Yes dear reader I have made the supreme sacrifice and burned the midnight oil to ensure you have amusement at breakfast. Although one can't be too sure about what amuses these days. Apparently a couple of British royals are doing what all children (hopefully) do and are leaving the nest and this has caused media meltdown. Well from a Murdoch world perspective, which is both narrow and shallow, a bit like a bird bath. It has been tagged Megxit. Here I am, on holiday in NZ, laughing at the sub-editor's headline, thinking how funny it is to make fun of Harry's red hair. You know, like Ginger Meggs, Megxit ... oh, I see. Moving on.
And the title. Well, it's a 2015 song by Gin Wigmore. She's a Kiwi. Do it. Go for Google.
We were coffeed, packed, checked out and on the road before 9:30am. It's always good to allow extra time when malevolent spirits inhabit your GPS. And she did it again today, but more on that later.
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| Waipunga Falls |
Our first scheduled stop was the Waipunga Falls. Jayne discovered this through Dr Google. The falls are, literally, in the middle of nowhere. Well, on the road between Napier and Taupo. They are not signposted. Go figure. We found nothing in the local tourist guide information and yet, they are quite spectacular as the picture shows. That said, we have found sign posting in the land of the great white cloud, well, dodgy. The signs are small and generally visible at the last minute.
Quite pleased with the sight of the Falls, we resumed the trip to Lake Taupo. Aside from changing radio stations every time the current signal waned, the main discussion was how to pronounce Taupo. Not that it was going to present as an issue. Jayne's pronunciation wasn't going to offend me.
The drive continued through landscape that could be mistaken for Canadian. Mountains. Green pines. The occasional snow-capped peak. Wide, shallow, fast moving rivers, meandering across stone beds. In fact New Zealand is very similar to Canada. It is just a smaller version of an outdoor recreation park. It's closer to home and the people here are genuinely nice. You can read that any way you like. But, no bears. Well, none that we saw. Plenty of dead possums though. Cheers to our Australian ancestors for importing another unwanted creature into an environment that couldn't cope with it.
Lake Taupo is a collapsed caldera. Just like Santorini, but without the climate, the charm, the food, the Greek people, the view ... maybe not so much like Santorini. It is pretty spectacular and a drawcard for tourists and Kiwis alike at this time of year. There were people swimming, not us, but they were out there, despite a snow-capped mountain in the background. Not to mention the para gliders, sailors, whatever. The lake is a playground and there are plenty of places to eat and drink and while away the day.  |
| Where there is smoke ... |
While we were debating whether to alter the address in the devious GPS we passed a sign that directed us to the Craters of the Moon Geothermal Park. Fortuitously, that is where we wanted to go, so no GPS intervention required. It was closer to Taupo than I expected and was less whelming than I expected. Come on, work with me here, think 10 Things I hate About You, the movie. Although, in reviewing the photos, I may have been a tad harsh.
Not sure of the history of the area, I assumed a quarry at some point. Hence the crater link. The information on the net suggested a 90 minute walk. The signage on the way in stated a 60 minute walk, at the admission centre they said a 45 minute walk. It was like the incredible world of Benjamin Button. Anyway, we did it in 40 minutes, but didn't walk to the lookout. I mean, if you've seen one hole in ground spewing steam ... how did you think the next one would be different?
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| Plenty of steam but no mud. |
There were differences. Some of the holes just puffed away quietly, some blew steam with significant force, think the Zazu and the Lion King. There was also a mud bubbling area, well there would have been except NZ is also in the middle of a water shortage. Plenty of steam but the ground was dry.
Our next stop was almost literally across the road. Well, down the road and across the street, the Huka Falls. It's one of those awesome places where you can ride in a jet boat. Why? I have no idea. It is quite a popular tourist area and not from Taupo. Aside from the jet boats there were river cruises, helicopter flights, a golf driving range, a seriously high ropes course and lots fo other fun stuff on which to try to kill yourself.
As we say in Australia: yeah, nah. I was here strictly for the photos. And I'm still struggling to believe that these falls were created naturally. That looks a littler too much like a hydro channel. Coincidently, they do have a hydro electricity station on this river. |
| Jet boat bravado. Yay. |
Following so much excitement, we set the GPS for Rotorua. She didn't disappoint. At the first major intersection I was reading the map on the screen. Turn left. The signage doesn't say Rotorua, but OK. As I swing into the roundabout I spot the Rotorua sign. I should have kept going straight ahead.
Safely in Rotorua, I check some maps. Our GPS, set for the quickest, most direct route, detoured us some 30 minutes and 25 km out of the regular driving route form Taupo to Rotorua. WTF? Anyway, it was an interesting and, at time beautiful, drive and we made it safely into Rotorua. Then unsurprisingly, we had to begin again to find our hotel after she dumped us in the middle of the street. "Your journey has ended". Well, no. And ultimately, that is for me to decide, not some piece of allegedly high-tech gear with an English accent and no road sense.
We checked in. Eventually. Jayne had already checked out restaurants and activities online. While enjoying our welcome drink, we organised dinner and tomorrow's fun. If I said that Jayne was about to do something she has never done before that would not be exaggeration. In fact one of our children didn't believe me. What are we doing?
Well,
until tomorrow
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