Hooray - got the docs okay to continue on our travels! Drove straight towards 'Mount Doom' from Lord of the Rings in Tongariro National Park planning to do the amazing Tongariro crossing - a 6 hour walk around volcanoes and lakes. However, thick low cloud as well as the manky ankle persuaded us to abandon that idea and after suffering a half lit presentation of volcanoes at the Visitor Centre, we found a better display from nature at Tokaanu. Here we encountered hot water seeping out of the ground and stinking pools of mud plopping and steaming (not unlike Chester’s morning ablutions). We talked to some local Maoris who were clearing a pit in the ground in which to cook their dinner and another woman who was boiling flax in one of the pools in order to make rope. Then we motored south on the Desert Road. It was raining. Foreboding volcanoes invisible. Tsk! A slippery boardwalk at Rankawa Falls stretched our legs and disappointing first impressions of Wanganui moved us beyond the town to spend the night on the shores of a little lake called Wiritoa. We were the only ones in the field and it rained so hard in the night we wondered that the lake might expand to include us!
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On a serious note we can't beleive that Chester's that bad in the morning, Kate, or in fact at any time!! The smell is actually from the sulphur emmissions for those that don't know.
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