The west coast is relatively flat except for the dramatic Mount Taranaki rising from the plains. This is the most picturesque volcano I have ever seen! After driving from the beaches in Waitomo, we planned to camp at one of the upper carparks half way up the mountain. We first drove up to the Dawson Falls carpark which turned out to be touristy and busy which we did not prefer. We turned around and went back down the mountain to try the next, Stratford Plateau. It was only 2 kilometers from the first yet we had to drive an hour down and back up the mountain to get to it. The site was much more secluded and just what we were looking for. We couldn’t see much because it Continue reading →

Our rugged road trip came to a halt when one of the van’s tires went flat. Thankfully, the rental came with a spare and all the necessary tools. I changed the tire while Sara looked through the rental paperwork to read the fine print. With the doughnut installed and not clear instructions from the rental paperwork (except to call them prior to proceeding with any repairs), we headed back towards civilization to find a phone. We found one outside of a tour company and I talked with Spaceship Rentals who only advised us to either get the tire fixed or get a new tire.

We continued driving further into civilization and arrived in a town right at five o’clock. Continue reading →