New Zealand Road Trip: Tongariro, Bungy, & Rotorua
It was time for our biggest New Zealand day yet! We fueled up on ramen in the van on our last night in Wellington, then we really wanted to squeeze in as much as possible, so we decided to try to fit Tongariro National Park, bungy jumping (for me), and a Rotorua Maori cultural experience in one day. It was packed in, but the schedule was definitely doable with some time to spare.
We woke up super early from our parking lot in Wellington and drove about 3.5 hours north to Tongariro National Park. We started with a short walk to Tawhai Falls (also known as Gollum’s Pool) since we were on a Lord of the Rings streak.
Next, we parked the van in town (not an easy feat, but we were able to street park) and did a longer hike of the Taranaki Falls Loop, which was a little under 4 hours. It was an easy hike with gorgeous views from below and above the falls.
We could’ve enjoyed much more time in the park, but we were on a time crunch to get to my bungy jumping appointment. We grabbed some lunch in the van and drove a little over an hour to Taupo (AJ Hackett Bungy). To be honest, I was feeling pretty nervous at that point and wouldn’t have minded if we missed the appointment! But we made it with time to spare, and they let me walk right up and jump early (lucky me!) I was actually a little relieved to see that it wasn’t as high as the really, really high other bungy jumping locations in New Zealand. I felt less anxious and more excited as I got my harness fitted and walked out to the platform. The staff members were really friendly and reassuring, so I felt better. But when I made the jump, I uncontrollably screamed “OH MY GOD!” I don’t think anything can prepare you for that feeling.
At the bottom, a boat lowered me down, and I got to have a nice little ride back to the dock to hike back up to the starting point. It was the perfect experience! I almost considered jumping again, which you can do for about $80 more, but the weather was starting to turn rainy. Onwards we went to our next destination…
We drove another hour and arrived early to our cultural Maori dinner in Rotorua. Just enough time for a van shower and change in the parking lot before the show. In Rotorua, there are a few different Maori villages that offer tourists the opportunity to learn about Maori culture. We weren’t sure if it would be cheesy and extremely touristy, but we decided to go for it, and I’m glad we did.
We went with the Mitai Maori Village. We spent the evening watching demonstrations and performances, hearing a Q&A session about Maori culture, and eating an amazing (and massive!) hangi meal. I felt like we were able to learn a lot about a special aspect of New Zealand, so it felt worthwhile—though it was a very large group and definitely a touristy activity. After dinner, we walked back down to the stream and saw a few glow worms along the trail in the dark.
And that was a wrap on our most jam-packed New Zealandy day!