There are two geothermal areas en route from Rotorua to Taupo and friends suggested Waimangu Volcanic Valley. It is the world’s youngest geothermal valley and is constantly changing. The walk started with panoramic views of the Tarawera mountain. It is described as a sleeping volcano because it has erupted five times in the last 18,000 years. The walk takes you along the southern crater to a narrow ridge where we admired emerald pools, eruption deposits, sulphuric crystals and lakes. One of most unusual and stunning spot was Inferno Crater Lake because of its pale blue and opaque coloring caused by silica suspended in the water. It is technically a hot spring with temperatures between 95 and 176°F depending on stage of overflow. The intense blue only occurs immediately after the overflow stage into Frying Pan Lake and we were lucky to visit on such a day.
Taupo Lake is the size of Singapore and the focal point of the city. Google maps was not accurate when giving directions to Chalet Eiger, so we had to use a map and our brain to find the driveway. Nina and Peter were gracious hosts and made us feel like part of the family. We enjoyed a glass of wine and homemade snacks in the early evening on the patio overlooking the lake. Nina prepared an exquisite lamb dinner (with a delicious vegetarian meal for Sunshine). After the first night, it was a full house for the remainder of our stay and we got along with the other guests.
The conversation turned to local activities and restaurant suggestions. We were surprised to hear a gourmet like Nina recommended McDonalds! Technically she did not suggest eating at the “coolest” McDonalds but that we stop by. We discovered that there is a 1943 Douglas DC3 aircraft that has been converted into sitting area at this McDonalds. We did not eat there and it was cool.
Peter lent us electric bikes and dropped us off in town. We spent the better portion of one day biking along the lake. We stopped for for lunch and a swim. The area was humming because the city was preparing for an upcoming Ironman race.
Every time we drove into town we smiled at the street sign that reminded drivers to merge like a zipper. The intersection was often conjested and cars need to merge…like a zipper. One sunny afternoon we explored the shores of the lake and hiked down to a warm rocky area.
Walking distance from the lodge was a quirky cafe called L’art Cafe and Gallery. The mosaic living room and garden were fun to explore.
Taupo hosts the Graffiato street art festival over Labour Day weekend every year. The goal is to highlight the diversity of mural painting in New Zealand and to make people aware of what is new and relevant in global urban culture. The events motto is “art is not what you see, but what you make others see” by Edgar Degas. There are more than 80 murals around the streets of the city. We got a lot of odd looks as we wondered parking lots and back alleys. The locals we spoke with said they forget about the art until they see someone like us looking at it.
Kaley returned to Auckland to start a month-long volunteer project with an environmental conservation group. It was sad to say goodbye and we looked forward to hearing about her work. We stayed busy that afternoon and went to a lovely glassblowing studio called Lava Glass.
Lava Glass has a small garden with hundreds of glass sculptures created by Lynden Over and his team. The path starts with a rainbow sculpture and ends with a cascading waterfall.
Inside the shop is a small cafe, displays of blown glass to purchase and an art studio. We watched an artist create glass flowers that would be for sale as soon as they were cooled. There were many amazing pieces. We did not buy anything onsite but we keep thinking about the vases.
Orakei Karako Cave and Thermal Park is about 25 minutes outside of Taupo and well worth the drive. This geothermal field straddles the Waikato River at Lake Ohakuri. There was lots of steams escaping the terraces, small guessers, mud pools bubbling and a rare geothermal cave. It was a very different experience to Waimangu Volcanic Valley.
The bookends of our time in Taupo were visits to the Huka Falls. On our drive into town, we hiked down the base of the falls. We returned and visited the top of the falls on our way out of town. The color of the water is a bright turquoise and is stunning to watch. Just before the Huka Falls, the river enters a shallow ravine of hard volcanic rock. They say its like a natural fire hose with more than 220,000 liters of water per second flowing down 11 meters.
