◾️Take a trip along the Heritage Highway from Napier to the National Park
If you have the chance to drive the Heritage Highway from Napier to the National Park, do it. It's the authentic road less traveled and a completely different experience to your image of the North Island. After four hours of driving that we thought only happened in the outback of the South Island, we strapped on our daypacks and set our sights on the majestic Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
◾️The rugged rocky terrain of the East Cape transforms into mountain trails
The rocky points of the eastern cape give way to jagged, stepped tracks, and my companions and I enjoyed a wonderful day of hiking. No matter where you are in this strangely shaped country, whether you're in the far north or deep south, if you get up early and leave the coast, by midday you'll be in a completely different world.
◾️Watching the sunset at the last mountain hut
Resting at the last mountain hut and watching the sun set over the ridge, we joked about where the remaining week of travel would take us.
◾️Checking the wave forecast makes the decision to head north more realistic
A quick glance at the swell forecast put the joke on the table. With the north coast expected to be big in the next few days, heading north was the only option. Calm seas to the east and strong winds to the west. A 10-hour drive had never sounded more appealing.
◾️No matter where you are, the scenery changes completely in a few hours.
No matter where you are in the country, the scenery can look completely different in just a few hours: one day you can see the snow-capped peaks of the Central Mountain Range, and the next you're standing beneath the white-domed lighthouse marking the northern edge.
◾️Exploring the far north until the swell arrives
We had some free time before the swell arrived to explore the northernmost part of the country, then made a short trip back south to where we knew a long left was waiting for us.
◾️Friends reunite at the call of the waves and travel
Some of the companions who had left early on in the journey were unable to resist the call of the waves and the journey and began to gather again.
◾️We meet again at the northern rocks and the journey comes to an end
We met up with them on the rocks to the north and spent the rest of the trip on the coast, covered only by blue sky.
