New Zealand on a Very Tight Budget Day 14

Touring doesn’t get much better than today. After the torrential rain of the evening and night we awoke to sun shine and packed up moving the van just round the corner to do the 2 hour walk to the Taranaki Falls. I don’t know why they are called that as we are a long way from Mount Taranaki. It was a very “Scottish” walk through lovely woods and then along the side of a river and out onto open moorland. We could be Mount Tongariro infront of us shrouded in cloud and felt a little bit pleased with our selves that we had tackled it a day earlier than planned.
The waterfall it self did not disappoint as you could go right behind it and very quickly climb up and look down it before returning on a different path to the car park. There were plenty of flowers out, anemonies and hebe and we had lunch over looking another very attractive river.
We then drove on to the amazing Forgotten World Scenic Highway. The landscape is so folded and moulded it hardly looks natural. I think it was the winning design in a competition like Slarty Blartfast. This major road then became a dirt track – single width in places as it descended some 10 miles down the incredible Tangarakau Gorge. An immense forested canyon that made me think of some of those old Japanese prints with cliffs and hanging woods. Half way down we visited the grave of Captain Morgan, the surveyor of the road back in the day who succumbed to peritonitis at the age of 35. His wife was buried next to him when she did some 60 years later. It is a beautiful spot.
We emerged from the canyon back into the frilly landscape via the extraordinary Moki Tunnel. The wooden beams in the roof looked like a church. I’m glad nothing was coming the other way!
Our camp site was just beyond. Impossible to describe with 360 degree views. Mount Taranaki in the distance, thunder rolling to the right and a rainbow in front of us. Free hot showers and so far no one else here. It’s one of the best camp sites I’ve ever stayed at but I notice the place is on the market. The lack of traffic makes me think there is no passing trade.