From geysers to the end of the north.

Almost everywhere in this country looks like a film set. Green, jagged, interesting fauna and, so far - more cows than sheep. What it lacks is culture really. There is little sense of any history as we drive around. The first settlers did not arrive in any numbers until mid 19th century and the population is still only around 4.5 million. Maori's make up less than 15% of that total, to compare, Asian's make up almost 12% of the whole.  This makes the Maori culture not as pervasive as one might imagine. It's everywhere in the names of places but anything else has to be sought out. 

Waking up in Rotarua was interesting. They placed some snow covered volcanoes there overnight. It was quite a shock to see them in the morning, with the sun glistening on them. We were lucky as they are seldom visible.

The geothermal activity around Rotorua is quite a sight. Yellowstone Park has fantastic geysers but there they are more spread out. Here, it looks as if they have been all placed together to make it easier for the tourists. Just a very short stroll takes you past vivid green pools of water, bubbling mud and great steaming calderas.

Adrian had some business to attend to in Wellington and so left me for two days. Luckily, our rally doc, John, was able to ride with me and be my navigator. Doc John proved excellent at this task and also provided interesting conversation, not that Adrian doesn't.  Normally, A and I settle into a pattern of him driving in the morning and me after lunch. But, as John was not insured to drive the Bristol, it meant I did all the driving for the two days. Not a problem, although the first day was actually the longest drive of the whole rally, almost 500 kms,  and along some very challenging terrain, over three 'saddles' ( NZ term for a pass) and included the 'forgotten world highway' - aptly named. 

Near the top of one summit, there was a viewpoint sign to the to right that Doc and I thought we would investigate. As we turned off, the road became practically vertical, very narrow and twisty and with dense vegetation either side. The car struggled, jerked rather alarmingly and then ground to a halt. I could not get it started again and John suggested that we would have to roll it back down to the road. John took the wheel, as I woosed out, I'm afraid. All was going well, until a large 4x4 with a trailer came up towards us at a great speed. I explained to the driver that we needed to roll down and he removed himself from our track. Once down on the level, he asked us where we were going and expressed huge surprise as the road was so awful. He told us in no uncertain terms that we wouldn't make it. He got that wrong. 

Once on the flat, the car started without difficulty and off we set. The poor Bristol had just been asked to do too much before morning coffee. I know the feeling. 

The rest of the day passed without incident, through stunning scenery with practically no habitation, except at Wangamomona, a minuscule self styled republic with a pub that served a great steak sandwich lunch. We went through a narrow mud tunnel with a wooden roof at one point - a first. 

The following day, was far less challenging, except for in the afternoon when we climbed a mountain to a fabulous viewpoint that afforded us tremendous views of the bay across to South Island the drive down along the notorious Moonshine Road. Narrow, twisty and utterly beautiful. 

This missive finds us in Wellington, the very pretty capital, beautifully situated and far more gorgeous than Auckland. It's a rest day tomorrow - a chance to get some laundry done!  On Sunday, we take the ferry to the south.