Taupo is quickly becoming known as the adventure capital of the North, so as soon as we arrived many of our group disappeared to go throw themselves out of planes at several thousand feet. Because the kiwi buses stop here for two nights, we got to catch up with people who had left Paihia a day before us. Even though we had only seen them a week before it felt like a lot longer. We later walked to some hot springs that flowed into an ice cold river, to prepare for the strenuous day to follow.

At the early hour of 4am, when others were still coming from nights out, we rose for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. This is known as the best one day walk in NZ but despite being short, it is not for the faint hearted. The main walk is 20km (with an added extra of 2 hours for a detour up Mount Doom), so even though we started the walk at 7.30 we didn't finish until 4.30. There are a couple of detours you can choose to take if you wish. Our group, mainly due to a very active interest in the Lord of the Rings, chose to climb Mount Ngauruhoe which was used for the infamous Mount Doom in the movies. There is no path up this active volcano, the advice is stick to the rocks on the way up and the lava flows on the way down. During the climb it felt like with every step you took forward you slid back two, so it was exhausting work but well worth it, not only for the view at the top but also for the amazing sense of achievement when we looked back down.

Compared to the hour and a bit climb, it only took us half an hour to get down thanks to the wonderful invention of scree running which essentially involves digging your heels in and running down the side of a mountain. Miraculously we didn't cause any avalanches but did end up with what felt like half a volcano in our shoes and a few cuts and bruises. The rest of the walk in comparison seemed a breeze. We made another steep descent to the beautiful emerald and turquoise lakes before starting the tedious 3 hour descent through a very long series of windy paths down the side of the mountain. Despite being very sore and absolutely exhausted for the next couple of days, it was one of the best activities we've done so far in NZ.

Our next stop cannot be said to be on the main tourist track. River Valley Lodge is found at the base of a rocky valley at the end of a very hilly and windy track. Most come here to white water raft or horse trek, but those of us on a stricter budget spent the afternoon throwing ourselves off rocks and ledges into the river.

We then moved on to windy wellie or Wellington, the capital of NZ. Unfortunately, on our first night the city lived up to its nickname as we were ordered to not open any windows due to gale force winds. As we were staying 3 nights it was here we said goodbye to the bus driver we'd been with for the whole of the North Island and many of our bus who were leaving the next day. We spent Saturday in the city going to Te Papa, NZ's national museum that had so many interactive elements we weren't quite sure what to do.That evening before heading out we were treated to a delicious seafood paella by one of our friends. It should be pointed out that we almost didn't have anywhere to stay Saturday night due to mass booking for Homegrown (NZ's festival for kiwi musicians) which was meant to be taking place all over the city. Bad weather meant it was postponed until the next day and we were able to snatch up beds in another hostel.

The Sunday took our small group to another one of Wellington's famous attractions: the gondola.This cable car goes up the side of a hill for views of the city and arrives just outside the botanical gardens. You can explore these for free and they take you right down the hill and back into the city. Another group cooking effort of thai green curry caused us to happily sleep most of our last evening in Wellington in front of the TV, but we will be back in just under a month on our way back North.