Volcanoes to Wellington
Hello all from Wellington, the gorgeous capitol of New Zealand, on the southern most tip of the North Island of NZ. We just arrived here this evening after three days in an extraordinary area surrounded by three ACTIVE volcanoes.
Janet and I actually took a chair lift to the top of the volcano that blew its stack most recently in 1995 and again in 1996. Our first encounter was with low clouds obscuring the top of this mountain and the perfectly shaped cone of a neighboring volcano. Mt Ruapehu is the one we ascended and it was mysterious as we went up between two cloud banks that opened in time for us to get a clear view then closed again.
The next morning (we stayed in Tongariro National Park) we took a three mile hike to waterfalls walking across lava fields, meadows, forests - with the three volocanoes clearly in sight on a mostly clear day, except the volcano with the cone (I won't try to spell it but it starts with Ng...) had a cloud just over its crest. It was mysterious and thilling. A mavelous hike .... one of the prettiest ever, with incredibly well maintained and sign posted trails. We loved it. Then wound up having lunch in the sun at a cafe with a Danish couple from Copenhagen. More about some of the chatacters met on the trip later. Just then the classic volcano came into full view - as the clouds finally lifted - a thilling moment for sure.
Among other things on arrival in Wellington, we went to see a doctor for Janet. Finally some medicine and diagnosis that made sense. We hope this works. Janet still having coughing jags. Bronchitis. janet now has two kinds of inhalers and the prognosis is that she should see significant improvement within 4-5 days. Otherwise it's a chest x-ray in Melbourne. We're testing each country's health care system. She's a trouper, but it is discouraging not getting a full night's sleep.
Tomorrow we are off my ferry for a two day excursion to the South island of New Zealand across the sometimes treacherous Cook Straits separating the Tasman Sea on the west from the South Pacific on the east.
Stay tuned for pictures when we can. Many stored.
Mel
Janet and I actually took a chair lift to the top of the volcano that blew its stack most recently in 1995 and again in 1996. Our first encounter was with low clouds obscuring the top of this mountain and the perfectly shaped cone of a neighboring volcano. Mt Ruapehu is the one we ascended and it was mysterious as we went up between two cloud banks that opened in time for us to get a clear view then closed again.
The next morning (we stayed in Tongariro National Park) we took a three mile hike to waterfalls walking across lava fields, meadows, forests - with the three volocanoes clearly in sight on a mostly clear day, except the volcano with the cone (I won't try to spell it but it starts with Ng...) had a cloud just over its crest. It was mysterious and thilling. A mavelous hike .... one of the prettiest ever, with incredibly well maintained and sign posted trails. We loved it. Then wound up having lunch in the sun at a cafe with a Danish couple from Copenhagen. More about some of the chatacters met on the trip later. Just then the classic volcano came into full view - as the clouds finally lifted - a thilling moment for sure.
Among other things on arrival in Wellington, we went to see a doctor for Janet. Finally some medicine and diagnosis that made sense. We hope this works. Janet still having coughing jags. Bronchitis. janet now has two kinds of inhalers and the prognosis is that she should see significant improvement within 4-5 days. Otherwise it's a chest x-ray in Melbourne. We're testing each country's health care system. She's a trouper, but it is discouraging not getting a full night's sleep.
Tomorrow we are off my ferry for a two day excursion to the South island of New Zealand across the sometimes treacherous Cook Straits separating the Tasman Sea on the west from the South Pacific on the east.
Stay tuned for pictures when we can. Many stored.
Mel
posted by Mel and Janet Muchnik | 2:11 AM
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