New Zealand (North Island)

New Zealand sure looks small on the map sitting next to Australia. But I can assure you that after ~1,100km of driving in 3 days, it's just a tad bigger than one might think!

Unlike most other travelers that dedicate their time to one island, Corey and I decided that we could cover both islands across 6 days. Our journey began in Auckland - we actually never saw much of the city, except for the one time when we took a wrong turn on the way to the airport. Our theme for the north island was "Volcano, volcano, volcano." The North Island is a part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire" due to its location above the Pacific Plate and Indo-Australian Plate convergence.

Our first stop was around the city of Rotorua where we toured two volcanic/geothermal parks. Most of the crater pools formed by the volcanoes resembled gorgeous, natural hot springs. This was quite tempting considering that it was winter time in New Zealand, but alas, the pH ranged anywhere from 1 - 3, which is equivalent to gastric fluids, lemon juice, or vinegar.

We were also quite fortunate to see a geyser eruption! Although the eruption does occur naturally, our viewing had a bit of help from our every day laundry detergent (which explains why there was a daily viewing at 10am!).

After developing our basic understanding of volcanoes, Corey and I felt confident enough to walk on an active one! Our next stop took us to White Island - New Zealand's only active marine volcano. It was a bit of a surreal feeling as steam pulsed from the walls around us. On occasion the winds would pick up, blowing whiffs of hazardous fumes into our faces. Luckily, we were supplied with gas masks to use on such occurrences. There was even a crater pool that had a pH of -1; a perfect place for people to "go missing."