At this point, I was supposed to spend the next few nights staying in Tongariro National Park, known for its three active volcanoes., I was spooked by the White Volcano eruption and decided to spend a few nights resting in New Plymouth instead, opting to spend a day driving through the park on my way to Rotorua.
New Plymouth is the hipster capital of New Zealand, so I loved it. Vegan cafes, tattoo parlors, and second-hand stores line the streets. A coastal town with a beautiful boardwalk and Mt. Taranaki looming in the distance, the view from New Plymouth is stunning. My Airbnb was a converted shipping container on a small farm on the outskirts of the city. Lucky for me, next door housed a home/yoga studio that overlooks the hills of the bush.
It rained for a lot of my time there, but it only made the landscape more beautiful. After going non-stop the last few weeks, it was the perfect place to relax for a few days and try out my new ukulele (there are several music shops in town, and I couldn’t help myself.).
Over the holidays, New Plymouth converts Pukekura Park into an interactive technicolor wonderland. The park itself is already beautiful during the day but was even more impressive at night.
After a few days in New Plymouth, I headed to Tongariro Volcano Park, most well-known for being home to Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings. As I drove through the mountains, I started to notice what I thought were clouds but turned out to be steam rising from the cliffs – aptly named the Steamy Cliffs.
Mt Doom 
Lake Taupo
The volcanoes themselves were no doubt impressive. Mt. Tongariro, Mt. Ngauruhoe (aka Mt Doom) and Mt. Ruapehu provide a beautiful albeit menacing addition to the landscape. Not to be forgotten is Lake Taupo, which is actually a huge caldera volcano (everything here is a volcano) the size of Singapore. It hasn’t erupted in almost 2000 years but created two of the most violent eruptions ever across the globe.
I snapped some photos and headed onto another town full of volcanic activity—Rotorua.