Lake Taupo

The drive to Taupo became exciting when I caught my first glimpse of snow-capped mountains. That type of view never fails to get to me and put a silly smile on my face! Taupo is built around the lake and has a population of 32 907, much bigger than that of Wanaka with its 6471. Taupo is picturesque, very tourist-y, but still very nice.

After getting settled where I was staying the night, complete with a herbal tea and friendly chat with the receptionist, I went for a drive to Huka Falls. They are very impressive both in colour, size, the speed at which they flow and the sheer amount of water in them. Took lots of pics and even a few video clips!

The place I stayed had little individual spa type pools for each room that you fill with geo-thermal spring water. It comes out piping hot straight from the bore so you have to make sure you put cold water with it. It sure was nice to sit and relax in that for a little while! You can’t put any soapy stuff in there, just the water and I wasn’t sure how it would go when it was cool outside, but it was very nice and relaxing.  

I was grateful to get a better sleep that night. Perhaps the soak in the hot tub and the hot chocolate I had before bed helped! I was still wishing I’d done the Redwood Forest walk the afternoon before and it turned out to be the big regret of the trip. Ah well, I only had myself to blame for that one! 

I was feeling a little blah that morning so decided to treat myself to eggs bene for breakfast before going on a lake cruise to see the Maori carvings. I had enough time after breakfast before the lake cruise to go to the post office to post some cards home and to buy a new suitcase, similar size or slightly smaller than I have now. 

A heavy backpack and heavy suitcase while carrying a heavy jacket is a pain. I had an allowance with my flights for 2 suitcases, so figured I’d get something that would fit everything else in and then just check it all through.

The case was kinda cute and heavily discounted so I got lucky with that one. It also had a 10 year warranty, so is obviously (or is that hopefully?) a decent brand.  It proved to make things much easier for the remainder of this trip. 

I was thinking I’d packed too much, but I used pretty much everything I brought with me. This trip was in cooler weather to when I usually travel and I had to allow enough to get me by without being able to wash for 4-5 days at a time.

Anyways, back to the cruise. Lake Taupo is beautiful and the weather was gorgeous that particular morning, albeit a tad crisp out on the bow of the boat. Needless to say, I didn’t stay out there too long! I love being out on the water and normally I would be out there for most of the time, however, the wind and the weather was just a little too brisk even for me so I came back inside and had a cup of tea and bikkies instead. The hostie kept coming by to check on me and chat, I think she was concerned I was travelling alone and even asked was I ok at one stage.

We had the company of a few cheeky ducks for some of the cruise who like to join the boat for any bread that may be lurking on board. 

The Maori carvings can only be reached by boat or kayak and were completed in 1980 by 4 artists over a period of 4 years. They are spectacular pieces of artwork and each has it's own story and meaning.  Very interesting and being a beautiful clear day meant plenty of photo's were taken while enjoying the sights from different angles.

The lake itself was so clear it looked like you could see the bottom in places. The skipper asked whether anyone had gone on a cruise further north and gone through the hole in the rock. He said he couldn’t offer the same thing here, but there were two rocks close together (near the carvings) and he could go through the rocks, which was kind of similar and rather amusing. 

The cruise took two hours and covered just a tiny portion of the lake which is absolutely massive and is the largest in NZ. If you have the time and the opportunity, it makes for a nice morning out on the water.