Driving on the left side of the road is a bit of an adventure unto itself. Nevertheless, when mass transit doesn’t reach where you need to go, you start practicing online driving simulations as soon as you confirm your driver’s license is valid in that part of the world.
Despite living in New York City, I do drive. But just to be on the safe side, given the whole “left side” situation, I didn’t rent a car in the middle of Wellington. I took a bus to the outskirts here and then rented a car. From there I drove to Lower Hutt.
Te Awa Kairangi (Hutt River)
Please take a moment to geek out with me when you too learn that “Te Awa Kairangi” directly translates to “The River Precious”.
I walked along the river before sitting down to read a bit, and when I ran into another human, asked if she would take my photo. She was in the midst of telling me she had vision problems and I was in the midst of describing the general direction she should point the camera when her finger slipped and she took the below photo. I’m rather fond of it.
No, the Flight to the Ford/River of Bruinen scene was not filmed in Lower or Upper Hutt. It was filmed in the South Island in Skippers Canyon. Since the road to get there was dangerously inaccessible during my time in Aotearoa, I pivoted. Never fear, fun was still had.
Putangirua Pinnacles / Dimholt Road
There is no public transportation to Aorangi National Park, but after online research, I was determined to reach the place where Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas enter the Dwimorberg Mountain to parlay with the Oathbreakers and form the Army of the Dead (translation: I am a huge Tolkien nerd). All my efforts were worth the reward.
Did I rent a car for the sole purpose of reaching the Putangirua Pinnacles? You bet I did!
Firstly, I had the entire park nearly to myself. I only saw two other humans. One park ranger at the parking lot warning me there had just been a rat poison air drop in the area (invasive mammals are an ongoing issue) and one fellow hiker heading out while I was heading in. We each took the other’s photo.
The Dimholt Road is described as being surrounded by a double row of standing stones leading to one large stone blocking the path. While the hoodoos make up much more than a double row and there is no one stone at the end of the trail, it still felt as though I was walking along the Path of the Dead.
Trail markers were nonexistent. I found my path via the vague instructions from the park ranger (“follow the stream then turn left”) and by looking for old footprints in the mud and dusty scrabble. Rather than lead to a marked ending, or looping around, the path simply continues sloping gradually upward. Meanwhile, the rock formations on either side grow closer until all you can do is barely squeeze through.
When I couldn’t risk crawling any further forwards and upwards without potentially getting stuck, I turned around. While I wore my emergency solo-traveler whistle, I knew I was the only human within hearing. I’m not in a position to command the Army of the Dead after all.
Rimutaka Crossing Lookout
There is only a single roadway between Lower Hutt and the Putangirua Pinnacles. That’s because everything else is either mountain or valley. Halfway through, there’s a scenic viewpoint to pull over where you can learn a bit of history while you take in the views. During WWI, around 60,000 New Zealand soldiers crossed this pass on foot in order to report for battle.
It was exhausting to drive the curving mountain roads, I can’t imagine walking them.
Epic lighting for an epic crossing.
There hadn’t been anyone at the lookout when I passed it that morning. On my way back, I saw only a single parked car. While I was cautious, I did pull over. I ended up exchanging the above photo for use of my car’s jumper cables.
Mangaroa Hill Scenic Reserve
Just outside Kaitoke Regional Park (which I had already visited) there is a reserve with a few gentle footpaths overlooking the Stuart Macaskill Lakes and cow pastures. This is where I pulled over to eat a delicious dinner of manuka honey on purple wheat bread and minted peas. The meal was as simple as the view divine.
I was satisfied with a memory of where I sat to rest and eat dinner with only my knees visible, but then a photographer in the guise of a dogwalker happened to pass by and took the below for me. Sheer satisfaction.
Kaitlin’s Adventure in New Zealand was from June 8-25, 2017