eNZed - day 14 (28-5-5)

We woke up to sun today and got excited that we might be able to canoe to the Maori carvings along the lake shore, until we came out of the grocery store. Wouldn’t ya know, it starts raining the minute we walk out. We went to the park along the lake front for breakfast – this wasn’t the best idea since it was raining and quite windy (and cold), but that soup was the BOMB. * sigh * I get all hungry just thinking about it.

We decided to try driving to the volcano (Ruapehu) to see if we could get out of the rain by getting above it (it works at Haleakala..), but no such luck. It was raining the whole drive there and at the top. We stopped up there and drank hot chocolate and called the parents for a check-in (aren’t we good kiddies?). I had a terrible kink in my back which I tried to stretch out while Dave decided which hike to go on while A and I entertained ourselves out of the rain.

Dave headed to Silica Rapids while A and I got toasty by the fireplace at the Skotel (ski-hotel… get it?) at the bottom of the mountain. I started reading my new book The Totorore Voyage (about a Kiwi guy who sails around Antarctica) and caught up with postcards and journaling. Of course as soon as we settled in on the couches next to that fire with all our clothes and shoes drying, the sun broke through the clouds and gave Dave a nice dry beautiful hike.

I festered about it for a while, but then decided that it would have rained if I had gone with him, so I should stay inside and let him enjoy it while I occasionally looked out the window.

Dave met us at Skotel for sunset and we had spiked hot chocolate (A and me) and a beer (me) and enjoyed the fire.

Dinner found us (freezing our asses off) at the open air visitors shelter (sounds like a place for the homeless, but it was a covered area with toilets - not too much different) cooking marinated veggies. We slept at the Silica Rapids trainlhead, marveling at how cold it was. Good thing there's three of us!

To look at all the pics from Day 14, click here!