This morning we set off bright and early at 7am to go to our next stop in River Valley. Despite spending two nights in Taupo I am almost certainly going to stop here on my way back to Auckland because I never actually got to explore the town other than main town area. We were meant to get spanking new bus this morning but we were instead given an old hire bus as they still haven't refurbished a bus for us!
The first stop of the day was in the small town of Turangi which is also on the shores of Lake Taupo a little further round. This was just a WiFi and supermarket stop, and before long we continued along the road before stopping at a scenic lookout over the Lake Taupo. Our driver is good at stopping off at random places en route for scenic viewpoints and little walks! It wasn't long before we reached another viewpoint along this mountain road we were climbing which gave brilliant views of the alpine crossing from yesterday along with a clear view of the mountain I climbed. It really put into perspective what I had done and the fact it was sunny with no cloud meant I could clearly see it was a cone volcano!
We then continued up the mountain which was along yet more winding roads covered in rocks surrounding us. Unfortunately we didn't make it up the mountain where we were going to go for a short walk round the ski resort, instead stopping off in a layby to get a different view of Mount Ngauruhoe and its surroundings. The bus was old to be fair, and on our way back down the mountain we stopped at the visitor centre which was an interesting look at the national park, as well as a toilet break.
When reaching the bottom and joining a proper road, we continued along to the small town of Wairoura which is home to NZs largest military base. This was also an ice cream stop as Mr Wong did really cheap ice creams for us! The town itself was pretty impressive being set beneath this large snow capped mountain. From here it was one last push to River Valley, and our informative driver told us how this area didn't really get any proper settlement until the 1950s. This is due to the landscape which was basically just rolling hills. As a result of this farming is very difficult, although the NZ government has apparently pumped a lot of money into giving this area agricultural gains. The weather is also a bit precarious too with long dry summers and cold wet winters. To put it simply, not many people live here.
Before long winding country roads became gravel tracks and after descending down this remote lane for a while we stopped where our driver told us to walk the rest of the way. We thought he was joking, but after loading our bags onto a 4wd trailer we went down this steeply descending gravel track which would never have got the bus down! Our accommodation tonight was a lodge by a river in a valley, hence why it was called River Valley. I had wondered why I couldn't find any information in my lonely planet guide and I now know why!
When arriving and checking into the 16 bed dorm which was simply a row of 8 beds in a bunk formation, I went out to explore. Going down to the river which is good for white water rafting, an activity I opted against, I crossed the river on their pulley system. It was basically a plank of wood with a rope on a pulley! From here I walked with the Norwegian guys on the bus to the top of the other side of the valley, getting brilliant views on the way up including the lodge, bus and river below. We eventually reached a sign which indicated the hunting zone which meant we couldn't go any further.
When reaching the bottom we found out that the rope had snapped on the bridge. We did see something going on below but couldn't work out what, although when there one of the guys was in water fixing it. The water was apparently freezing though! I eventually got myself back to the lodge where I lay river side watching this German guy fishing. He is quite a laugh! It was nice to have a nice and relaxing afternoon around the lodge, opting the against the two main activities of white water rafting and horse riding which were so expensive. The other things offered included spa treatments and even a pitch and putt course!
After such a lazed back afternoon in this scenic area, I soon cracked on with dinner which was just pasta this evening. It took ages though as the kitchen was so crowded in comparison to number of people cooking. It was then a chilled evening in the lodges communal area, where I ended up having an evening largely made up of Tesco banter as I found two other people had worked at Tesco! It was all pretty laid back, although by the time I went to bed, I saw these guys who already had awful hair making it worse in the bathroom. They are having a worst hairstyle competition! It was then finally to bed, using my sleeping bag which saved me a mighty $3!
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