Day 39 - Monday 12 February 2024

This morning I arose with the alarm clock; I'm in a B&B with a shared bathroom, so I thought that I'd get my ablutions out of the way at 06:00 before anyone else was awake! I then sat in the common area buried in my book until some other guests arose, at which stage I had breakfast and a good chat.

This morning I also met our host fleetingly, and after repacking my bags (these one night stays are a little bit of a pain in the rear as I have to unpack and then repack) I was ready to depart at 09:00. I did eventually find the information book left in a drawer in the room with the Wifi password, so was able to publish yesterdays blog belatedly. 

I retraced my steps from yesterday a little before turning off of SH3 and taking a very scenic route from Waitomo to Taupo. At 11:00 I arrived at the 'Craters of the Moon' park ..... now I have a couple of issues with the name of this park (and I can just hear my nephews saying 'oh no; here we go'). Firstly, this place was green, and I don't believe that any plant life exists on the moon. Secondly, there were many fumaroles emitting vapours, and I don't believe that the moon is geothermal in any way, so 'Craters of the Moon' seems to be a misnomer, even allowing for poetic license.

Anyhow, there was a circular path that took me on an hour and a half adventure, exploring the landscape and the various fumaroles. I will admit that it was a slightly otherworldly vision, but the moon it ain't! This place was absolutely brilliant, and well worth the $10 admission.

On the way to Craters of the Moon, I'd noted a sign to Huka Falls, which is one of the waterfalls I was keen to visit having seen it in numerous blogs and vlogs. Now, I've seen Huka Falls a lot, but the videos I'd watched hadn't prepared me for the sheer scale and volume of water. Huka Falls is like a long rapid which then empties into the river with a smaller fall at the bottom, but the amount of water raging through a narrow chasm was mind boggling.

The path to the falls crossed a bridge across the torrent, and there were a lot of people here, all in a scrummage to get the best selfies they could. From the bank I spied a viewing area on the other side of the river with only a half dozen folks, so I made my way back across the bridge and car park, and found a quiet path leading to the vantage point I wanted. This was a far better spot that gave me the pictures I was after with no 'argie bargie'. A far more civilised location!

Back to the car, and I was wondering what to do next as it was only 13:15, so I looked at my notes of possible places, and settled on Rangatira Point Walking Track; a fairly flat track with supposedly fantastic views. I arrived there at 13:30, and set out along the trail; off to the right a steep trail descended which I passed by; I've had enough of steep for a little while! 

A little further along I reached Rangatira Point which afforded fantastic views out across Lake Taupo on to Tongariro National Park, and the cone of a volcano that I've been looking forward to seeing since the Lord of the Rings films; this was Mount Ngauruhoe which played the part of Mount Doom in the films. I'll look forward to closer views in the next couple of days.

I continued along the path for another 15 minutes, but no further viewpoints were in evidence, so I turned and returned to the car, and made my way to the accommodation for the next couple of nights at Lake View Motel, on the lakefront in Taupo. I'm staying just a short distance from the famous Taupo sign, so I went into full tourist mode to capture my own shot (with 'Mount Doom' in the background if you zoom in above the T).

I fancied a beer as I wasn't going to be driving tomorrow, and found a bar where the Superbowl was showing, so I wandered in and watched the game until the end, surrounded by rambunctious fans. After this I was peckish, and there was an Indian restaurant just a few doors away, so I had a curry. This was opposite the unique MaccyD's with the DC9 Dakota sitting outside as a dining room ...... you can put whatever unique things as you like; I'll NEVER knowingly have a MacDonalds!

Nicely overfull from a very tasty curry, I've returned to my room to catch up on blog and vlog duties. It has been a good day; I just need to make a plan for tomorrow now!