Today was a pretty active day. After some showers last night, the sun broke through this morning and we had another beautiful day in Taupo. Big nature walks (of modest difficulty) are one of our favourite things to do on holiday and we started today with a great one. The Rangatira Point Track took us around the shore of Lake Taupo. At various points, we emerged onto the lake edge and had a chance to view the beautiful Lake Taupo. The serenity was incredible, the water was crystal clear and the birdsong was a lovely soundtrack to the morning.
We followed this walk with a kayak on the lake. Ian and I hired a kayak from Taupo Kayaking Adventures and explored some of the bays and inlets of the lake. Clare sat this one out and apart from getting a very wet backside, Ian and I had a ball touring the lake.
After a quick lunch break, we headed to the Craters of the Moon Thermal walkway. It is hard to explain what this was like. It is unlike any landscape we are used to on Earth. It truly looked like we were on a different planet or in a different time. It began with multiple fumaroles where steam escapes through cracks in the earth. Then, we saw huge craters with bubbling mud pools and steam hissing through the ground. Clare and I both thought it looked like a scene from The Land before Time. All we needed was a T-Rex or a velociraptor to walk past to complete the picture.
We finished the day with an incredibly relaxing soak in the thermal pools at the Wairakei Terraces. The pools range from 34 degrees to a pretty warm 40 degrees. It was the perfect antidote to our tired muscles and the most indulgent activity.
Taupo is a great location with some much to do. Between the lake, the Waikato River and the geothermal features of the area, there is such a wide variety of activities. We have had an amazing 2 days here and there are so many things we didn't have time to try. Tomorrow, we move to Wellington in preparation for our move to the south island.
No comments:
Post a Comment