Having a go at a bit of rock climbing

So the carpark we slept in last night ended up being used by a group of teenagers to hang around in until 5am this morning. It didn't keep Nick up but I found it quite intimidating hearing them especially when they were with a car as well. They did honk their horn a few times. The only saving grace was that the waves there were very noisy so this did help muffle the sound of them a little. I really didn't sleep much so I was very very tired this morning and didn't want to get out of bed. A coffee was definitely in order. We wanted to visit the i-site quickly before hand but it turned out that the one in New Plymouth is attached to the museum and a lovely cafe. We made the most of the opportunity and after a caffine hit we had a look around an exhibition about dinosaurs and New Zealand's history and nature. We only stayed a couple of hours because my sleepy brain wasn't loving reading so much information. I did enjoy joining in with the little kids and using a brush to uncover fossils and dinosaur skeletons though. We left and headed out towards the coast to a huge rock called Paritutu Rock by the edge of the sea that was created when Mt. Taranaki first erupted thousands of years ago. It's 154m high and to climb it firstly involves steps then a rock climb up the face with a chain handrail for guidance and support. It was quite a challenging climb but very exciting at the same time to be doing such a different "walk" to our usual trips. We passed a girl half way up who was petrified of heights and waiting for her boyfriend who had left her there to carry on up to the top. We felt so sorry for her and in hind sight we wished we'd offered to help her get down to at least the steps so she wasn't so on the rock face. Really her boyfriend should of done that instead of leaving her! At the top of the rock you are rewarded with beautiful views of the ocean and bays below. When it's clear you can see the volcano inland but unfortunately it was quite a cloudy day so we didn't get see it just yet. The descent down was a little harder but luckily you have that chain you can hold on for support as your foot reaches down to find the next foot hole. Safely back on the ground we rewarded ourselves to a well deserved cup of tea before heading off again. As I was feeling very tired we decided to book into an actual campsite to guarantee a better nights sleep. We found one out of town by the beach that had some pretty good reviews and was well priced. It had all the facilities we needed and the only downside was you had to pay for showers but at 10c a minute it's hardly anything. We also got to experience the most gorgeous sunset I think we've seen so far. The colours were incredible and we were so engrossed in a game of boggle we almost didn't even realise it was happening. I rushed outside with my phone and started clicking away on the camera to try and capture the amazing sight. The colours lasted for at least an hour as we made tea in the communal kitchen. There's so many amazing things to be seen here and around the world that sometimes you forget how incredible a sunset, something that happens everyday, can be.Read more