New Zealand, Part 8: The Soap Fountain | Climbing to Doom

Day 14: Rotorua to Motuoapa

Back down to Tongariro to get ready for the big hike the next day.

Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland

There are a bunch of thermally active areas in this region, and we visited this one because it has a unique geyser. Honestly, we weren’t too impressed with this place, mostly because we’ve been to Yellowstone and that’s really hard to beat.

There were swallows drinking from this sulfur pool.

Lady Knox Geyser

This geyser doesn’t naturally erupt, early explorers tried to wash their clothes in the hot water and found that the soap reacted with the minerals and caused an eruption. So now the park employees throw soap into it a couple times a day for show.

Day 15: Motuoapa to Tongariro (and then to Hamilton)

This is it! The big hike, the last full day and last activity in New Zealand. This was a ~13-mile one-way hike up to Mount Ngauruhoe (which was the filming location for the Mount Doom scenes in Lord of the Rings) and then past it to some brilliant thermal pools. It was an incredible and rewarding experience and I’m so glad we decided to make it happen.

Our first look at Mount Ngauruhoe

Soda Springs, a little oasis on the rocky climb

Last look back as we reach the top of the main pass. That isolated hill in the back middle is where we started.

Mount Ngauruhoe in its full brilliance. The yellow tint on the ground comes from sulfur, and the little wisp at the peak isn't a cloud, it's the start of the day's thermal activity.

The valley below Mount Ngauruhoe, as we climb to the high point of the trail.

Mount Ngauruhoe isn't fully dormant; its last eruption was only 50 years ago, which is nothing in geologic time.

Red Crater, the highest point of the crossing. The red color is caused by iron oxide.

Turning away from the Red Crater: Blue Lake in the distance, with a black lava field below.

The Emerald Lakes. In the lower left you can see the knife-edge scree trail we had to surf down. A lot of fun once we got the hang of it.

Mount Ngauruhoe now fully obscured by steam.

Look at all the switchbacks! We could basically see the end of the trail at this point, but still had several hours to go on the descent.

A last bit of thermal activity.

After the hike we drove up to Hamilton for our final night in New Zealand, and luckily we had booked a room with a private hot tub to soothe our aching muscles. The next day was a short drive up to Auckland and then the flights home.

Some final random observations:

I would definitely go back to New Zealand, but I think we saw enough that I don’t HAVE to go back in my lifetime.
They farm sheep and deer (along with cows), so restaurants have a lot of lamb and venison dishes. The food was almost universally good and relatively inexpensive.
Driving on the left side of the road took very little adjustment, but remembering which side the wiper controls and blinkers were on took forever.
The public infrastructure is all very clean and well-maintained, as are the roads.
We went for 2 weeks, and I would say that is the absolute minimum for an enjoyable trip. If I did it again, I would go for at least a month, and rent a camper van for more flexibility. We definitely did a LOT of driving, but it honestly didn’t feel burdensome, and the sights during most of the drives made it enjoyable.

New Zealand, Part 8: The Soap Fountain | Climbing to Doom

Day 14: Rotorua to Motuoapa

Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland

Lady Knox Geyser

Day 15: Motuoapa to Tongariro (and then to Hamilton)

New Zealand, Part 7: Zealandia | A Change of Plans