Destination: Taupo.

Taupo
Thursday, September 18

I was up bright and early on Thursday morning in order to shower, finish packing, and hop a 7:25 bus in order to get to the train stations before 7:45, when our bus was scheduled to leave. Naturally, it was pouring down run, but a bus happened to pull up to a stop on Taranaki Street just as I was walking by, and so I save myself walking all the way to Courtenay Place in the rain.

I met up with Jamie at the train station, and we stopped in the New World Metro quickly to pick up something for lunch. Then we found our bus on Platform 9 and settled in for the journey up to Taupo. As we rolled out of Wellington Station, there were a whopping 11 people on the bus. We could have each comfortably taken up five seats each on the coach.

The ride up through the center of the north island was, for the most part, wet. We stopped for lunch in Flat Hills, where a chilly mist made sure we didn’t linger too long in the toilets or café. We drove Highway 1 northward, which took us on the “Desert Road” through Ohakune and Tongariro National Park. Though I wasn’t aware of it at the time, we passed by Mt. Ruapehu and Mt. Ngauruhoe (AKA Mount Doom), their snowy peaks swathed in thick cloud.

We arrived in Taupo just before 2 p.m. after about a five and a half hour bus ride, with the last 45 minutes of the drive spent snaking around the side of Lake Taupo itself. We made the short walk to the Tiki Lodge where we were booked for the night and checked in. Then, despite the dark clouds moving swiftly over the lake in our direction, Jamie and I decided to go down to the lake.

It was less than five minutes’ walk to the water’s edge. We snapped a few photos before the rain came in sheets. We watched it move across the lake, obscuring the distant shore like streaks on glass. When it finally reached us, it was cold and propelled by a strong wind that made each droplet sting our faces. We ran across the street to the safety of a café just in time for it to let up. As we turned around, we were greeted by a stunning rainbow arching across the road, one end dipping into the lake.

The worst of the rain had passed, and it seemed as though the sun was going to come out after all. Jamie and I crossed back over the street again to walk along the shore again until we could figure out what to do next. Setting out that morning, the only things we’d had booked were our bus tickets and hostels. We were planning to just wing the rest.

We decided to head to the Taupo i-Site, which was visible from the lake shore. Though, most of Taupo is visible from the lakeshore; it’s quite a small city. We got distracted on the way by the Superloo, which is exactly what it sounds like – a super potty. It was too good to pass up.

Once at the i-Site, we picked up a few postcards and brochures and were just about to leave to peruse them when a mini business card-size pamphlet caught my eye. It was for Hotbus, which is hop-on hop-off shuttle that will take you to some of Taupo’s more popular attractions. The last run of the day was at 3 p.m. It was 2:58.

Jamie ran outside to hail down the driver, which, we discovered, was fairly unnecessary. There was no one else in his shuttle, and he seemed surprised to see us.

We decided to go out to Huka Falls first. I’d been there on my last trip to New Zealand, and I remember liking it. I figured just the unnatural blue water would be enough to sell Jamie on the idea. And it was. We paid our Hotbus driver, and he waited at the Falls for us as we walked around.

Huka Falls is actually just one tumbling waterfall through a narrow gorge on the Waikato River. The water surging over the falls is used to power hydroelectric plants just outside of Taupo. Something like 25% of New Zealand’s electricity is produced from the Falls. They actually manipulate how fast the water flows, depending on the electricity demand at certain times of day. Pretty cool stuff.

As far as waterfalls go, Huka Falls certainly isn’t the highest or loudest to be found in New Zealand. But standing on the footbridge and watching that foamy, blue-green water roaring beneath your feet? Yeah, that’s worth it.

After we’d had our fills of the Falls, we made our way back to the Hotbus. We asked him if he could also take us to Craters of the Moon, and he said yes. He dropped us off, and told us he would pick us back up in 75 minutes.

Craters of the Moon is Taupo’s main geothermal park. The city of Taupo is located on NZ’s “Thermal Highway,” and there is a lot of volcanic activity that goes on in the region. Taupo doesn’t boast the diversity of geothermal wonders that Rotorua does, but Craters of the Moon was still cool.

Entry to the park was only $5, and Jamie and I were some of the only people in the place. As we made our way into the park, it was quite an impressive, yet eerie sight. The area looked like a normal plain and forest, except for the fact that it was pockmarked with hundreds of smoking craters. Smoke was drifting up randomly everywhere you turned, and there was a faint smell of sulfur on the air.

The smell got stronger, of course, as we walked along the wooden pathway. Jamie kept commenting on how “freaky” it was that the earth was just smoking for no apparent reason. The area is apparently quite active, and not completely safe. We passed numerous “Danger!” signs urging us to keep to the boardwalk and not to “pass this point.”

We spent a little over an hour in the park, walking the entire loop track, peering into steaming craters, and climbing up to the lookout point. From there, we could see all the way to Lake Taupo. As I looked out over the smoking land, I couldn’t help wonder if places like this were where Peter Jackson took some inspiration for The Dead Marshes. At more than one point, I found myself half expecting to see Gollum slinking his way through the mists.

We got back into the city around 5 p.m. We had squeezed a lot into 3 hours and $25, and we were both starving. After roaming aimlessly for a little while, we finally settled on Breakers. It was a surfing-themed restaurant with bright colors and cheap prices. Jamie and I both ordered burgers off the kids meal, along with donut sundaes (which, I must add, were pretty much amazing).

After dinner, we headed back to the Tiki Lodge for a break. Jamie ended up passing out for about an hour, and I went and checked my e-mail and the weather. I made her get up at 7:30, and we headed down the street, determined to stay up past 9.

We ended up in Plateau, a rather flash-looking bar that had live music going on. Jamie and I sat at a high-topped table, sipping water and chatting for a couple of hours. By about 10, however, we finally gave in and called it a night.