Geothermal Highway

Usual stuff this morning. Two pieces of toast with peanut butter for breakfast. Nice late start, we had a date with a Geyser at 10:15 so no point in rushing.

As we left the camp and joined the main road, there was a sign saying ‘Geothermal Highway’. On the way to the Geyser we stopped at some boiling mud pools. The stench of sulphur was once again everywhere but the mud is amazing to watch. The pool is about 20m round. There are patches of steam and little eruptions of mud all over it. Unfortunately timings were tight today so we only had 20 minutes.

Next stop was the Lady Knox Geyser, named after the daughter of the governor when it was discovered. The geyser has seating for about 200 in a semi-circle around it. A cheesy Kiwi gives us a brief introduction and then drops in a bag of chemicals which breaks the surface tension and starts the eruption. Left to its own devices it would blow every 12-72 hours anyway but they like to make it regular for the tourists. It’s an impressive sight – it starts with steam, then some water and then a jet of steam 10m into the air. Most of the crowd disappear after a few minutes but it carries on for at least 20 minutes.

Almost everybody at the Geyser hits the highway to the Geothermal Wonderland a few miles down the road. It might sound a bit corny and touristy but it more than lives up to its name. A guided path takes you past a number of bubbling pools and steaming craters – the devil’s ink pots, thunder crater – each more impressive than the last until we reached the centrepiece – the Champagne Pool. This is a huge pool of boiling blue water with patches of rich green and orange round the edges. The steam rose against the sun into a bright blue sky. Despite the warning signs two tourists climbed over the fence for a selfie closer to the water, the guides quickly told them it was very stupid and to get back immediately.

To enable three of the group to meet their white-water rafting guides on time, we only had an hour to see the site, we could easily have passed a whole day there – definitely one for the ’next time’ list. On the way out, I just had time for a photo of the ‘Devil’s Bath’ – a large pool of unbelievably bright yellow-green steaming water.

Leaving the geothermal wonders behind, we headed for Taupo. We were dropped at the Huka Falls a few miles out of of town to see the cascades and walk the last few miles along the Waikato River. The falls are a section of rapids where the river is forced through a narrow canyon creating a fast and furious torrent of deep blue water. The path roughly follows the east bank of the river, in some places down at water level and in some climbing to viewpoints looking out over the valley. Away from the rapids, the river is wide and flows at a sedate pace, the water is still a rich shade of blue. The last part of the walk is on the road into the town centre; we spotted a cafe recommended by Lonely Planet, strangely located in the middle of a small industrial estate. They serve some very nice local beers, cold from the fridge.

We walked the last mile into town and visited the Taupo museum. The museum is a mixed bag, the first room is Maori-themed, the centre-piece is an old wooded canoe which was discovered half rotted away but has been well preserved, it’s about 12m long. The central section is about the timber industry in the area, featuring a model of a forest railway, each miniature figure has a label giving his name and explaining his job. The last section is an art gallery, the current exhibition is by a local artists calling himself Michael Angelo. The work is a combination of wood-carving and painting.

Lake Taupo is a huge volcanic crater lake. The last eruption was in about 3500BC. Records from Rome and China record months of dark skies and strange weather allowing the date to be pin-pointed. The lake is the same size as Singapore, where (incidentally) we’ll be in a month.

The campsite is about 45 minutes drive around the lake, on the edge of a small town called Turangi – ‘the trout capital of the world’.

We’d been warned to expect a ‘rustic’ camping experience but our cabin is palatial – lounge, four bedrooms and bathroom. It also comes with a cat who thinks he lives here; as soon as unlocked the door he walked in like he owned it. After a chat and a cuddle we tried to get rid of him but he wanted to stay – he had to be man-handled out of the door.

We arrived at dinner with our pinot noir and wine glasses – this is how to camp.