Experiencing the ring of fire up close on a caldera lake, volcanic peaks and thermal wonders
Lake Taupo is right in the center of the North Island. You can’t miss seeing it if you look at a map as it’s the largest lake in New Zealand. They call it the great lake, and while big with a surface area of 616 square kms, it has nothing on the great lakes in the US.
What it does have is an astounding history and awe-inspiring surrounds. It was created by a supervolcanic eruption which occurred approximately 26,500 years ago. This was the world’s largest known eruption over the past 70,000 years, ejecting 1170 cubic kms of material and causing several hundred square kms of surrounding land to collapse and form the caldera.
It wasn’t done though – there have been many more eruptions in the area, with another around 200 CE, which is one of the largest eruptions worldwide in the last 5000 years. It devastated much of the North Island, which was uninhabited by humans at the time of the eruption since the Maori had not yet arrived. Historical reports of a year in which the sky was red over Rome and China point to what a major world event this was. (How do they know all this stuff? Brilliance, I guess. How do I know it? From reading the great information boards all around the area and a little help from Wikipedia.)
Nearby Taupo are the incredible volcanic mountains in Tongariro National Park and the steaming thermal wonders of Rotorua in the opposite direction. And right within the Taupo area, thermal wonders abound, along with power generators both from rushing water and from steam.
We had a fun week exploring all these various spectacles (details and pics below) while trying to ignore how very thin the layer is between us and the molten core of the earth. Easy to do most places in the world – a bit harder here when it’s hissing steam and bubbling mud at you from every other crevice. (Note that I wrote this prior to the explosion on White Island and the tragic deaths that resulted. Now it’s even more real.)
Monday – Move Day
We left as early as possible for a very long day of driving south, but it always takes us a while with cleaning and packing. The drive is gorgeous through Northland, hectic and trafficky through Auckland sprawl and then pretty again for remainder of the way. We made a bathroom stop in Tirau with its giant corrugated sheep and sheep dog, but mostly it was just a travel day.
We arrived, moved in, took in a quick sunset at the lake then dashed to PaknSave (the cheap NZ owned grocery store chain) for weekly shop and finished with a late dinner. Somehow we were both exhausted from sitting all day.
Tip: To see enlarged pictures and descriptions from the gallery blocks, just click on the first picture and a window with larger images will open that you can click through in slideshow mode.
Tuesday
Long river walk along beautifully clear Waikato River.
We started at Spa Park, walked downriver to beautiful Huka Falls on a very picturesque and easy walking path.
We then continued on to Arititia Rapids – rushing at this point in order to make it in time for the 2pm release of water. Yes, unlike Huka Falls which are naturally occurring rapids, this one is manmade three times a day. The power plant releases thousands of liters of water from the dam creating a spectacular flow of water through a narrow gorge and then turns it off 15 minutes later. We made it – with two whole minutes to spare. It was really fun to see the river and pools fill so quickly. The predicted “crowds” were pretty small…and all had left before the equally cool ending as the water flow stopped and the falls disappeared.
We hiked back (overlooking other river attractions that are very quiet today – the prawn park and wake park), this time with heavy rain/thunder over our shoulder, but again charmed as we reached Spa Park in time for soaking in the natural hot spring waterfalls and pools with about a dozen others. My knee, which had been aching all day, felt miraculously cured by the mineral waters. Sunset at the lake.
Wednesday
A fine day with too much wind for kayaking and too little for kiting, so we took advantage and drove to Tongariro National Park for an absolutely perfect day of hiking. The views approaching the park were stunning as clouds cleared and we could see all three mountains. First stop was for short walk at Tawhai Falls, where people were jumping from the top into the pool below as part of an adventure tour.
Then on to Whakapapa and the very informative iSite. It was fun to see the grand Chateau where I stayed 20 years ago during my short visit to New Zealand. I’m happy to have traded that type of luxurious short travel (as a personal add-on to work trips) for this long, slow, independent version.
We headed out on the incredible Tama Lakes Track, walking along a stream through forest to beautiful Taranaki Falls, then onwards. Very few people after that point and just gorgeous walking through open land with rolling volcanic terrain inhabited by tussock grasses and hardy mosses.
The views of Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe just kept getting better and the lakes themselves are stunning. Our timing was unbelievably perfect for the hike summit as the sky was mostly clear and we had the top all to ourselves, including a rock wind shelter for the most absurdly perfect picnic spot.
Down the trail was much quicker and before we knew it, we were leaving the park and heading back to Taupo, with a couple of stops to check out kiting spots along the lake. We even made it back in time for sunset at the lake.
