The mountains around Tongariro National Park are high and cold enough to attract skiers during the winter, so yesterday, (March 20), we took a drive up to one of the ski areas. Upon our return down the zigzag road, we were careful to keep our speed in check because you never know what might be around the next zig or zag, which is why I found the sign posted right before the road turned into a pretzel rather amusing. I think perhaps the sign posting service needs to back the sign up about a half mile because I could just imagine a car careening off the edge of the road if the driver waited that long to “slow down now.” Or perhaps the sign needed to say “The point of no return.”
We also got our first sighting of a kiwi, the bird that is (see photo above). To be honest, the sign is probably the only opportunity we will have to see one in the wild. I suggested to Herman that we should come back after dark and park our car by the sign and sit there for about an hour. Perhaps we’d actually see one try and cross the road, but alas, Herman wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea.
Today (March 21, 2018), we left Tongariro National Park for the long journey to New Plymouth. After we’d been on a tree-shrouded road for about an hour, Herman spotted a scenic lookout sign and decided to take a detour. Up we went along a typical narrow, winding road until we got to the top. And what met our eyes? Three chickens! Yes, I mean your average barnyard chickens. We have no idea why they were there, because, according to Herman, the scenery wasn’t all that impressive anyway, so we left the chickens to their own devices and drove back to the main road.
The North Island is very hilly, and it’s very hard not to imagine that you are in Hobbinton and should spy a Hobbit at any moment. However, today’s journey took us through a hilly area, the likes of which I’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, Herman was unable to find a safe place to pull over for a photo, so I have been racking my brain on how to describe the scenery to you. At first, I thought an apt description would be a sharpened pencil, but that didn’t seem right. Then, I got it. The hills looked exactly like green carpeted, 1950s style, ladies pointy bra undergarments! Voila! I did say they looked very unusual.
We’ve been seeing a lot more sheep the last couple of days. Now, sheep in New Zealand come in different ratings, depending on the time of year when you visit. If you tour the country in December, like we did 20 years ago, you will notice a lot of X-rated sheep, meaning totally naked thanks to recent shearing. In March, which is the beginning of the fall, sheep are more R- and PG-13-rated. As you can imagine, this makes wool a prized commodity. However, we’ve come across a new use for these sometimes fluffy creatures…golf course maintenance workers. Yes, indeed, we stumbled upon a golf course, teaming with sheep that were contentedly munching on premium grass. I must say that seems like a brilliant solution in a country that has more sheep than people, but there is one caveat that gives me pause. I’m not so sure I would want to put my hand in a cup to retrieve the golf ball. Just saying!
Don’t forget to check out more of Herman’s photography at http://www.hermanator.net/NEW-ZEALAND-2018. Until next time!
Trambling 
More beautiful pictures, clever captions and great stories! I’m enjoying every ” mi.” of the journey – – – or is it “km.” of the journey?
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I always think a kiwi looks like a teapot on legs – the round body, the long spout – but where’s the handle?
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