Today we ventured on one of our longest drives of the trip, from Rotorua to Wellington.

We started the journey at a local coffee shop where we learned from our barista that New Zealand does not have its own recycling plant, so much of their recycling is shipped to Australia or, unfortunately, ends up in landfill. New Zealand is simply too small to manage this process. We have noticed the lack of recycling bins in our first five days here, which seemed inconsistent with the generally environmentally-friendly culture of the country.

On the first short leg we drove to Taupo, stopping on the way at the Waiotapu Mud Pool – a geothermal feature in which chemical processes cause rising steam and gases, creating bubbling mud.

Taupo is a resort town on the large Lake Taupo that reminded us of Lake Chelan or Sandpoint. The town itself was quite crowded as today is Waitangi Day in New Zealand – a national holiday similar to our 4th of July. In the hustle and bustle Jay took a wrong turn and we ended up on the other side of bay; however, we stumbled across a lightly-signed hiking trail (called a ‘track’ here) just in time to stretch our legs. After about a half of a mile walk we were rewarded with a sweeping panoramic view of the Lake flanked by an old Maori rock carving – a true hidden gem. Thank goodness we took a wrong turn so we could enjoy this peaceful spot!

After lunch at a local gastropub, complete with a small putt-putt course, we drove the longer second leg to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. Along the drive we saw beautiful vistas of farmland, river valleys and the high desert. One of the more impressive sights were viewpoints of Mount Ruapehu and Mount Ngauruhoe, both large active volcanos culturally significant to the Maori people.

We arrived in Wellington in the evening just in time to enjoy a tasty Pho dinner which had similarities and differences from the Pho we are used to back home. After dinner we wandered through the city, among the crowd of fans leaving a recently concluded soccer match between Wellington and Melbourne, to the non-descript Supreme Court of New Zealand as well as the Parliament building, nicknamed the Bee Hive. We could definitely appreciate the resemblance.

Tomorrow we have an early morning, leaving the north island and taking a ferry to the south island, where the remainder of our trip will be.