More Volcanos

Following the road south in our tiny rented car, we spent a couple of nights in Tongariro National Park. We had intended to do the famous one-day crossing but Katie's feet were in pretty bad shape still from the caving, and the hike is a fairly demanding 17km (with no option of returning to the starting point because of the shuttle transport). So instead we did a quick afternoon walk and retired to the hot-tub at our motel.



Pushing on the next day for Wellington we went looking for an outdoor store to get some warmer gear in preparation for colder weather on the south island. To our delight, we discovered that Kathmandu was on the last day of their Easter sale and practically everything was 50-70% off. It was the first time anything in New Zealand had been cheaper than back in the States.



We had just enough time after our shopping spree to grab a sandwich and drive down to the ferry where we were all loaded aboard for the 3 hour crossing.



The weather had turned, and we heard of storms coming up from the south. The overcast gave the south island a bleak and chilly aspect and by the time we picked up my sister, Susanne, at the airport in Christchurch the next day it had started raining.





It rained, and rained and rained. Fortunately we were cozy inside our campervan (having dropped off our car). We drove south, battered by wind and rain to Dunedin where we met up with Alice and Livia, who I had stayed with last year in Rio, but were now also traveling in New Zealand.

In the morning it was still pouring, so we visiited the Cadbury's chocolate factory where we saw a ton of chocolate being poured over a chocolate waterfall. Afterwards, we learned that the road north was closed due to flooding (so Alice and Livia had to fly up to Christchurch to make it to their connecting flight) and we headed south.



Unfortunately, after an hour or so, we found the road to the south closed as well, and the fields all around us were under several feet of water. At one point we were even wondering if we would make it back to Dundedin without getting stranded.

By the next morning, the rivers had receeded a little and the road to Queenstown was open again. Somewhat improbably, we awoke the next morning to brilliant blue skies.