Climbing Mt. Doom and the Tongariro Crossing!

NZ fun fact- the "happy cows come from California" commercials... are filmed in New Zealand!

So SoundScape. I was going to talk about that in this blog post, but a couple coolers things have happened since, so we'll focus on those. But in a nutshell, it was a CRAZY night where me and 3 other girls had one of the most ridiculous nights here to date. In the rain no less. But anyways, the past few nights were pretty cool too.

Thursday night I went to my friend Will's house, who I met through Ben. It was me and about 6 or 7 others hanging around and drinking. We played their version of Kings- a drinking game we often play in the states. I also encountered my first gay kiwi, who was a blast. Also- his sister went to JMU, which is pretty ridiculous. We bonded pretty much instantly after that. It wasn't a late night, but I was happy to meet more kiwis, which is definitely one of my goals here.

Friday morning we all got up really early to catch the bus. It was about a 5 hour drive, but definitely didn't feel like it. Everything is so scenic here, I don't mind long bus rides one bit. We arrived at our hostel, and as we were driving in we could see the mountain we were going to be climbing the next day. It was a volcano among volcanoes. They definitely picked a perfect Mt. Doom for Lord of the Rings. It has the perfect shape and ominous coloring. Nice job directors.

This guy. When we were driving by I was really started to get nervous. I really am not in that good of shape, and I knew this mountain would easily prove that. But we got to the hostel, set up our tents and tried to sleep. Oh and this sign was outside the hostel which I thought was cute

Each side it was printed in a different language. But the next day, we started the hike. We took a 6am bus to the base of the mountain. Here's what it looked like in the morning:

The first hour and a half or so was like a normal hike. Except for that there was not much flora or fauna. Since it is a volcano, the landscape hasn't fully recovered since the last eruption in the 70's. The women at the hostel stressed the importance of going to the bathroom before you went, because there is literally no cover. Once we got to the mountain the terrain changed dramatically. Going up the actual mountain was tough. Mentally and physically. We climbed up volcanic ash. Pretty much sand and loose rock. You took 2 steps forward and went 1-3 back. getting a grip was pretty tough. A solid rock you could stand on was a godsend. It took about 2 hours up, and about 20 minutes to get down. Going down was the best part, because you could pretty much hop, skip, and slide down with little effort. My friend Zach took a pretty funny video of us sliding down the mountain, and I wipe out at the end. Its on my facebook if you want to check it out!

When we get back down completely exhausted, we realize we still have a few hours ahead of us. about 5 to be exact. And another 3 small mountains to go over. It was rough after climbing the mountain. But along the way was pretty beautiful.

Pretty incredible. Mountains and water in the distance, and walking by the crystal blue hot springs was pretty sweet. They smell strongly of sulfur, but I have been to so many of the pools, I actually enjoy the smell now.


Post hike, was pretty rough. Every single muscle in my body aches and we all have blisters, bruises, and scrapes. But the trip was so worth it!


The trip back was also pretty funny. On the bus my good friend Chris sat next to a woman named "Doom Kitten." you can't make this shit up. She has her harp strapped to the back of the seat, tattoo on her chest, and is a proclaimed gypsy. Chris was texting Ace and I for almost the entire bus ride. Her mother is a ninja, she hates pine trees, thinks cows are the devil, spins fire, and plays the harp, flute, and some sort of guitar. I did not believe Chris until I physically introduced myself to her and almost lost my train of thought. Doom Kitten exists. And she will be in Hamilton, avoiding the next earthquake her friend predicted. Lovely.

Then... We get off the bus in Rotorua to get food. We find an indian place that is next to desolate. We are sitting outside waiting for our food when a little kid not over 4 or 5 comes out. He has a plastic mini cooper in his hand and harassment in his mind. I have never been so close to getting physical with a child in my life. He comes out and starts saying that the table I have my things on is his and not mine. Well I just proclaim that the whole country was mine, and that was a mistake. This child physically drags the table away from us. He then starts telling us about how everything is his and we can't sit there, etc. He then takes his plastic mini cooper and hits me in the face with it. I kid you not. He then tries to take my things and asks if he can cut my bag up. um.. HELL NO. I don't think I have ever been so annoyed with a child in my life. Ace however was a lot less patient. He hit her with it, and she freaks out on him. that however does not stop him. He then decides he doesn't want his car anymore, and forcefully tries to shove it in my crotch. Then our food was done. crazy to say the least.