Summer in New Zealand!

Hi everyone, hope you had a good Christmas - was the weather kind? - I hear some of you managed walks between meals, so that sounds good.
I had a very 'different' Christmas Day. Most things were closed, of course - people go away for 2-3 weeks apparently, as of course it's their summer holiday time. But I met an English lady in the hostel on Christmas Eve, and we agreed to walk together the next day. But from 10am until we got back at 6.30pm, she never drew breath. I thought I could talk, but she didn't give me a chance! She was a strident lesbian socialist feminist veggie. All those things pose no problems for me - but nothing was up for discussion. I now know about the Red Walkers' Group, the Socialist Choir, the Women's groups for this and that - you name it! Very educational, I'm sure, but I had a headache at the end, and was far more exhausted than the walk warranted - which in fact was a lovely walk through a redwood tree plantation. "Serves her right for going away at Christmas" I hear you say. But hey, it could have been worse... I finished off with a curry in Rotorua - the only restaurant open - couldn't face a shared meal at the hostel!!!
Rotorua itself is like the curate's egg - good in places. The lakeside is lovely, mostly, but if you wander around the bay you come across the thermal pools, and they STINK! You are supposed to get used to the smell, but it made me feel really queasy. They are fascinating, though - pools of bubbling mud with steam emanating - in the middle of a field sometimes. Some people have built their house by one, and use them to cook their meals...
I was happy to move on to Taupo, where I had the best walk so far - supposedly the best one day hike in NZ - the 18.5 Km Tongariro Crossing (labelled 'challenging'). It hadn't been open for a few days because of poor weather, and when I got there (4.30am get up!) the bus driver said "oh, looks like there's quite a bit of snow up there". I was in a panic, as I'm scared stiff on snowy slopes now after a bad experience in Austria, but I hired a walking pole and set off in great trepidation. The first half, the 'up', was exhilarating, but scary in places, scrambling on hands and knees over rocky bits, and quite steep in places. I think on the whole, though, I was more scared of what was to come - the downward slopes on the ice. Which just goes to show you shouldn't be afraid - it may never happen, and it didn't! The walk turned out to be fabulous - I reached snowy heights, and walked on the saddle between two volcanic mountain peaks - access not allowed because of the weather. I saw the beautiful Emerald Lakes - see 2nd picture. Then, coming down on the other side, all the snow had gone, and the terrain changed from volcanic rocks to grassy slopes, then woodland, waterfalls and streams. Absolutely beautiful... I was so glad I'd done it.
Interestingly, although most of my fellow travellers in the hostels are Asian - Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean etc, few of these go walking. I met one group of Chinese guys on the path, (they walked a bit behind me luckily, as I kept forgetting my pole and they would pick it up and meet me as I retraced my steps looking for it, oh dear) but otherwise it was Germans, Dutch, Canadians and a few English people.
The difference is also noticeable in the hostel kitchens, of course - the Asian people are busy cooking themselves rice and noodles for breakfast, while the Europeans are munching on their muesli. I'm still hunting a decent 'all you can eat' breakfast place at a reasonable price!! I WANT A PANCAKE!!! I'm actually amazed at the meals people produce in these kitchens. They are eating gourmet meals while I'm on my beans-on-toast or pot noodle (I've found quite a good variety!). Seriously, I'd rather alternate a very cheap and easy snack one night with a reasonably cheap fish n chips/shepherds pie type meal out the next, rather than faff about cooking... see, I haven't changed at all yet!
So I'm getting to know a lot about different cultures, but not too much about New Zealanders themselves yet. I'm thinking I'll treat myself to a couple of nights B&B soon, so that I can chat to some locals as well as have a peaceful night in a single room. When I get to the South Island on Monday I'll start thinking about some casual work too - that may be the very best way to meet people. I've been put off WOOFing a bit by my Christmas Day companion, who is a WOOFer. (Working On Orgainic Farms)!
Taupo, by the way, is a lovely place, by Lake Taupo, which is the size of Singapore, or the Isle of Wight. NZ medium-sized towns just feel so spacious - the roads are wide, there are lots of flowers, it seems so laid-back. I could happily have stayed there a while, but my schedule for New Year's Eve, which was tricky to book, meant I had to move on.
So here I am in Wellington, poised to cross over on Monday to the South Island. I had a good trip down on the Magic Bus - a good driver, who gave us a lot of info about the countryside. We passed the army practice ranges; he said that they cull wild horses because they damage the terrain, but what damage do the army do? He also told us NZ has effectively no air force now - just a few patrols protecting the 200-mile sea radius. I guess a coachful of mainly young, impressionable people is a good platform to get across your political ideas, but I found it interesting, anyway!
The weather is improving now, you'll be glad to hear! The sun is out today, so I'm about to explore Wellington. The cable car and botanical gardens, I think. This wretched email system has lost the photos I carefully uploaded last night, and I'm out of time now, so I'll come back when the sun's not shining temptingly through the window and send this off.
I wish a very Happy New Year to all my faithful readers - here's to a great 2008 for us all...

PS Just added 3rd picture for you cricket fans out there - I was watching a game in the park in Wellington, and was amused to see that when a batsman is 'out', he has to walk through this gate to get off the field. Reminiscent of 'Blazing Saddles'?!

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