September Series: Taupo & Napier

Back again...has it only been a week? This post is the conclusion to my September adventures (except Fiji), which means I'm still a month and a half behind. Well, "slow and steady wins the race," they say! 😏 Last week we had traveled to Coromandel, Hot Water Beach, and Cathedral Cove. This week's destination? Taupo and Napier!

Friday, September 28th, Clara and Sophia drove down and picked me up before we began the nearly 4 hour drive to Taupo. Before we truly got on the road, we had to stop at Starbucks and get our first PSL of the year...and was it delicious! There was a difference in flavor to the PSL's I've had back home. The main change I noticed was that it tasted less sweet here - which I like - so I would actually have to say that NZ does PSL's better! What they don't do better, however, is get the customer's name right.

Krista who? Looks like I'm a Crystal now! 

Besides Starbucks and Taupo, our only other stop for the night was in Tirau. This little town is about an hour away from Taupo and has buildings that look like a dog, ram, and sheep - quirky! While there, we found a cache and I took my classic handstand picture in front of the dog building. There are different colored lights that shine on these buildings (red, blue, green, and purple from what I remember).

We arrived in Taupo close to midnight, figured out where to park, and checked into our hostel room for the night.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH

We got ready for the day, checked out of the hostel, filled up on petrol, and decided to go to Spoon & Paddle for breakfast...all before 9:00 A.M.! There was a lot for us to accomplish today so we had to get an early start. Breakfast was delicious and the people who worked there were so nice. Sophia even got two free coffee vouchers because they were a little late in getting her breakfast to her. So sweet! 

 Our cute room...bunk bed pods!

I'm rarely disappointed with weekend breakfasts...I mean look at this!

After breakfast, we headed to Huka Falls. Now, if Taupo and Huka Falls sounds a little familiar to you, that's because I had already been here back in February! This was a little throwback to my first weekend getaway when I got to New Zealand so it was fun to see some of the same places again. It was a beautiful day which meant there were plenty of people at the falls. They were still the same brilliant, intense blue that I had remembered. A nice gentleman took our picture before we walked along the falls to watch the water and take pictures. We walked to the other side to see the falls from a different angle AND to find a geocache. This hide was one of my favorites I've run into over here in NZ. The camouflage was great - we definitely walked by it a couple of times before realizing where it was hidden!

So real, it looks fake. 

 Group shot!

A rare candid courtesy of Clara.

Sophia captured this beautiful view.

Cache location...do you see it? 

Ta-daaaa!

We headed back to Taupo to find the #LOVETAUPO sign. Wouldn't you know it though, the sign had been moved! Instead, we enjoyed the view of Lake Taupo and grabbed some sandwiches from Subway. Clara and Sophia had a boat cruise planned and since I had already done that in February, I chose to go on a hike up Mt. Tauhara. That's right folks! I volunteered to exercise over sitting on a boat...what has New Zealand done to me?! 😉

Staring out over Lake Taupo.

They dropped me off at the car park at the base of the mount, and off I went! What I knew before the hike was that it had an elevation of 1,088 meters, it would take about 1.25 hours to get to the top, and that the view of Taupo would be wonderful. What I did NOT know before the hike was that it was pretty much uphill the entire way. Now you may be thinking, "Duh Krista. You're climbing a mountain!" To which I say, "Yes, but the last mountain I climbed had a mix of flat and uphill areas." Honestly, after the first 20 minutes, I was wondering what I had gotten myself into - but I persevered! The path was pretty much empty as I maybe met 10 people coming down (nobody passed me!🙌). Despite the burning lungs and legs, I truly did enjoy the hike and the beautiful views it provided of the surrounding Taupo landscape. The trail itself was cut through the woods, so it was pretty basic (so no wooden track or steps - all natural dirt, roots, and rocks!). I definitely took a few breaks on the way up and even sat in a couple of trees. The second best moment of the hike was when two kids told me I was 20 minutes from the top and the best moment was actually reaching the summit. The air was brisk, but the view was worth the effort.

View from the beginning of the hike.

 Partway up...Clara and Sophia were on a boat on the lake at this point.

 Au Naturel! The trail pretty much looked like this the entire way. Fun, right?

This is how I felt most of the time...haha!

One of my favorite paths from the hike. Sometimes there were two paths you could take - one was usually more steep than the other or, in this case, through a small ravine.

A lovely little waterfall/creek near the top.

Panoramic view at the summit!

Jumping for Joy because I made it! 

 Simply stunning.

One of my favorite shots I captured...thank goodness for timers on phones!

A short video of the views from the summit.

I spent some time sitting and basking in the sunshine and the sights. A few other people came and went while I was up there. Around 2:00 P.M. I started the descent back to the car park. As predicted, this was much easier and quicker than the climb up the mount. Even with a few picture stops, I made it down in about 50 minutes!

A massive tree that was cut down in 2016.

How I felt after the hike! 

