One Last Dance: The North Island

I finished up my final papers, submitted them early, and flew up to the North Island, where I had not really had the chance to explore. My buddy Jake and I had four full days in the North Island, bookended by two days of travel. Summarized below are my experiences and reflections from that trip.

DAY 1: To the North Island

I had just wrapped up my papers, after spending about two weeks alternately holed up in the library or my dorm room. I was so excited to have one last trip, and grateful that I was able to end my semester on a note that was not just the stress of exams. Jake and I came to the Christchurch Airport’s domestic terminal, which brought the memories of Rarotonga rushing back. Before we departed for Rarotonga, Jake and I had bought food from a stand near the gate where we now stood waiting. I remembered I had bought something labeled “Snickers lice,” which everyone thought was the strangest thing ever. A little amused at the memory, I wandered over to that food stand, where I saw that the label for Snickers lice now read “Snickers Slice.” Ohh.

DAY 2: Hobbiton and Omanawa Falls

On our first full day in the North Island, Jake and I toured the Hobbiton Movie Set in the morning and walked to see the Omanawa Falls in the afternoon. I, admittedly, have never seen The Lord of the Rings movies, or The Hobbit, so upon first arriving in New Zealand, Hobbiton was not really on my list of things to see. However, maybe with my creeping knowledge that my time here was waning, and my desire to say I did everything, I decided I wanted to see Hobbiton after all. You don’t have to have seen TLOR to appreciate beautiful scenery, or to admire the craft that went into something. 

My favorite thing about Hobbiton was actually the surrounding area--all the lush, rolling hills. The day we went, sunlight was breaking over everything with full intensity. It was a welcome change after the cold, rainy weather that had dominated Christchurch while I was writing my final papers. Hobbiton was also interesting for the sheer attention to detail that went into making the set. Each hobbit hole, if not associated with a specific character, is associated with a certain hobby or profession; the lichen that is all over the fences, despite appearing real, is apparently made of wood paint and glue; and one tree was artificially made by grafting on real tree bark and wiring, painting, and repainting hundreds of leaves.

Next was Omanawa Falls. Omanawa Falls is under the rohe of hapū Ngāti Hangarau, and it is a stunningly beautiful location that offers great opportunity for meditation, reconnection with yourself and the earth. I remember thinking, while looking at the falls, that if everyone knew the planet was this beautiful maybe we would do less to ravage it. Then I remembered that I came to New Zealand because I had heard it called the most beautiful country on earth. Was the planet this beautiful, or is it just Aotearoa that is truly exceptional? Does the planet have to be beautiful to deserve being looked after? Is beauty a prerequisite for being treated well, in general? And so I carried on, in my head. Then I remembered that very soon I was heading back to a country that, in any case, was not known as the most beautiful one on earth. And it was all very emotional. 

DAY 3: Putaruru Blue Springs and Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park

In the morning, we saw the Putaruru Blue Springs. I had never seen natural water that was so clear or had such a peaceful, languid motion. I’m not sure I would have even been able to differentiate the water from the sky, if it weren’t for the occasional, delicate ripples on its surface. It was truly a halcyon scene. Bright green grasses undulated slowly, sleepily with the lazy current, and down the spring ducks swam in pairs. I even saw a duck family, whose little babies popped their heads out of the grass. 

However, through a series of unfortunate events, we reached Whirinaki with only about a half hour left of daylight. We hiked around its ancient rainforest in the dying light, seeing the trees darken and tower above us like giants. At first, I was frustrated that we weren’t able to hike it in the day. But then it suddenly all became worth it. Slowly, so that I wasn’t sure what I was seeing at first, a pinprick of light entered my vision. I knelt down, and then it came into full view: a cluster of glow worms, which appeared to float in the darkness, and which constituted my first and only accidental encounter with glow worms out in the wild. 

DAY 4: Huka Falls, Tongariro National Park (Rotopounamu Track and Tawhai Falls)

The Huka Falls were the exact opposite of the Putaruru Blue Springs. This time, I thought I had never seen water that moved so powerfully. The Huka Falls are huge, rushing falls colored a brilliant icy blue. Jake and I had a good time discussing whether we would be able to survive if we were swept up in them. In the afternoon, it started to rain, so  our walks around Tongariro National Park were very wet. I didn’t mind, though, and found the lake and falls especially beautiful in the rain. We also saw amazing native bush, and a tree trunk that was so large it looked like you could have lived inside it.

DAY 5: Whitewater Rafting, Waiotapu Geothermals, Matariki

For this day, Jake and I decided to treat ourselves to a rafting trip down the Kaituna River and a ticket to the Waiotapu geothermals. It was a cold and misty winter day, but the rafting was incredible—my favorite thing from this trip. The river and the verdant plant life reminded me a little of Fiordland. And you get to go down a 7-meter waterfall. 

The geothermals were also super cool. I was amazed that they were natural. The colors looked spray painted on, and the water and mud bubbled up and gave off steam like a cooking stew. When I stood close, I felt the heat radiating off many of the thermal pools. After seeing the geothermals, we ate dinner in Rotorua and wandered into a festival celebrating Matariki, the Māori New Year. There was a light show that told the story of Papatūānuku, mother earth, giving life. It felt like the perfect way to close out my semester here in Aotearoa. It was like the show was telling me, you’re leaving, but it’s not over; it’s not over, go forward and take what you have learned.

Or maybe I was just getting very sappy. That night, we slept at a more remote, Department of Conservation campsite, and when I snuck out at 3 a.m. to use the vault toilet, I found above me the silent awe of a sky full of stars. I could see a hooked cluster of new ones, what I thought were maybe the Matariki stars, and the furry texture of the Milky Way. On an earlier trip I had taken with Jake, to Aoraki, I had been upset over missing a shooting star that he had seen. This time, as I stood watching the dark surface of the lake in front of me, I saw, up and to the left, a small dash of light. I kept gazing at the stars for maybe another ten minutes before there was another shooting star, in another corner of my vision. Two shooting stars in one night—I was touched and pleased. Everything was starting to feel rather complete. I went back to bed.

DAY 6: Back Home (Or Is It…)
We flew back to Christchurch. It became suddenly real: I had only twenty-four hours left in New Zealand, and it was go time.