Severni Ostrov / North Island (New Zealand)

Popisovat krajinu Noveho Zelandu se da dost tezko. Vzhledem k tomu, ze tu maji uplne vsechno a nahustene na 3 mensich ostrovech nejlepsi prirovnani bude kdyz rekneme, ze je to mix toho lepsiho z Irska, Svycarska, trochou Norska a primesi exotiky. Asi tak nejak. Krajina je tak krasna, aby bez problemu nadchla i cloveka ktery uz neco videl. Ke vsemu jsme tu jeste chytili krasne babi leto.
U novozelandanu je vse 'Sweet As' (Na pohodu) a musime rict, ze tenhle vyraz se ujal stejne rychle jako 'Chicos' v JA.
Z Aucklandu jedeme hned druhy den na poloostrov Coromandel. Prvni zastavka je plaz horke vody kde za odlivu staci vzit lopatu a muzete si vykopat v pisku vlastni termalni bazenek. Toto se nam, ale nepostesti protoze mame zrovna priliv. Ale i tak je plaz nadherna a voda v mori tepla. Dalsi zastavka je magicka Cathedral Cove (ve filmu Narnie 2 tu decka prosli z Londynskeho metra primo do Narnie). A pripadame si opravdu jak v pohadce, jedna z nejhezcich plazi co jsme videli, staci sundat boty a tunelem se probrodit do chranene zatoky se zlatym piskem. More tu neni tak teple, ale porad se to da kdyz tam vlezla i Janca. Dale navstivime mesto bohatych Whitianga (oblibene misto kapitana Cooka), mistni si protahli more skrz kanaly az do zahrad a tak mohou parkovat sve jachty hned u domu. Prekvapuje nas, ze stromy kiwi vypadaji jak trochu prerostla vinna reva.
Dalsi den jedeme pres mesto Hobitu do Rotoruy. Lezi na jednom z nejvetsich geotermalnich poli NZ a sem tam je citit sira, po meste jsou nahodne rozmistene jezirka s bublajicim bahnem. Zde navstivime manufakturu kde opracovavaji nefrit (posvatny maorsky kamen) do krasnych tradicnich tvaru. Pujcime auto a zajedeme na prochazku do Redwood forest. Obrovsky les plny sekvoju a az 10m kapradi (narodni znak NZ), jsme z nej uplne nadseni. Oddelene stezky pro pesi, horska kola a kone. Snad nejhezci les co jsme videli.
Pristi den rano jedeme do Wai-O-Tapu. Geotermalni park zbarveny vsemoznymi mineraly, smrdici sirou, bublajici bahno, gejziry. Nejvic se nam libi Sampanske jezirko se sumici vodou a brehu ze smesi siry a zlata, jedovate zelena dablova koupel a jezero plne bublajiciho bahna strikajiciho az do 2m. Odpoledne jdeme do stanice pro ochranu kiwiu. Ptaci jsou hodne srandovni, prekvapi nas velikost, asi jako slepice.
Dalsi den je Den s velkym D! Projizdime Tolkienovu Stredozem, navstivime farmu ohromnych kraliku, kteri se pestuji pro srst stejne hebkou jako kasmir. Pokracujeme do Waitomo, kde maji zrovna mistni festival a zavody ve strihani ovci (mene nez 1min), sekani dreva, atd.
Ja si dojdu vyfasovat 5mm neopren, helmu a dusi od nakladaku a jdu 'raftovat cernou vodu'. Janca se rozhodne jeskyne prozkoumat z bezpeci lode. V jeskynich je zima, voda mezi 6-9st. Hned na zacatku se plazime 15m tunelem o prumeru 1m s tekouci vodou ke skrytemu vodopadu. Na konci je jeskyne 3x3m a pada na nas vodopad z vysky 14m. Vratime se, skocime z mensiho vodopadu a jedeme tmou a tunely asi 40min. Hlavni atrakci jsou Glow Worms. Cervi, jejichz trus diky chemicke reakci sviti a laka potravu - mame nad sebou nas maly soukromy vesmir, misty tak jasny, ze se odrazi od vody na ktere jedeme. Tisice a tisice hvezd vzdalenych na dosah ruky. Zmrzli na kost pak pokracujeme do Taupo. Mesta na brehu nejvetsiho krateroveho jezera sveta, pred 25000lety tu byla nejvetsi erupce v historii planety. Zastavime u Huka Falls, ale jedine co nas tu muze prekvapit po tom co jsme videli Iguazu Falls je cistota vody, absolutni modra (95% rek a potoku NZ je pitna voda). Je krasny letni den a tak se na posledni chvili rozhodneme pro skok padakem! 20 nervoznich minut nahoru do 4km. Janca je uplne v pohode, ale ja nejsem zrovna nejvetsi pritel letani ani vysek, idealni sport pro me. Hnede bezpecnostni trenky sebou ale nemam. Pocit kdyz se ve 4km otevrou dvere a sedite na hrane a koukate dolu se da popsat dost tezce. Zrovna tak skok a 45s volneho padu vice nez 200km/h. Skacu prvni a se mnou skace jeste jeden typek co si se mnou ve vzduchu placa, podava ruce a dela ruzne opicky, pad nam prijde dost dlouhy. Ale pote co se otevre padak si muzeme s Jancou zamavat a pozorovat ostrov pod nami. Jsou videt oba brehy a v dalce dokonce breh jizniho ostrova. Primo pod nami jezero Taupo a hora Mt. Doom, chybi jen vsevidouci Sauronovo oko. Bomba!
Navstevu severniho ostrova zakoncime ve Wellingtonu. Prijemne mesto ktere na nas nepusobi jako ostatni hlavni mesta, ale ma spise atmosferu pohodoveho krajskeho mesta. Zajdeme do narodniho muzea TePapa. Zajimave zpracovane interaktivni exibice nas zdrzi cele odpoledne. Pristi den rano uz jen plavba pres Cookovu uzinu kde nas vyprovodi stovky delfinu.

