New Plymouth: Break Time

The drive from Waitomo to New Plymouth is incredible. The highway (this term is used loosely) winds down through the mountains to the coast and then follows the coast, passing lovely black sand beaches, into New Plymouth. The weather was not nearly so lovely as the scenery; it poured the whole way. Thus we have no pictures to regale you with.

We had intended to use New Plymouth as a base from which to check out the numerous surfing beaches around it and Mount Takawera/Mount Egcombe. The weather did not cooperate. The mountain, much like Mount Rainier throughout the year, was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. While we Seattlites are used to doing stuff in the rain, this was a much more formidable downfall than the Seattle drizzle. Instead of enjoying the beautiful countryside, we toured the town and holed up in our room early every night. After the adventures at Waitomo and almost two weeks of travel, we needed a break. New Plymouth was our stop.