Jack Johnson Concert

Jack Johnson is awesome! What more is there to say?

Tongariro Crossing

The Tongariro Crossing kicked my ass, but I conquered it in the end! This tramp is listed as one of the most popular in New Zealand, and maybe even in the world. At 7:30 in the morning Jeff and I caught the bus from Turangi to Mangatepopo Hut where it all started. The first hour was easy walking along a fairly flat walkway. I noticed the birds singing and the sun shining. It promised to be a good day. Within the next two hours, I started to curse the birds for being so damn happy and the sun for being so hot. The nice wooden track turned into a steep, rocky mountain!

After the steep climb, we arrived at the base of Mt. Ngauruhoe. An extra three hour trip to the top of the mountain was possible of one so desired. I did not-I had no qualms about passing that one up! Once we reached the top of the pass, the Emerald Lakes and Blue Lake came into view. The bright aqua blue mineral pools seemed out of place in the bare, volcanic landscape. With steam coming up from the ground, it reminded me of being on another planet. It wouldn't have seemed at all surprising to see a green martian pop out of a hole and walk across our trail!

We ate our lunch by the lakes and then started down the other side of the crossing. The tramp took us 7 hours to complete, with very little stopping. Needless to say, I was just a little sore the next few days!

As we drove home through Taupo, We happened to catch the Ironman event going on. Since the traffic was backed up we stopped for some lunch. As I hobbled into the cafe like an old granny I felt just a little guilty when people looked at me with admiration for supposedly completing the Ironman!