An Adventure of a Lifetime and a Lifetime of Adventures: Tongariro National Park Road Trip

On Friday, May 4th, three of my fabulous friends I've made in New Zealand embarked on an epic journey four and a half hours north of Wellington to Tongariro National Park. Our journey entailed renting a car. Sounds like no big deal, right? Wrong. Remember, they drive on the LEFT side of the road here in New Zealand. I said I'd be willing to drive because I really wanted to drive on the other side of the road while here, and now I can say I've done that!

Driving on the left side of the road!

Suzanne, Cameron, Ashley, and I left Wellington at 5 because a couple of us had some late classes, and we are good study abroad students who do not skip class. Okay, in reality, we just wanted to have the car as late as possible through Saturday because we were only going to be gone overnight...and we had to have it back by 5. Of course I'd skip class to go explore New Zealand!

Mount Rhapehu

I took one for the team and said I'd drive out of the city. This was the one thing about driving here that worried me the most. After going about 2 blocks away from the car rental shop, I realized that driving on the other side of the road was a piece of cake. After not driving a car for nearly two and a half months, it felt strange to be in the driver's seat. The biggest difference was that the blinkers are on the right side of the steering wheel versus the left. That means that the wiper blades were controlled by a lever on the left side of the steering wheel. That's an extremely tough habit to break so our windshield stayed exceptionally clean while driving the entire time. Luckily the gas and brake pedals are on the same side.

Ashley, Suzanne, Cameron, and I by Taranaki Falls

At about 6:30, I had to take a breathalizer. There were two random police officers stopping every car driving through a town. It was strange, but I think it is great that they take the measures they do to prevent drunk driving here. We made it to our hostel at about 9:30 on Friday night. It was a strange place that seemed to be in a deserted location and was not well lit. Don't worry, everything turned out fine. Unfortunately, I had to take a shower at 5 in the morning in an a shower that was not in a heated room. It might have been one of the worst experiences of my life, but the fun we had exploring Tongariro National Park made up for my cold shower in the cold. It's the beginning of winter here, so it was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit that morning.

Tawhai Falls

We rose early on Saturday so we would have enough time to see the park. We began hiking Taranaki Falls Track which began in Whakapaka Village. We took our time and were able to be surrounded for nearly 3 hours by natural beauty. We had sights where we could see for miles and miles. We also were able to see Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu throughout most of our hike. Then of course, we were able to see Taranaki Falls. I'm not sure how many of my friends back home are huge Lord of the Rings fans, but the sights I got to see this past weekend are ones that would have looked very familiar to you.

Mount Ngauruhoe

We finished our first hike around 9:30. Our next mission was to get gas because it was not something I paid much attention to on the way up. We were going to eat at a cafe at the base of Mount Ruapehu, which meant that having a full tank of gas was a priority. Gas is 2.19 a liter, and 3.6 liters make a gallon. Needless to say, I am glad there was 4 of us to split the costs. After refueling, we did one last hike to see some more gorgeous waterfalls on Tawhai Walk. We left by 12 to get back to Wellington in time, making some fun road stops along the way which included a giant carrot and a giant rain boot. We also stopped at some scenic lookouts. This road trip may have been short, but it is one that was filled with memories with incredible people that will be lifelong friends for me.