Gondolas and Mount Doom.

Rotorua/Mid-country
Sunday, September 21

Jamie and I were up early again on Sunday in attempts to make the most of our last few hours in Rotorua before we caught the bus back to Wellington. The first stop of the day was the Rotorua Skyline Gondola.

We caught the activities shuttle again out to the gondola, and rode up to the observation area/café/luge track. We each got a free hot drink at the top, which was welcome, as the morning was chilly and cloudy with a brisk wind. We had time to kill, so we spent some time watching people luge down the track that wound its way down the hill. It looked fun, but we’re saving that for Queenstown.

Eventually, Jamie and I rode the gondolas back down, and walked next door to Rainbow Springs. They have a little nature park there, as well as a kiwi hatchery. We wanted to do the “Kiwi Encounter,” but we didn’t have time. So we browsed through the gift shop, and sat in the café until it was time to catch the shuttle back into town again.

By the time we got back into town, the sky had cleared, and we were cursing our timing. Rotorua would have certainly looked prettier under a clear sky. Oh well.

We grabbed lunch from Subway, collected our things from our hostel, and went to eat outside of the i-site. We had about 45 minutes to kill before our bus came, but the time went by quickly. A group from Te Puia was there performing hakas and traditional Maori songs, trying to entice people to come to see their village and come to one of their (very pricey) hangi dinners.

Our bus showed up on time, and we began our 7 ½-hour ride back to Wellington. The weather was gorgeous and my iPod stayed alive, making for an enjoyable trip. As we drove along the desert road through Tongariro National Park, all the snowy volcanoes were visible. Ruapehu was as impressive as I remembered it, perhaps even more so in the dazzling sunlight. I also finally got to see all of Mount Doom (Mt. Ngauruhoe)! I only wish my pictures had turned out better – they were tricky to shoot from a fast-moving bus!

We stopped for dinner in Palmerston North, and continued on through to Wellington. We were greeted there by wind and rain. Of course. Luckily, Greg agreed to give me a lift back to the Cube. Thank God, because the trip from Wellington Station back to my flat would not have been a pleasant one in the driving rain!

All in all, the weekend was one of the best in NZ so far. Hopefully they’ll just keep getting better!