Posts tagged nature
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing in winter is simply magical
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing in winter is simply magical

I was still in Perú when I saw my cousin Rommel’s photos of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and couldn’t believe how much the terrain had transformed into a winter wonderland. I’ve done a lot more hiking since doing the crossing for the first time three years ago, so I was curious to see how different this experience would be. Would it still be this hobby hiker’s Goliath?

This adventure was with a massive group of 32 with the Pinoy Adventurers NZ group - for some it was already their second time, having experienced the crossing in the summer and excited to walk it in the snow. For many it was their first, and for a few it was a personal milestone in their fitness journey. Some even travelled from the South Island - even as far south as Christchurch. How awesome was that?

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The Local Tourist, North Island, Guided Tour, TongariroRonna Grace Funtelarthelocaltourist, newzealand, nznatural, hobbyhiker, femalehiker, nzhikes, tongariro, tongariroalpinecrossing, tongarironationalpark, alpine, sonyalpha6000, sonya6000, nature, naturewalksnz, naturereserves, winter, mtruapehu, mtngauruhoe, northislandhikes, guidedtour, activeoutdoors, tongariroguidingComment
Ziplining with Rotorua Canopy Tours
Ziplining with Rotorua Canopy Tours

We met at Rotorua Canopy Tours’ headquarters on Fairy Springs Road, where we were checked-in by super-friendly staff. There usual waiver and emergency checklist to be completed, but since I had booked and paid online, it was all pretty straight forward. Soon we were greeted by our guides who kitted us with jackets and harnesses. After a quick (and humour-filled) safety briefing, we hopped into the van and made our way to the Dansey Road Scenic Reserve, which took about 15 minutes.

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The Local Tourist, RotoruaRonna Grace Funtelarfivefootronna creativethelocaltourist, rotorua, newzealand, ziplining, ecotourism, nature, thingstodonearwhakatane, thingstodonearrotorua, thingstodoinrotorua, activitiesnearrotorua, activitiesinrotorua, guidedtour, ecotoursComment
Discover Our Local: The Fairbrother Loop Walk
Discover Our Local: The Fairbrother Loop Walk

The Ngatapuwae o Toi is a loop track from Whakatane to Ohope. This morning I walked the Fairbrother Loop Walk at Ohope Beach. They say the walk should take about an hour and half, and that’s taking it easy. There were some steeper uphill sections, but if you powered through it I say you can do it in an hour. I was alone for most of the time - the track was also a bit muddy as we’ve had quite a bit of rain over the last few days. I can see this track being busier in the summer.

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The Local Tourist, Bay of Plenty, Coastal, Discover Our Local, Forest, Free, North Island, WhakataneRonna Grace Funtelarthelocaltourist, ohopebeach, nature, bushwalk, whakatane, shortwalks, easywalk, newzealand, discoverourlocalComment
Craters of the Moon
Craters of the Moon

Taupo is a geothermal wonderland - though I could picture Craters of the Moon literally once being a large paddock until developers realised people would pay money to walk in this paddock. You could say it was the perfect place to be on a cold winter’s day - after ten minutes of walking I was breaking into a sweat and by the time I reached the lookout, I wished I was wearing shorts.

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The Local Tourist, TaupoRonna Grace Funtelarcratersofthemoon, geothermal, nature, walk, taupo, shortwalks, easywalk, greatertauporegion, volcanicregion, newzealandComment