kilometres of debris - at least ten times greater than that produced by Mt St Helen or Krakatoa   Ash was carried around the world - the Chinese noticed their skies blackening and the Romans recorded that the skies turned blood red! As we approached the town a traffic jam developed. Looking forward I thought what I saw was a cloud of smoke but in fact it was steam rising from the thermal springs. The area is close to Rotorua, the centre of the volcanic activity in the area. 

We continued to nearby Lake Taupo. 

The town was crowded with tourists and the traffic delayed our entry and contributed to a late arrival in Wellington by one hour - 11.5 became 12.5..It was a typical sea/lakeside town with the usual shops sporting recreational goods. Lake Taupo is , in area, the size of Singapore and far out o n its horizon were three volcanoes. 

Up to this point the land had been low and supported arable farming The Maoris had the discovered the agricultural benefits of volcanic soil. 

We continued travelling south and hugged the lake for the next 50km or more. At Turangi we entered Tongariro National Park , 

a UNESCO world heritage site. and drove 'the desert road'. The area does appear desertlike but our driver informed us that it experienced too much rain to be called such. The landscape mirrors that of a desert with a sandy, vegetation which only supported grasses. In the distance, one could see the 1967 Mt Tongariro, and the highest point Mt Huapehu at 2797 and Mt Ngaunihoe at 2287. 

Leaving the desert road , we stopped at Waioru   All towns appear similar as the colonial architecture has been sacrificed to more utilitarian styles, more reminiscent of small town, USA. 

As the north -south train is now mainly a tourist attraction, locals take the bus, which resulted in numerous stops. The road is only a two lane one, with a passing lane available from time to time. It is reminiscent of Irish roads prior to the construction of our motorway s. 

We continued to Palmerston North, a large and impressive city. From there we followed the very scenic route along the coast into Wellington. 

We had arrived - travelled the length of the Island, experiencing its impressive scenery and the mores of its people. The Kiwis are extremely friendly and helpful.  

We made our way to the Ibis Hotel, two blocks from the bus station , checked in and then adjourned to a Belgium pub for sustenance. It had been a log, long but enjoyable day.