Once I reached the bottom, I sat on the grass and ate my lunch (with my shoes off), and waited for Clara and Sophia to arrive. Once they picked me up, we drove about 2 hours to Napier. We were able to enjoy the beautiful nature of New Zealand during this drive. Below, I'll put some of the different shots I captured. Sometimes, when we stopped, I just wanted to stand silently soaking in what I saw. I have yet to tire from the green hills/mountains, sheep, massive trees, and sea views I see on a weekly basis.

SHEEP!

😍

I spy a deer...do you?

While it may look like I captured the reflection off of a lake or something, it's actually the top of Clara's car.

It's just so beautiful and so New Zealand!

After a couple cache stops (with success!), we entered Napier and found our Airbnb home for the night. Our room was in a cute house with a very nice couple. Once we freshened up, Thai food was the choice for dinner. The restaurant wasn't too far away, and soon we were seated with our orders given. We chatted until our dinner arrived - I chose Pad Thai - and they were all massive portions. I couldn't even finish my meal! With our dinner completed, we drove back to the house to park the car before going on a walk around the area. First, we tried to find a cache, but eventually gave up as we thought it got taken by someone. It was a bit brisk out, but it felt nice. We ended up at McDonald's and each got a cone for dessert. Back at the house, we just relaxed in our room for the rest of the evening until it was time to sleep. Tomorrow was another busy day!

Pad Thai with a Lemon, Lime, Bitters to drink (super tasty).

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH

Since we were driving back to Auckland today, we had to pack up everything before hitting the town for breakfast. With a little searching, we found a café where the food looked tasty and reasonable. Here's where the "fun" of today started for me. 

I just loved the front door at the place we stayed...stained glass and the doorknob in the middle.

So, by the time we had parked and had gotten to the café, I wasn't feeling quite right. Because of this, I literally spent $12 for two slices of sourdough toast and chose tea over coffee. Remember how I mentioned earlier that I'm rarely disappointed in weekend breakfasts...well this is one where I was a bit less enthusiastic about purchasing. When the food arrived, I could only nibble the toast and have a few sips of tea. Basically, I just got worse throughout the day. We wandered the streets of Napier to admire the buildings, but I pretty much spent 87% of the time with my face over a rubbish bin. I'll spare you the gory details of the day - you're welcome. 🙈 What I remember most about Napier was the extraordinary amount of rubbish bins there were throughout the city and by the ocean...it was great! Poor Clara and Sophia put up with my sickness and were still able to see the sights of Napier and enjoy a delicious meal of fish and chips...or so I was told. We did successfully find a cache in the city (and it was one Annika had found previously with her mom and sister)...woohoo! I was also able to video chat with my mom, dad, brother, SIL, and some aunts for a few minutes. My dad so lovingly told me I didn't look so good...thanks dad! 😉 

 Statue of Lord Plunket - this is a South African War Memorial.

 Felt a little like I was in The Lorax movie...colorful "tree" and fake grass.

Central Napier.

What's so special about Napier you ask? Well, in 1931 there was a destructive earthquake in the Hawke's Bay area (where Napier is located) that killed 256 people and injured thousands more - it is considered to be New Zealand's deadliest natural disaster to date. Parts of  Napier were essentially leveled while others were ruined due to fires. Since then, the central part of Napier was rebuilt with the same Art Deco style that was popular in the 1930's. I like to describe it as a city that's old, but new, but old.😃 Below I'll include some of the limited pictures I took and others from my friends to give you an idea of what the town looked like. 

 Here are some of the old, but new, but old buildings...

 Beautiful flowers...I even found some Snapdragons that I snapped!

Our one and only cache found in Napier.

 A candid Clara photo...she was kind enough never to photograph me by a rubbish bin.

 Napier also had really great street art!

I think this image captures the vibe of Napier.

 Sunken Gardens.

I may not have done a handstand in Napier, but I got my Carpe Diem picture!

The ocean was extraordinarily blue.

 We stopped at the Centennial Gardens to look at the waterfall and flowers.

View from the Bluff Hill lookout. We were also able to look over Napier's port which is the second largest working port in the North Island.

It was late afternoon/early evening before we headed back home. From Napier to Auckland was about 5.5 hours...so we had a long haul ahead of us. Originally, I was going to help drive but I was a bit indisposed. Sophia also wasn't feeling 100% so poor Clara persevered and drove the whole time. 💜 Such a trooper! We made it back without any incident and I went to bed straight away as I had to work in the morning. Spoiler alert: I DID work the next day. Yes, I felt miserable and spent a large portion of the day curled up on the couch. AND it was school holidays. Such a great combination!

Beautiful sunset coming into Auckland.

Here's a little visual for where we went!

Overall the weekend was great and I was glad to be able to see some new parts of New Zealand. I did feel like I missed out on the beauty and style of Napier so I'd love to go back before I leave here, but I'm not sure if I'll have the time. We'll see!

Alright folks...that's it for the September Series. I'm not sure when I'll get another post up since my little bro is flying over to visit me for 9 days! I AM SO EXCITED!!! Unfortunately, that means I'll probably get even further behind in my blogging...but it's worth it!

See you soon Kid!