View of Ngauruhoe from the Hostel in the evening (this is Mount Doom)
The mountain bike ride yesterday was hot but a good time. I ended up riding much of the way with Leslie and Dennis, some people from Hamilton. I had to wait up a lot for everyone to catch up, but I suppose that's better than being left behind. Good views, great downhills, and some really hard uphills (including some that I had difficulty pushing the bike up).
The hostel here has a good atmosphere, I think mostly because there's really nothing to do here other than tramping and biking. So I've met some cool people here, and played cards with some Americans (my count is up to 7) and a Swiss guy. One of the Americans actually grew up near Bowie - most that I meet are from California. It's great to hang out here because the view of the mountains is incredible (reminds me of the American West a bit). But like I said, there really isn't much to do in the town itself. I walked around this morning and it was like walking through a ghost town. I think National Park is more of a ski town, and they get by during the summer with trampers. The ski posters here all have warnings about volcanic eruptions and give instructions on what to do if the volcano erupts while you're skiing! Mt. Ruapehu, the tallest in the North Island, is still active, and there are minor eruptions every few years.
I'm catching the train down to Wellington today, and I'm excited about travelling on something other than a bus. Trains are a rare in New Zealand, and as far as I know, this train is the only passenger train on the North Island other than limited city trains in Auckland (I think they're on their way to building a bigger subway).
-Brian
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