Rotorua - Taupo

Champagne Pool - Wai-o-tapu

To pick up from where I last left off...left Rotorua with my new Dutch friend Saskia, and away we went on our road-trip to Wai-o-Tapu. Before we even had a chance to leave the YHA parking lot- a flat tire. Alas, I am now experienced in such matters having also changed a flat with Este (from Calgary) back in Sydney. Surely the third time round I'll be able to do it myself. Aren't you proud at me, Dad?!

The Champagne Pool was one of my favorites at this geothermal site. The entire place smelt quite potent of rotten eggs. No one would have appreciated a scratch and sniff postcard from here. It's 60m across, 60m deep, bubbling with carbon dioxide, and loaded with everything from dissolved gold and silver to silica. We arrived in Taupo by early afternoon and visited the Huka Falls and then stopped off at a spot along the river for a quick dip. Apparently these were the free hot springs we had read about and we were dubious at first but were assured by locals that it was quite nice. It was actually quite amazing, as the waterfalls were boiling hot and the occasional cool currant that did come along kept it interesting.

Today I hiked one of New Zealand's most famous 1-day Walks, the Tongariro Crossing. It was a 16km trip and we were picked up at 0540hrs to avoid the hordes of buses dropping off similar folk. Firstly, several of you will be pleased to know I finally had to wear something other than flip-flops and even (gasp!) invested in a toque, which doubles as a souvenir for me. The wind was wicked and our fingers were frozen to the bone. For you Lord of the Rings fans, we were right beside Mount Doom. It was unfortunately quite cloudy but better than rain and so we did receive some amazing views. I believe I said "oh my god" when I first laid eyes on the Red Crater as the color was so vivid. You can actually see some of that color in the one photo.


The Emerald Lakes were a huge highlight for me and luckily the clouds lifted for a short time and we eagerly snatched some photos. Oh, and yes, those are volcanos and black lava did litter the landscape. In a nutshell, fabulous. Off to Wellington tomorrow, which is at the Southern tip of the North Island and then it's off to try my hand at kayaking in the Abel Tasman region.