I confess to being a bit less excited to see them both than perhaps I should have been; but then I did spend Christmas and the weeks after Christmas with them, so it had only been a month apart. A relatively short time these days! In fact it was a bit weird us all being in one place at the same time. They arrived off their flight a bit tired but awake enough to suffer being dragged around the Maritime Museum in Auckland by me. Good museum. Lots of pretty boats. I was happy, anyway. That evening we went to the Sky Tower for a highly-anticipated meal in the revolving restaurant. R&E had had a really good meal there back when they arrived in NZ, and we were all looking forward to a special experience. In the event it was a bit of a let-down. The food was good but not great, and the service was truly appalling. Our waitress kept forgetting what we'd ordered, dashing around trying to do ten things at once and failing to achieve anything. We confused her by using two-for-one vouchers for the wine, which ended up arriving after we had our main courses despite us asking anyone we saw for it. Nearby another waitress dropped a pudding on the floor. It was all somewhat shambolic. Much hilarity was caused when Mum realised she'd gaily put down her umbrella on the floor at the beginning of the meal - on the edge of the floor, that is, the part that wasn't revolving. She and Dad spent the rest of the evening intently watching out for the brolly in case it should materialise by our table again. In the end someone had picked it up and it was safe at the front desk.
In the morning we left Auckland madness behind us for Taupo. The drive took us through the town of Tirau, which is principally famous for having a giant corrugated iron dog, shepherd and sheep. R, a connoisseur of giant things, got out to take photos of the dog and returned with eyes alight in joy to report that there was the sheep as well. Mum, E and I merely rolled our eyes as the boys snapped away. Bless. We had lunch in Matamata, which rather like Tirau would not be at all famous if it didn't happen to have been the filming location for Hobbiton in the Lord of the Rings. I'm sure I'll go back at some point to do the set tour.
The weather was pretty dire as we drove south, but the rain eased off enough to make a visit to the Huka Falls near Taupo worthwhile. In fact the rain had helped to make them extra-spectacular.
The falls are part of the Waikato River's hydroelectric system, which includes a number of lakes and waterfalls. They were good to see. I like waterfalls, there's something so incredible about the power created by all that water thundering down. That evening we ate in a little Italian in Taupo, and probably had a better meal with better service than the vastly more expensive one at the Sky Tower!
We were lucky the next morning with the weather, as we'd booked a flight on a floatplane. "Just like in Indiana Jones," R wrote home in one of their emails to friends. It wasn't quite that glamorous, but we had fun. Just the five of us and the pilot crammed into this little thing, which seemed almost to have problems taking off. We rattled off over vast Lake Taupo before cutting inland to the thermal area of Orakei Korako. I'd never been to a thermal area before so the eggy sulphur smell and the steaming ground was all new, whereas the others were all comparing it with Rotorua (much bigger, and more famous).
We wandered around the place, missing out on geysers and nearly falling into the pool of crystal-clear water in the cave. In fact both Mum and Dad did manage to stumble and step into the pool without realising it was there. We made wishes in the pool - mine has since come true, though probably not because I wished.
The plan after Taupo was to drive on to the Tongariro National Park and do the Tongariro Crossing. It quickly became clear that the weather was just not good enough. We arrived in Whakapapa Village on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu unable to see any part of the mountains just nearby. Instead there was lashing wind, thick rain and low cloud. It was cold and frankly miserable. Luckily we had a nice hotel to snuggle down in, the famous Chateau Tongariro.
Despite the weather we did manage to get out for a walk the day after arriving in Whakapapa, heading out to the Taranaki Falls. Our bad luck changed enough for the sun to peer from behind a cloud just long enough for Dad to take some photos of the falls, and then the weather closed in again. We escaped back to the hotel and its minuscule, but wonderfully warm, basement swimming pool.
Mum and Dad's trip continued with a few days in Wellington, which I mostly spent in beginning job and flat searches and they mostly spent in Te Papa. Then the others all disappeared across the Cook Strait for wine, whales and Abel Tasman.
More of this tomorrow - it's time for dinner, I'm starving!
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