To Taupo

February 13, 2010
Breakfast with our hosts, then good-bye, and we set off in the direction of Taupo, our next stop. It is not that far, but there are some interesting stops along the way.

The first stop was at Waiotapu Thermal Reserve, after about 40 minutes driving; again, the “tapu” in the name is the clue that this area is of spiritual significance to the Maori. Here, the earth’s crust, never particularly thick in New Zealand, is particularly thin. On pulling into the parking lot, the first thing one notes is the faint smell of rotten eggs, hydrogen sulphide, an indication that one is in an area with underground gas escape. And, on parking, we are beginning to note a very welcome characteristic of New Zealand tourism; when at a site which is only reasonably accessible by car, and for which there is an admission charge, there is no additional charge for parking, much like Europe; unlike North America, where parking is treated as an additional profit centre.

The thermal reserve is well worth the several hours it takes to tour, even if one arrives too late to see one of the geysers that only blows once a day. It is full of bubbling mud pools, sulphurous water pools, super-heated water pools coming up from the earth’s crust - a reminder, along with yesterday’s volcano tour, that we are only tenants on the earth’s surface, not owners in control. Some of the views are strangely beautiful, such as a very large lake, bright yellow, from suspended colloidal sulphur. Or, the “Champagne Pool,” several hundred metres across, full of bubbling water releasing steam into the air; it is only when looking at a diagram of the underground structure of this pool that one sees that in cross-section it is like a champagne glass - an underground reservoir of super-heated water, forced up through a very narrow “stem,” into the large pool where it can release steam.

After touring the Reserve, we stopped in the main building for a sandwich lunch, which we ate in a viewing conservatory, overlooking the reserve, with a wooded ravine in the foreground. Watching carefully, we could see that the ravine was a hive of bird activity, but we had no idea what species we were watching, as they were all strange to us. But, it was an entertaining show!

We then drove on, but stopping again at the Huka Falls on the Waikato River, not far from the town of Taupo. These falls are not all that high, but the volume of water is very large, and thus they are quite spectacular (in Canada we might argue over whether these were falls or rapids). Aside from the beauty of the view, also on offer are jet boat rides that go as far into the bottom of the falls as possible, until the current pushes the boat back; presumable the boat occupants are drenched; we didn’t try this, hence presumable.

Onward, to another stop overlooking Taupo, Lake Taupo, and the two volcanos on the other side of the lake, neither active, both dormant. We drove through Taupo, along the shore of Lake Taupo, to our hotel, the Taupo Hilton. What a contrast to our previous four nights; ultra modern, futuristic bathroom, very comfortable, all the mod cons, but somewhat sterile. After cleaning up we drove back into Taupo, to walk around, and to find supper. The lakefront in Taupo is well developed, well maintained, and very beautiful with lots of flower beds and natural shrubs and trees. Back from the lakefront, it is obvious that the only industry in this town is tourism, with all levels of restaurants and accommodations. One very odd item, we found a McDonalds, which had embedded in its structure a DC3 aircraft, outfitted as a dining area. We did look at it, June found it quite interesting as it harkens back to her flying heritage (actually beyond), but we did not eat there (surprise?). Instead, we found a lakefront restaurant with outdoor seating, and enjoyed a very pleasant dinner with wine, and view.