Watts reunited (minus Tom)

 Happy New Year! Mum, Dad and I have just arrived in an extremely wet and windy Wellington after a fabulous week with the Howes. So much has happened since my last post; Christmas, Mum and Dad arrived, Auckland, Rotorua, the Tongariro crossing and now Wellington. 

Had a lovely Christmas despite the rain; managed plenty of delicious meals and even a walk on the beach; a strange experience on Christmas. Many large family groups (mainly Maoris, Pacific Islanders and Asians) had gathered along the beach for their Christmas BBQ and swim. The Howes were so kind to me and made it a memorable day.

 On Boxing day Karen, Andrew and I packed up some turkey sandwiches and went across to the West Coast for the day. After a short detour and a winding road we made it to Karekare beach; a black sand beach where ‘The Piano’ was filmed; just behind here was a brilliant waterfall.

The 27^th was a very exciting day as Mum and Dad finally joined me in New Zealand! Spent the morning tracking their plane on the internet and making a sign (just in case they didn’t recognise me). Once we had met them at the airport we had to make sure they stayed awake in order to get used to New Zealand time. We took a trip up Mount Eden to see a view across Auckland then after having some fresh fruit at the Howes’ we went for a stroll and a drink along the water  front.

 On Saturday morning we went for a longer walk along by the sea, on the volcanic rocks, with a stop for some very yummy ice cream at Tekapuna beach. After a lunch of home made pizza we head across to the west coast where the gannet colony lives.  I spent the evening prodding Dad to keep him awake as he fought against jet lag whilst we had a good laugh at some old home videos.

 Sunday was our last day in Auckland. Given that the forecast was for stormy weather we went to the Domain, Auckland’s main museum, in the morning; the volcano exhibition scared us slightly as it showed how vulnerable Auckland is; we wondered why we were going to go and walk on an active volcano in a couple of days time! Once we left the domain the weather had brightened up so we went for a stroll along Auckland’s waterfront and had a lunch of some very fresh fish which we just finished in time to go and change ready for our next meal. That evening we went up the Sky Tower to the revolving restaurant where our delicious food was accompanied by amazing 360 degree views of Auckland and a fabulous sunset. We had a slight worry about our navigational skills for the Tongariro crossing as we couldn’t even manage to find the car in the car park!
 On the 30^th we arrived in a rather wet Rotorua where we were staying in the YHA hostel. After dropping off our bags we went for a stroll in the rain to see the lake front and some steam and plopping mud. After our tuna and pasta in the hostel (a slightly different setting from the night before) Karen, Mum and I went to the Polynesian spa to sit back in the hot pools which ranged from 37-42C; rather warm but so relaxing.

 We packed in a lot on New Year’s eve. We started with a lovely walk through the giant red wood forest then went to Wai-o-tapu to see the Lady Knox Geyser at 10.15am before seeing all the amazing colours at the Thermal Park in the sun. Drove down to Taupo where we stocked up at an exceedingly busy Pak N Save and sat by the lake front to eat our lunch. Then on to National park where the cute little batch we were staying in for 2 nights was. We brought in the New Year tucked up in bed ready for our early start in order to walk the Tongariro Crossing; one of the great walks across an active volcano.

  The Tongariro crossing was fabulous. We were blessed with beautiful blue skies for the first half of our walk then just cloud in the afternoon. We completed all 19.4km of it in around 7 hours and celebrated with champagne and a very nice meal out at 'The Station' when we got back.

 The Walk was a geologist and volcanoligist's paradise. Volcanic rocks littered the ground and the path wound its way around past lava flows and steam; this along with many warning signs reminded us how active the ground beneath our feet was.
Some parts of the route were very steep and once we got to the top it was exceedingly windy making the narrow path a little precarious, but it was definitely worth it for the views.  
 We looked down on emerald lakes and volcanic features such as the fissure above and it was just breathtaking. At 1pm we celebrated the British New year with a round of Auld Land Syne and a photo with the Union Jack.
It was a fabulous walk and made me feel slightly more confident and excited about doing the Routeburn in Janurary.

This was the sweet little bach we stayed in in National Park.
On the morning of the 2nd we went our separate ways; Mum, Dad and I went down to a very wet and windy Wellington and the Howes returned home to Auckland.
I've had a fantastic time with the Howes, it's been really lovely to see the and share both christmas and some other wonderful adventures with them.