Foto:
Coromandel
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57061&id=1344786025&l=11c7632b40
Rotorua
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57063&id=1344786025&l=8007da8017
Taupo
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57064&id=1344786025&l=cdb5ab2365
Wellington
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57065&id=1344786025&l=aea4704d12

Describe the landscape of NZ is quite difficult. When you take into account that NZ has nearly everything you can find on this planet the best metaphor would be if we say that it's a mixture of the nice stuff taken from Ireland, Switzerland, bit of Norway with an exotic touch. Landscape can easily impress anybody. And on the top of all the things we have great end of the summer weather.
With Kiwis everything is 'Sweet As' and it's quite catchy, like 'Chicos' in Latin America.
We leave Auckland next day after arrival and head for Coromandel peninsula. Hot Water Beach is our first stop, place where you can dig out your own thermal bath providing it's low tide. Next stop is magical Cathedral Cove (used in making the movie Narnia 2). And it really feels like being in a fairy tale, one of the most beautiful beaches we've ever seen. Take off your shoes, ford through the tunnel and enter a sheltered beach with golden sand. Sea is warm enough even for Jana to go for a swim. Then we visit a town of Whitianga, favorite place of Cpt. Cook. Local rich families extended canals from the sea to their back yards so the yachts can be parked next to the house.
We're surprised that kiwi trees look like big grapevine and not like trees.
Next day we pass through Hobbitton town to Rotorua. Rotorua lays on one of the biggest geothermal areas in the NZ a smells of sulphur, there are ponds of bubbling mud randomly scattered around the town. We visit a jade manufacture (sacred Maori stone) where the stone is wrought into beautiful traditional shapes. We rent a car and go for a stroll into Redwood forest. Huge forest full of redwood and fern, we are absolutely blown away. Greatest forest we've seen so far with separate paths for walking, MTB and horses.
Next morning we drive to Wai-O-Tapu. Geothermal park coloured by various minerals, stinking of sulphur, geysers, etc. Our top picks are Champagne lake with sparkling water and bank made of sulphur and gold compound, Devil's bath with poisonous green color and lake full of bubbling mud squirting up to 2m. In the afternoon we visit nocturnal house full of kiwi birds. They are cute and funny, we're surprised how big they are. Same size as chicken.
Today is a Day with capital D! Making our way through the Middleearth, stopping at the giant rabbit farm that are grown for their fur equally soft as cashmere. Continuing towards Waitomo, where is currently on a local festival and various competitions like sheep trimming, wood cutting, etc.
I don a 5mm wetsuit, helmet and big inner tube and go 'rafting the blackwater'. Jana decides to explore the caves from the safety of boat deck. Caves are quite cold, water temperature 6-9degrees. We start by crawling through 15m long tunnel laying down in cold water reaching secret hidden waterfall at the end. We return jump of the small waterfall and float in complete darkness for about 40mins. Main attraction are Glow Worms. Worms that produce dropping that glows in the dark and attracts their feed. Above us we have our own small personal universe, in some places bright enough to reflect of the water surface. Thousands and thousands of stars withing the reach of our hands. Great - frozen to the bone we continue to Taupo.
Town spread on the bank of Taupo lake, biggest crater lake in the world. 25000yrs ago this was the place of biggest eruption in the history of Earth. Short stop at the Huka Falls, but after seeing Iguazu Falls the only thing that can surprise is how crystal clear the water is. Weather is great so we decide to do a skydive!
20 anxious minutes up to reach 4km. Jana enjoys it a lot, but I'm not the best friend of heights and flying, ideal sport for me. And I forgot to pack the safety brown underwear... To describe the feeling when the door open at 4km above the earth and you're sitting on the edge and look down is quite hard. Same with the freefall, speed of 200km/h lasting 45s. I am the first one to go, with me jumps another guy who gives me high5 when falling, the fall feels much longer than 45s.. Once the parachute opens I can wave to Jana and have a look at the island below us. Visibility is good and we can see both coasts of North Island and even outline of the South Island. Straight below us lake Taupo and Mt. Doom, missing just Sauron's allseeing eye. What a blast!
Visit of the North Island ends in Wellington. City with friendly feeling that doesn't have the cosmopolitan atmosphere of other capitals. National museum TePapa keeps us entertained for the whole afternoon. Next morning we cross the Cook's Strait and hundreds of dolphins see us off.

Pictures:
Coromandel
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57061&id=1344786025&l=11c7632b40
Rotorua
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57063&id=1344786025&l=8007da8017
Taupo
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57064&id=1344786025&l=cdb5ab2365
Wellington
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57065&id=1344786025&l=aea4704d12