Over Labour Day weekend (the last weekend in October-I am Very Slow At Writing), my friend Lisa and I took a trip to New Plymouth. We rented a Jucy car like all good NZ tourists must, and set off for the sunshine of the West coast of the North Island.
This was the best kind of road trip: no itinerary, no expectations, just a long weekend and a camera. We spent Friday just meandering through the town, from the coastal walkway to the scrapbooking store we HAD to stop off in! It's a special form of relaxation to wander through an unknown place, absorbing its quirks and culture.
We got really excited about the prospect of seeing the sunset over the water (being the west coast after all), only to discover we were a bit too far north-the sun rudely set a little to the left of us instead. However, the next night we climbed that hill in the distance with some girls from our hostel, and were able to see the picturesque sunset we'd imagined at last!
The sunset was gorgeous, but the climb up the hill was daunting, to say the least. It started off simple enough: stairs, dirt, the usual suspects. Suddenly though, the stairs gave way to jagged rocks, accessorized with a little chain jauntily swaying in the breeze.
It was a surprise to climb up, but a total hazard to climb down in the post-sunset twilight. Just another reminder of the stark difference between NZ and US safety standards!
Of course, precarious ascents towards the sunset was just the capper on a glorious Saturday expedition. We started off cavorting around the impressive base of Mt. Taranaki, a mountain famous for masquerading as Japan in various films like The Last Samurai. It's just stunning (but seriously, every square foot of this country is magnificent, so I'm slowly running out of appropriate adjectives).
We decided to descend into the "goblin forest" of the Ngatoro Track, a fairytale world of moss and twisty branches. I don't know how to keep saying NZ feels like another world without becoming redundant but it's the truth. The forest felt primeval, like a Rossetti poem:
Laura would call the little ones
And tell them of her early prime,
Those pleasant days long gone
Of not-returning time:
Would talk about the haunted glen,
The wicked, quaint fruit-merchant men,
Their fruits like honey to the throat
But poison in the blood;
-Goblin Market, Christina Rosetti
Laura would call the little ones
And tell them of her early prime,
Those pleasant days long gone
Of not-returning time:
Would talk about the haunted glen,
The wicked, quaint fruit-merchant men,
Their fruits like honey to the throat
But poison in the blood;
-Goblin Market, Christina Rosetti
We spent our afternoon bouncing from Tupare Garden to Pukekura Park. The gardens were so colorful and peaceful; we spent about an hour lounging by the river, watching children hurling stones in the water and running barefoot in the grass (I don't know if it's just working as an au pair for a year, but I'm much more prone to tearing up at the sight of children playing outside than I used to). The park was gorgeous too, a mini Central Park chockablock with weekenders determined to soak up every last ray of sunshine from this amazing day. We joined them with gusto, wandering the many paths and resting in the shade with coffee and ice cream.
Sunday was a travel day, but in NZ that's basically just another day of choice sightseeing! We set off toward the West Coast lighthouse, by FAR the easiest lighthouse to visit in my experience (no long gravel roads! no unexpected car trouble!) but lovely all the same. From there we set off on the Forgotten World Highway, a very atmospheric moniker we couldn't resist exploring. It took us on teeny gravel roads, through silent gorges, and through the quaint little town of Whangamomona, its own Republic within NZ!
I'm amazed sometimes by how much I've been able to pack into my time here-Lisa and I both said we would barely ever drive five hours for a weekend trip at home, but here it's simply part of the experience. I've realized how much time is really worth here, and I hope I'm able to retain that knowledge when I go back home. Travel can seem impossible, but I'm learning how to prioritize and organize to make it more feasible in the future. Just another benefit of au pairing!
I'm amazed sometimes by how much I've been able to pack into my time here-Lisa and I both said we would barely ever drive five hours for a weekend trip at home, but here it's simply part of the experience. I've realized how much time is really worth here, and I hope I'm able to retain that knowledge when I go back home. Travel can seem impossible, but I'm learning how to prioritize and organize to make it more feasible in the future. Just another benefit of au pairing!