volcanoes!

hello everybody!! wow, where do i begin? we have just returned from the most amazing experience!! hannah had 4 days off for her easter break and so we gave her the reigns as to where to take us. she decided on mt. ruapehu. ruapehu is an active volcano wich sits at the end of a range of mountains consisting of two other active volcanoes, mt. ngaurahoe and mt. tongariro. we stayed in a cabin at a camp ground right in the national park at the base of the mountain and during the days we had some fabulous adventures.

the first day we were there it was a bit cloudy and breezy, and zach had a cold, but we couldn't waste it, so we set out on our first tramp...up mt. ruapehu to the crater lake. the mountain itself is basically just a big pile of black volcanic rocks. there are no trees, no grasses...just rocks and ice. and, there are no trails! so we just started walking...straight up! it was arduous...and we were tired and i was having caffeine withdrawal. ruapehu is also where they filmed a lot of scenes in the lord of the rings. anyway, up up up and over a few glaciers and we were there 4 hours later! wow! the crater of mt. ruapehu is actually a lake. sometimes, the lake overflows causing what's called a lahar. the lahar sends tons of water and volcanic mud down the sides of the mountain and can cause a tremendous amount of damage. this happened last week (don't worry mom's....we were not there when it happened). there are some photos of the crater lake above...it was so beautiful and peaceful for something that is actually so alive and dangerous. then we scurried back down because it was COLD! we had very good sleep that night!

the next day we did a very short hike (about an hour) to an amazing waterfall called taranaki falls. it was very beautiful and we could walk all the way behind the waterfall and stand in the little cave behind all the sparkling water. very cool. then we headed out of the national park for a little touring. first we went to tokaanu where we saw some amazing natural geothermal pools. crazy stuff...hot magma below the plates of the earth make its way up through tiny cracks and heat mud and water from below the ground. the pressure from the heat forces the water up, creating very deep, almost boiling water rich in minerals. there were also places where hot mud bubbled up. then we took a soak in the hot pools...they were filtered indoor pools because the water is too hot to swim in the natural pools, and the ground around them is unstable and unsafe to walk on. it was hot. from there we kept going north to lake taupo...it is the biggest lake on the north island of new zealand. in the town of taupo we stopped for a swim, it was super clean and mild temperature water and we played in the lake for a while. very refreshing. that night at the camp site we made pizza and everyone else at the camp site was jealous...we were full and it was yummy.

our last day there we did a day hike called tongariro crossing. it is considered the best day hike in new zealand, and i don't think i could argue with that statement! we began very early in the morning on the most PERFECT day you have ever seen...blue sky, warm sun...perfect. thank you goldsmith weather gene. the first part was a lovely stroll across the grassy plains at the base of the mountain. then we headed straight up...known as the devil's staircase, the trail pretty much just rises out of the ground and you scramble up the rocks, about an hour to the top, where you arrive on the saddle of the mountain between mt. ngaurahoe and mt. tongariro. from there we
walked across a crater and up over a rocky hump. as we came down the other side we could see the "emerald lakes" below us. there is no mistaking them, as they are the most insane green color. the hot ground all around them smokes and steams with volcanic gas. past the emerald lake was "blue lake," a crater lake that is shimmered in the sunlight and we stopped and ate a well deserved lunch. all down hill from there, we passed over the other edge of the ridge and into a beautiful alpine grassland. there were smoking hot pools all around and beautiful views of lake taupo in the distance. we even made the first shuttle back to our camp site, we were really powering through! go us. after some lovely showers (we were smelling a little heaphy) we headed back to wellington.

yesterday morning we left wellington and drove all day in our new (and upgraded for free) rental car to a little town on the west coast called raglan. raglan is a total hippie surfer town. last night we stayed at a hostel called solscape, where all the rooms are old train cars. now once all these pictures load, we're heading out so zach can do some surfing! i can't wait to see him in a wet suit and put THOSE pictures up on the blog! ha!