DAY 4:

Ohakune – New Plymouth (Taranaki):



















I awoke early so as to have a full day of traveling on the road again and Alec was up waiting to cook me a hot breakfast. The eggs were perfect as too was the coffee and the hospitality he showed me and I left with thanks to my hosts and feeling refreshed after a very pleasant if not too brief a stay. I would not hesitate in recommending Tairoa Lodge or Lodge style accommodation to anyone coming out to this part of the country.












Tairoa Lodge Common Room & My Guestroom with ensuite



I drove through the little town of Ohakune after a brief visit to the Visitor Centre there which is highly recommended for it’s model of the whole volcanic region which I took a picture of below. It shows you just how interesting this whole region is.
















I drove off into the fog and rain through the town called “National Park” and into the Tongariro/Mt Ruapehu area which covers an area of 800 square kilometres in the centre of the North Island. 1 hour later and I was driving alongside volcanic rock and to the base of Whakapapa Village at Mt Ruapehu. I would not suggest doing this drive during the middle of winter as the clouds hug the volcano/mountain and you cannot see anything! At the village is the Bayview Chateau Tongariro a beautiful 19th century hotel offering 115 well appointed rooms, tennis courts, a 9 hole golf course amongst other facilities.














Bayview Chateau Tongariro


I drove to the top of the Whakapapa Ski Field Road and found it snowing up there near the peak of Mt Ruapehu which is 2797 metres high. Although Mt Ruapehu is an active volcano it has thousands of visitors each year, mainly due to the skiing opportunities in the winter and the great hiking trails like the Mt Ruapehu track and the famous Tongariro Crossing Track often heralded as New Zealand’s most popular one day trek. The area has taken on wider appeal around the world too lately due Mt Ruapehu stepping in for “Mordor and Mt Doom” in the Lord of The Rings Trilogy. I thought for what I could see through the low cloud and snow that is was a fascinating and beautiful area and somewhere that people could spend time just enjoying nature.

I drove on along highway 4 north and then turned west onto highway 43 known as the “Forgotten World Highway” about an hour later. When driving from Mt Ruapehu area westward it’s important to leave lots of time for the drive. Not only is it beautiful countryside, rolling hills and mountains and farms and sheep and lakes etc, but part of the road once you turn west is unpaved. In heavy rainfall it tends to fall apart a little and I found many delays and many road works going on so this 30min unpaved section took me almost 2 hours! Again, middle of the winter is not the greatest time to travel however I do highly recommend the drive as not many people are on it even though it’s a long day’s drive.

I arrived into the well-named town of Stratford (after Shakespeare’s birthplace in England) just as the sun was going down around 4.30pm. This nice little town of pretty parks and gardens is also well known for New Zealand’s only Glockenspiel Clocktower and the town houses approx. 5,300 people. It is also the gateway to Egmont National Park and Mount Taranaki. The snow capped mountain 2,518metres high dominates the skyline and offers 320kms of scenic walkways and breathtaking views of Stratford, New Plymouth and the entire western coastline. It’s a stunning mountain and deserves a lengthy visit as does the entire Taranaki region recently known for it being the location for the filming of “The Last Samurai” with Tom Cruise.

I drove on as it was starting to get quite dark for about another 30mins until I arrived in New Plymouth, the main city in the Taranaki region and home to a population of approx 48,000. This city is right by the ocean and with the backdrop of Mt Taranaki and is rich in the arts, dining, sports and outdoor lifestyle. I found a hotel and then went for a wander through the city centre as it had stopped raining finally and noticed that it had many restaurants and pubs and I decided on the Irish Pub for dinner which was pretty good. It seemed like a pretty happening place and I got a good feel from it all. I returned to the hotel and had an early night.