Tongariro Northern Circuit - 48km (29 miles) - four days (we took three) - Great Walk 3/9

Day 1: The start of our second Great Walk in the space of a week, this one would take us through the North Island's central volcanic plateau: a active volcanic area of towering craters, steaming fumaroles and the ever present smell of sulphur.

High spirits as we set of in the blistering sunshine with Mt Ruapehu, North Islands biggest mountain, in the background. 

A fairly easy 4.5 hour walk to our first hut, Mangatepopo, and some time to get our energy up for the next day which we knew would be much tougher - crossing the Tongariro alpine landscape.

The sunset cast a beautiful orangey light on Mt Ngauruhoe (Mt.Doom) and as we looked out we could see Mt Taranaki silhouetted in the distance. 

Day 2: Up at 5.30am so we could make the most of the clear weather before the forecast thunderstorms put a dampener on our spirits, the cool mountain air quickly blew away the feeling of sleep deprivation. 

As we gained elevation, taking a side trip to the summit of Tongariro, we had fantastic views over the blue crater lake and the black lava flows of previous eruptions.

The four of us were the first to reach the summit and enjoyed a brief rest from our very heavy packs: laden with four days of supplies, sleeping bags and warm/wet weather gear.

We next made our way to Red Crater, it's an active vent of the volcano - the ground simmered and steamed!

Descending from Red Crater, down a steep scree slope, we were greeted with spectacular views of the emerald lakes and the smell of eggs from the venting fumaroles.

Looking out we could see our path winding through a barren landscape: "A maze of razor sharp rocks" - known by us LOTR fans as Emyn Muil.

The weather started to turn just before lunch as we were bombarded by large hailstones...

...thankfully it didn't last and we could enjoy a fantastic spot for our break.

Unfortunately despite how welcoming the lake looks for dipping weary feet it was highly acidic so we kept the boots on!

Perhaps the best views of the day were looking back at Red Crater and Mt Ngauruhoe, the lonely tramper in the foreground gives a good indication of scale.

We had planed to stay in a hut two hours from here so this was our turning point...

... plenty of energy to burn - Dave went for a few star jumps: these he might regret!

As we heading down the mountain the thunderstorms kicked in for real (as a result the camera went in the bag) - horizontal rain, sleet and hail. Lightning flashed and the thunder rattled through our whole bodies! It sure was making us feel small in this huge landscape.

After 8.5 hours of walking we arrived to find the hut pretty full, the only option if we all wanted to stay as a group was to walk another 3 hours to the next hut!!! These four are pretty tough intrepid walkers now though so on we went:- 11.5 hours covering 25km of extremely rugged terrain and we finally made our camp. What a beast of a day!!!

Day 3: Well we had covered all the planned day three trekking on day two so we decided to make our way out of the park a day early and head for Wellington for some R&R, just a 5 hour hike stood in our way.... With such tired muscles and sore feet, five hours has never felt so long! But what a way to compleat the mighty Tongariro Northern Circuit.

Hobbiton & Waitomo Glowworm Caves

With Vicky & Jordan arriving early we made our way to Matamata, better known as Hobbiton of the Shire! Beautiful weather and rolling hills dotted with Hobbit holes; it felt like we had stepped into Middle Earth.

The hobbit holes are immaculately kept with flowers and plants everywhere: I suppose Samwise is a gardener after all!

Some friendly hobbits came out to greet Vicky & Jordan.

We had intended to pop in on Bilbo Baggins but apparently he was planning a birthday party and we were not on official party business!

Instead we made a trip to the Green Dragon for a sneaky half (they did not come in pints)!

A stunning location and a great start to the time with the Goulds - "we are just about ready for another adventure"...

Up early, (blame the Goulds' jet lag), to visit Waitomo caves. Some amazing limestone formations and ceilings strewn with glow worms.

The glow worms hang threads of mucus down to ensnare flies - not very pleasant but impactful for photographs with the right light conditions:

Also hanging down were some of the most impressive stalactites we've ever seen:

Difficult in the low light to get a photo that doesn't look like we've been superimposed but this was our best attempt...