Thursday
Rainy morning led to our first less than extraordinary kind of day since we arrived. I started with a walk along the lake in the driving rain and then dealt with the ACA paperwork hassle to prove I am not incarcerated (something must have gone wrong in my application somewhere, but overall I am immensely grateful for President Obama pushing this through for all Americans.)
As the skies clear and there is a prediction for good wind, Hale drove out to the west shore to kite after dropping me in Kinloch on the west shore for the K2K (Kinloch to Kawakawa) track and back. I decided to do the K2W (Kinloch to Whakaipo Bay) instead since I had a shuttle. The trail was enjoyable, not as beautiful as recent ones, but some good hills and cool that it was built by local mountain bikers as part of the Great Lake loop trail. I went to the top of a headland, added the headland loop for better views and then down into the next bay where Hale picked me up exhausted from the 21 mile day, but not too tired to enjoy the sheep and lambs roaming free in the park. Hale unfortunately had gotten skunked without enough wind to kite.
Friday
Our fun day started with Craters of the Moon walk marveling at the thermal omnipresence and power.
Next up was a drive out to Waitetoko for Hale to kite and me to walk along the very pretty lakeshore. Good wind for kiting this time but not too much to ruin walking – perfect.
Afterwards, we drove on to Tokaanu Thermal Pools for another thermal walk and then a 20-minute private mineral pool soak – so nice! This is an old style thermal pools establishment, with nothing fancy, but purely good mineral water at just the right naturally hot temperature.
Sunset at the lake to end the day.
Saturday
Another day with too much wind for kayaking and too little for kiting, so perfect for a town day. The Taupo Saturday morning market (much bigger than Coopers, but not quite Hawaii size) was fun for Volcanic Coffee and produce shopping.
Then we strolled along the waterfront, watching the canoe races (including a capsize which confirmed our decision not to kayak today) and the “Hole in One” tourist attractions where you can hit golf balls out to a floating green in the lake.
Afternoon was reading for Hale and a great bike ride for me along the eastern shores and then out to Point Rangitira track, needing to stop and take shelter from the rain for a while, after which I was rewarded with a short pretty walk out to Whakamoenga Point with its flat rocky shore and hidden totem pole.
Hale picked me up to do our grocery shop for next week and then sunset at the lake.
Sunday
Yet another day with too much wind for kayaking and too little for kiting, so we headed to Rotorua. We weren’t sure how we’d like it – its nickname is Rotovegas due to the overtourism and strip of hotels – but we ended up having a super fun thermal day. Our first stop was “Mud Pools” by the big tourist destination Wai-o Tapu, but this part is public and managed by DOC. It’s amazing – giant pools of bubbling and steaming mud a stone’s throw from the parking lot.
From there to Rainbow Mountain where we hiked past a green crater lake up a steep track to a lookout. The view isn’t all we expected (no mountains, steaming craters, etc.) but provides a nice overlook of the green valleys.
Then on to a completely unexpected experience – a California Redwood Forest in NZ! They were planted here in 1901 to see if they would be suitable for timber, but even though they are growing better than in CA due to the rich soil here, they were never timbered due to other woods becoming preferred. We enjoyed a very peaceful walk and quiet lunch in an enormous grove.
In town itself, we were absolutely delighted with the public Kuirau Park which is a regular park (ball fields, flowers, walking paths, playgrounds) interspersed with steaming pools, mud pools and a big thermal lake. Mind-blowing how the ordinary and the out of this world blend together here.
We were too late to visit the interior of the famous St Faith church with its window that depicts Jesus in a Maori cloak, but still enjoyed it and the meeting house in the small Maori settlement of Ohinemotu Village.
After a walk in the very British Government Gardens (croquet lawns, etc.) and along the Sulphur Sea watching the rare black billed gulls aggressively mate, we were ready to leave town.
On the way home we had the crowning experience of our day. Down a gravel road to Kerosene creek, where a short walk along a bubbling hot stream led us to soaking in the thermal, mineral, steaming waterfall and creek – first with a local man and then completely to ourselves. Heaven.
Home late and skipped a rainy sunset to do laundry and prepare to leave.
Wrap
Taupo was a great central spot to enjoy its own pleasures plus the natural wonders that surround it. Our Airbnb was just okay, not great like the others. The week felt like we finally slowed down (just a little bit) as we weren’t trying to cram as much as possible into every day. In March, we’ll be back in the Tongariro region when we stay in the National Park area in March and near Rotorua again when we stay in Papamoa. For the first time, we feel like we are ready to go when Monday morning arrives.
Bonus Gallery
Video Clips
Week 4 of our journey