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We arrived into Taupo and were
met by heavy winds. They had a lot of rain that morning.
Lake Taupo is the largest lake in NZ. It was formed by a large
volcanic explosion about 25,000 years ago. Don't quote me on
this but I *think* one of our drivers said that the volcano last
erupted in 1997. The lake is the hotspot for trout fishing on
the island. |
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| We took the lake walk the first
day. Not all the way around, mind you - as the lake is ~382 sq.
miles in area. We made a stop to McDonald's while we were
here. We had to at least once, right? They've added a McCafe
to it here - is it like that back home? That part carries cappuccino,
frappuccino and any other kind of 'ino you want. The regular part
carries some additional items, too - like a Kiwiburger, Megaburger
and Saladburger. It's also interesting that they use the
metric system here but unlike the experiences of one Vincent Vega - they
call it a Quarter Pounder and not, Royale with Cheese.
On Saturday, we hit the Wairakei Park, which includes the Wairakei
Thermal Park. We stopped at the Craters of the Moon, Prawn Park and
Huka Falls. |
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| Craters of the Moon was a highlight of
the day. It's a geothermal area with mud pools and steam
vents. |
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After a long, uneventful walk
- we reached the Prawn Park Farm. This is a geothermally
heated freshwater prawn farm. Eating there was great, but
that's about it. You had to pay for the tour, so we
passed. Thumbs down for this tourist trap. |
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| Lastly, we finished up at Huka Falls
and took the walkway back to town along the Waikato River. |
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The waters are an incredible shade of blue.
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The Waikato River - the longest river in NZ.
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| Overall, if I had to plan this trip all over again, I would
cut out Taupo and add an extra day to Rotorua and Napier. Taupo is
beautiful and we had some great walks, but it has been the most tourist
trappy of our visits and had the least friendly people. We had to
pay to use the pisser at Huka Falls!?!?! The park was filled with
"woodcarvers" and "candle makers" and that sort of
tacky stuff. It's a big resort town for people with money. We
can see snotty people like that in the US. |
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