Ever since watching Lord of the Rings I was fascinated by this country at the end of the world with the dramatic landscape. Such a stereotype. Yet I still absolutely loved it when I finally got to go. We had a campervan and chose to drive around the North Island, seeing its National Parks, thermals and vulcanos, doing black water rafting and of course - visited Hobbiton.
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Tongariro
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Lake Taupo
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White Island
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Thermals
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Hobbiton
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Tongariro National Park
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We arrived in the evening and had the first of many stunning sunsets on our visit. The light, the heavy clouds, the vast landscape, everything was perfect.
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Tongariro National Park
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We arrived to our holiday park just after a storm and the first thing I did was take my camera trying to capture the perfect lights.
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Tongariro National Park
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I hadn't been camping in a long time but all the holiday parks we went to in the country were top. This one was close to the volcano trails in the forest.
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Tongariro National Park
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We ended up choosing a rather short trail through the surroundings of the volcanos instead of the famous alpine crossing which would have taken too long for us.
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Tongariro National Park
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I can't remember the name of this waterfall on our trail but I remember how odd I thought it was that we hardly ran into anyone else.
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Lake Taupo
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We drove to Lake Taupo next where I spotted these kissing trees!
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Lake Taupo
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Our little Juicy! Despite it being such a stereotype to discover New Zealand with a campervan it was the absolute best decision and we still felt pretty adventureous.
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White Island
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This volcanic island unfortunately became famous about 6 months after we visited when a sudden eruption killed and injured countless people who did one of the organised tours we were on as well.
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White Island
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It was a very unique experience walking this island looking like the moon and abandoned from former miners. We didn't really understand the danger we could potentially be in at that point.
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White Island
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It's difficult to get the scale of the island from photos, if you zoomed in on this photo you would actually see tiny people closer to the edge of the crater.
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White Island
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The island has a very strong smell of sulphur and countless little steams and small hot and cold streams that taste like blood because of their iron contents (yes we were encouraged to taste).
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White Island
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These were the masks we were wearing and which we used during phases of strong smell of sulphur depending on wind direction.
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White Island
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Another breathtaking sunset back on the coast line in the Bay of Plenty close to White Island.
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White Island
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We had a holiday park for the night right by the beach and this sunset kept getting more and more dramatic so I ended up taking hunderds of photos trying to capture the progress.
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White Island
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It was just a very memorable sunset I won't forget.
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Waiotapu
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I was fascinated by all the different volcanic sites open to visitors. Due to dramatic geothermal conditions beneath the earth, this area has many hot springs noted for their colourful appearance.
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Waiotapu
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As you walk along the foot path you also see this water pond which is made yellow by sulphur and a geyser that erupts daily at the same time.
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Orakei Korako
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Another highly active geothermal area you can visit. This one is located close to a beautiful lake and is famous for it's sinter terraces.
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Orakei Korako
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You have to cross the lake in a boat to access the area and then walk around exploring the different terraces.
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Orakei Korako
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The different colours of the ground mixed with the hot waters and steam spots makes you feel like walking on a different planet.
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Orakei Korako
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This hidden steaming hot pond somehow reminded me of Lord of the Rings. Maybe time to rewatch the films.
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Hobbiton
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I dragged my boyfriend here because I couldn't image going to New Zealand without visiting the locations that got me interested in New Zealand in the first place and they have created a really nice experience.
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Hobbiton
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Walking through the hills, looking at the green idyllic shire landscape puts you back into the fantasy mindset of a little peaceful paradise.
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Hobbiton
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The attention to detail is astonishing. They build countless little hobbit huts and each has their unique story.
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Hobbiton
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Yeah we had to pose...
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Hobbiton
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While I was walking through shire land looking at butterflies and smelling fresh flowers I couldn't stop but have the hobbit tune in my head - and a smile on my face.
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Black Water Rafting
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We didn't know what to expect and wow it was quite an experience. Jumping down waterfalls in underground caves while looking at glow worms lightening up the cave walls. Put it on your list.