We couldn't take pictures of the glow worms lit up as they are damaged by flash photography, but if you imagine looking up at the stars as if they are just meters from your face then you'll have an idea:- what an amazing experience.

Whanganui Journey - 155km (96 miles) - five days - Great Walk (Canoe) 2/9

Our 2nd New Zealand Great Walk, the Whanganui Journey, is actually a 5 day canoe trip down a river winding through some of  New Zealand's most untouched forests.

Each couple were given a canoe, two paddles and five barrels,to keep our food & gear dry, then we were pushed off down stream to navigate the 155km river to our pick up point in five days time. It was one of the most adventurous expeditions any of us have ever undertaken.

The river was fast flowing in places with some pretty big white water to tackle along the way. It was clear that from day one that we would not stay dry for the duration!

The four of us, Team Yates and Team Gould (collectively known as team GB), shared the river with very few others, and most of those were only tackling shorter 3-4 day versions of our journey. Despite this we were first up and out each morning and always quickest to our next overnight stop - after all we couldn't let down the British rowing standards!

In the afternoon the wind would pick up making the paddling tough - we had no complaints though as everyday we were in stunning sunshine and 28+ degrees temperatures!

It was like going back in time and constantly reminded us of Jurassic Park - at one point Dave was whistling the Jurassic Park theme tune music, when he stopped we could hear a bird mimicking the tune and singing it back... very weird!!!

Early in the morning a light mist rose from the river creating a mystical light...

... the sun soon burnt through and helped warm our aching muscles.

On day four we took a 1.5 hour side trip walk to a bridge called the bridge to nowhere. Built in the 1930's when the area was supposed to have been developed it now stands isolated in a remote valley after the development plans were scrapped.

It made for a eerie reminder of how inhospitable and rugged this area really is!

That evening we all stayed at a Maori campsite, it was great hearing about the ancestors of the people and the cultural beliefs of the different tribes.

The last day the water was like a mirror as we set of on our final stage of the journey. Our barrels were considerably lighter and our belts considerably tighter. The conversation rarely strayed from what foods and drinks we would be rewarding ourselves with that evening.

However we still had some major obstacles standing (or rather flowing) in our way. Many of the largest rapids were on this last day... Yes we were more competent in navigating them but Dave might have got a bit to excited on the last one and the 1.5m wave in the heart of the rapid completely filled the canoe and left Mel & Dave still upright but pretty much submerged as they headed for the bank to bail out!

After an amazing challenge and a incredible five days team GB aching and soggy but proud and exhilarated made there way to Taupo for some beer and pizza and were treated by another out of this world sunset. 

The volcanoes on the horizon a beautiful invitation for next challenge: our 3rd NZ Great Walk - the four day Tongariro Northern Circuit, we start Tomorrow!!!!

The West Coast

We currently making our way slowly North back to Auckland to collect Vicky & Jordan; trying to chill out as we're quite sure that the two weeks with them (including virtually back to back Great Walks) will be full on!

One night spent in a sleepy but beautiful township called Kawhia and a visit to a amazing 55 meter waterfall, Bridal Vale Falls.

This place is in the middle of nowhere and a short walk around the falls provided a variety of viewpoints for photos:

We spent the next couple of days at the surf beaches in Raglan, it's quite an arty town and we have got into the spirit with some art & craft time of our own, painting driftwood and pebbles.

After dinner we had a mad dash to find a high vantage point to watch the sunset; well worth the effort as this was the reward:

Goblin Forests & Misty Peaks

Another brilliant walk through Taranaki's 'Goblin Forest'. The gnarled trees were so close and covered with moss and lichen they looked like hairy monsters.

Dawson Falls was a great spot for lunch and another chance to play with the settings on the camera!,

The branches seemed to twist and curl in search of the rays of sunlight.

A the end of the walk the mountain, for only the second time in the week, revealed her icy summit!