Taupo- Hike from Spa Thermal Park to Huka Falls

During one of our days in Taupo, Kayla and I hiked to Huka Falls. We began at the Spa Thermal Park, which was only a 20 minute walk from our accommodation. The day started out promising with plenty of sun, however the clouds rolled in every hour or so. Luckily it didn't rain very hard or for very long. But it was a bit chilly, only in the upper 50s.



After walking through the park we made it to the beginning of the trail and were excited to be greeted with such beauty.

This is the The Waikato River, New Zealand's longest river. The path winds up and down the hills but stays close to the river bank. The walk is supposed to take 1hr one way, but we took our time and kept stopping to enjoy the views and do some exploring.



The Waikato River



The Waikato River



Walking through the forest, we came across this magnificent tree! It was just to tempting, so i tried to climb it.



I didnt get very far, but it was fun to try!

We eventually made it to Huka Falls.







About 220,000 litres of water blasts by every second.

On our walk back to Spa park, we stopped at the hot pools!



At this point, the water was freezing! The hot pools are located under the bridge. It didn't take long to find!



Enjoying the natural hot tub was a great way to end the hike!

On the walk out of spa park, we stoped to gaze at a magnificent rainbow!



At some points we could see both ends of the rainbow! But we never found our pot of gold. too bad.

Taupo

Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand and as always was beautiful!







The town has a population of 21,000 yet there is plenty to do! Taupo is famous for Trout Fishing. The lake is well stocked with trout and people come from all over to fish the lake. Taupo is a gorgeous city that has it all! Taupo has the best deal in New Zealand for Skydiving, with one of the packages a 'limo' will pick you up from your accomodation and take you to the airport for the skydiving. Kayla and I saw the 'limo' and in actuality its a stretch Honda Civic! We had a good laugh. Some highlights include thermal parks, volcano hikes, boating, bungy jumping over the Waikato River and Maori culture expierences. From Downtown you can take a short 5 minute walk to the waterfront and see Mt. Ruapehu before you in the distance.



Mt. Ruapehu (rua “pit”, pehu “to explode”) is an active volcano and only one of three in the world to have snow and ice surrounding its crater lake. It has 8 glaciers which are the only glaciers on the North Island. The last major eruption was in 1996 and the last lahar was in March 2007. Despite the danger, Mt. Ruapehu is the largest developed ski area in New Zealand.

To the North East of the City is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. It is a 6-8 hr hike through MT. Tongariro, which is also considered an active volcano. However its last eruption was in 1926. Its recommended to hike it from Nov-May, and due to a lack of time I wasnt able to take the hike.

Taupo has a third volcano, Mt. Ngauruhoe. The Maori consider it to be apart of Mt. Tongariro and geologist have confirmed this belief. Mt Ruapehu, Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro are part of a line of volcanic activity that stretches across the Pacific Ocean called the Pacific Ring of Fire.

{information taken from www.visitruapehu.com and lonely planet guide book}

I did take a stroll along Lake Taupo and encountered a few friendly birds.



The Australian Black Swan



an albatros



the black billed gull



Paradise Duck

On our way back from the walk, we saw an incredible sunset! Kayla captured it beautifully.

Rotorua

Rotorua is a touristy town and geothermal hot spot. There are many different geothermal parks to see but they were a bit pricey for a student budget. So I stuck to the free parks instead.



The town calls itself Roto-vegas...which is a rather far stretch. There are alot of attractions but it reminded me more of a subdued Gatlinburg than Vegas. Either way, it gave us something to giggle about.

My favorite thing about Rotorua, $2 Coffee!



the sign boasted "Home of the LARGE $2 coffee" That is what they served. not exactly what an american would consider a Large but it was good anyhow.

One thing we did conquer in Rotorua is the ZORB. The Zorb is an inflatable ball that you dive into and then roll down a hill. It was a blast! Kayla and I opted for the Zydro in which the ball is filled with warm water and then we are splishing and splashing all the way down. Once we were in we had to stand and push ourselves down the hill.


-image via zorb.com

This is a photo of the outside of the Zorb. Its quite massive.


-image via zorb.com

This is the inside of the zydro zorb. obviously its not us...but you get the idea right?!

Next we went offroading. It was hard to believe that I went to New Zealand to go offroading for the first time but it was pretty fun!



as you can see we got stuck. but not for long!

90 mile beach and Cape Reinga

The second day we took a day trip up to the tip of New Zealand, Cape Reinga.





I did climb to the top of the hill as pictured here to take the first photo. The views were spectacular! Although it was a slightly overcast day, the water was the deepest shade of blue i've seen.









The water cresting shows where the Tasman and Pacific Oceans meet.

Along the way, we stopped at a Kauri forest. The Kauri trees are prevelant in the North island of New Zealand and can get up to 50 meters in height and 16 meters in girth. The morning we arrived was a very misty morning, which added to the abeyance of the forest. The Maori used the Kauri trees to craft canoes, ship masts and home building.



Its a jungle out there! Thankfully there aren't any preditorial animals to give us a fright!







Another pit stop at the sand dunes! This was such a thrilling experience! Once the bus stopped, Kayla and I were among the first to scramble up to the top of the dune. We started out at a run, then a jog, then a slow crawl as the incline kept increasing with the height. Once we looked down and saw the magnitude of what we had gotten ourselves into we just shook our heads and went for it. the only way down was on our stomachs on boogie boards. It felt like i was flying at 100mph! Luckily i made to the bottom with out wiping out! however the nail polish was rubbed off my toes and the knees of my jeans became worn out, but it was worth it!



The day ended with a long drive down 90mile beach. Driving down the beach is the best way to get out of town!

Bay of Islands: Tour to Hole in the Rock

To start off the mid-semester break, Erin, Kayla and I headed out for the Paihia in the Bay of Islands! In the summertime it is a coveted holiday destination. It is one of the most beautiful places!



It was a long overnight bus ride but well worth the trouble! 13hrs later we arrive in Paihia, a sleepy little beach town with a great view. It rained most of the day but it did not stop us from doing a bit of exploring. Besides, we saw a few rainbows as well.



This is my favorite place in Paihia. The rope swing is always inviting.







The second day we got up early and booked a boat tour! We went with the Great Sights company; a wonderful touring group that has tours in nearly every town in New Zealand. Throughout the course of the morning, we cruised around to 12 different islands and saw the illustrious Hole in the Rock. It was too breezy to be able to cruise through the hole but well worth the trip out to see it!



Taylor's Island





This is where the Bay meets the Pacific



The water was truly that blue. It made for an incredible view.



Cape Brett Lighthouse






We stopped at one of the islands to stretch our legs. This is the marshland we passed through on our climb to the top of the hill.



After looking at this muddy climb, i embraced the kiwi lifestyle and threw off my sandals and walked barefoot the rest of the way.



as always, the view is worth the hike!





The rain started to roll in. Time to run back to the boat!



Here it is...the hole in the rock. The rock is a bit more massive than i thought.



sailboat through the hole in the rock



we made it! Erin, Kayla and Me









My new dream house. Private Island hideaway. Spectacular!