Day 2 (07-Oct-2012) New Plymouth - Wellington

We awoke fully refreshed at 06:00hrs and were back on the road shortly before 07:00hrs, eager to catch a glimpse of Mount Taranaki on route to Wellington before the clouds rolled in. Alas, after I dropped the key back inside the room via small gap in the window, Astrid asked if I had remembered to pick up the passports and her wallet from the sink drawer – OOPS! Since reception wasn’t open for at least another hour, we elected to (again) rush back to North Egmond visitor centre on Mount Taranaki for view of the summit in the interim. It soon became a race against the clouds, but despite putting our hairdryer-on-wheels into overdrive (boiling off most of the water in the radiator in the process) the clouds won; covering the summit in thick cloud just as we arrived. All in all not a great start to the day L.

We then headed back to the Hotel, only to find that reception was not open until 09:00hrs on a Sunday – bad karma had struck thrice! In a moment of inspiration however, Astrid suggested we might be able retrieve the keys using our hiking poles. After some perseverance we succeeded! With passports and wallets at last in hand we embarked on our intended journey to Wellington. As we passed through Egmond village (for the 4^th time in less than 24 hours), the clouds slowly parted to provide tantalising glimpses of Mount Taranaki’s snow covered summit cone. By the time we reached Inglewood the whole summit cone was visible, which has a striking resemblance to Cotapaxi in Colombia. And what a stunning imposing backdrop for the citizens of New Plymouth to wake up to each day.

As the hours passed the weather continued to improve, such that by the time we stopped to stretch limbs on the beach at Paraparaumu, there was not a cloud in sight. We eventually arrived at the hotel in Wellington shortly after 14:00hrs. After dumping ruck sacks in the room we immediately set off for tour of the city, stopping first at Mount Victoria for glorious vista of the city and the bay. We then headed to Owhiro bay for glimpse of the rugged coastline to the south. We then made our way to a wind farm on the hills above Happy Valley Road for further glorious views over Wellington and the coastline.

After quick pit stop back at the hotel we then drove over to the botanical gardens for yet more panoramic views of the city, before finally heading off for a night time guided walk through Zealandia, a pristine 500 acre habitat of native fauna and flora devoid of introduced species. Of course our big hope was to see little spotted kiwis in their native environment, and we were not to be disappointed!  During the 2.5hr excursion we came across two kiwis, along with menagerie of other exotic and rare critters. It was a fantastic way to end an enjoyable (and exhausting day).