Somewhere on the edge of the world: New Zealand

From any place in New Zealand, which I already started talking about in my last post, it takes about an hour and a half to get to the ocean, because it is an island state, the roads are excellent, and the drivers are neat and friendly. Of course, different people have their own criteria for a good beach, but for me, one of the most memorable was Baylys Beach. An endless wide sandy strip surrounded by cliffs, on which waves continuously pounce over and over again and turn into water mist. We were spellbound walking along the coast, feeling the power of the ocean and enjoying a sunny day.

Cars sometimes drive onto this sandy beach, but they may not always come back, as the sand is deceiving. There is coastal assistance for them - cars that can help pull you back to the earth.

If this volcano wakes up, all life on the whole island will perish, and most likely there will be no summer in the world that year. By the way, about New Zealand and this lake is written in the book of Jules Verne "Children of Captain Grant."

In New Zealand, you can take a walk near the more familiar volcanoes along the Tama Lakes trek. For example, the young volcano Ngauruhe, one of the highest and most beautiful volcanoes in the Tongariro complex - the prototype of Mount Orodruin from The Lord of the Rings.

Here the weather changes every minute, at first it can drizzle cold rain, then a strong wind will blow off the clouds and, finally, the hot sun will look out. You have to constantly change clothes, so do not forget to bring warm clothes.

The trail goes around the lakes Tama, Upper and Lower, the water in which, especially when the sun peeks, beckons to itself. Take a dip and forget all the sorrows!

When you go along the trail, do not forget to stop near the beautiful Taranaki Falls, although you definitely will not miss it.

From the cool mountains we will return for a while again to the South Pacific. In principle, we traveled in a zigzag fashion - from the inner part of the country to the coast and back. One of the most unusual places that I happened to see is a beach with hot springs (Hot Water Beach). We arrived at the campsite already in the dark, and Dima, our guide, says: "Let's go for the shovels!" I was surprised. And he was even more surprised when we were told that the rise was at 4 in the morning, and the goal of the early rise was to go to the beach to dig holes in the sand!

By the time the sun began to rise, everything was almost ready and the hot bodies were running to plunge into the cool waters of the ocean and back.

When the sun rose and illuminated the green hills, our pit was already filled with the ocean, and we moved on.

Our path leads to the Coromandel Peninsula, to the beaches where the Chronicles of Narnia were filmed. Having walked along the trail among the huge trees, we descend into the bay of Mares Leg Cove and see the entrance to the tunnel cave one hundred and twenty meters long, which is called the Cathedral Cave. It has excellent acoustics, so sometimes concerts are held here.

A sail-like rock seen from Cathedral Cave has its own name, Te Hoho. Right behind the cave is Cathedral Bay, which the Maori aborigines call Te Wanganui-A-Hey, which means "Great Hey Bay".

And since we are talking about films and you, just like me, love fantasy, then the Hobbiton (movie set), a place in which both adults and children fall into a fairy tale, will be a must-see. The hobbit village, which was specially built for the films of Peter Jackson "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit."

Many houses with round doors and windows located in the green hills of the Shire. Here, as our guide says, “it’s easy to learn how to photograph the surroundings as if there is nobody around”, because tourist groups go one by one, but this does not interfere with enjoying the familiar views.

The houses are built with great love, this is a real village, and not just plywood decorations. A lot of flowers and small details, it seems that the owners simply went for an afternoon nap or fishing.

And at the end of the journey, you find yourself in the Green Dragon Tavern, where you can drink a glass of hobbies beer or cider and, best of all, this is included in the ticket price.

Almost at the southernmost tip of the North Island is the capital of New Zealand - the city of Wellington (Wellington). This is the southernmost capital in the world, up to Antarctica about three and a half thousand kilometers.

Among the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Polynesian Maori people, the city is known by three names. The first of these is Te Fanga-nui-a-Tara (Maori Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara, translated as "the great bay of Tara"). The second is Poneke (Pориneke Maori), the third is Te Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Maui (Maori Te Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Māui, translated as "the head of the Maui fish"). Wellington also has several nicknames: Capital Harbor (The Harbor Capital), Wellwood (Wellywood = Wellington + Hollywood) and Windy City. (Wikipedia)

An excellent view opens from Mount Victoria, just keep in mind that there is often a strong wind, and hold on to hats tightly — I almost lost my baseball cap here.

Somewhere here, on the slopes of Mount Victoria, the hobbits were hiding from the Nazguls.

At the city, I did not notice a distinct historical center, this is a pile of various styles and colors.

And the most impressive thing was the exhibition in the Te Papa Museum, dedicated to the Battle of Gallipoli, in which New Zealanders fought during the First World War. I did not know what I would see there, so the exposition was simply stunned. Imagine that you go into the dark room in which there is a statue of a soldier ... Although the statue?

The huge figure of a man dressed in a dirty uniform, his shoes are worn, his hands are broken, each hair on his hands and fingerprints can be seen. Yes, he even has a lively look ... And in the next room his biography - where he was born, where he studied, what he dreamed about ... History came to life. There are several halls with such installations, and from each begins to ache the heart.

The Te Papa Museum has many interesting exhibitions about nature, history, art, which is very interesting - admission is free.

In the city, when we got there, the Homegrown music festival was held and many young people roamed the center. At that moment I was wearing a T-shirt, a fleece jacket and a jacket, and they ... well, you see for yourself. And this is not the most liberated outfit. Either they are used to such weather, or is it just that beauty requires sacrifice?

Sunset is best seen at a point called Moa Point near Tarakena Bay. There are very picturesque rocks that go into the water, and there are no crowds of photographers - most likely, you will be there completely alone.

Tired and happy, we returned to the hotel. And then Dima Kozlov asks: "Do you want to look at the petrified mountain trolls?" What could we say in response? Of course we wanted to. It turns out that this is where the dawn of poor dwarf meat lovers came to be found - in Wellington, not for nothing that in November 2012 it was officially renamed Middle of Middle-earth, that is, "Middle-earth."