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Fire and water
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Taupo is a pretty town built around the lake it was named after and seems to have tons of things to do. We found a site just outside town then went back into town for a bit of internetting and shopping. It still amazes us how much there is to do on the road. We are starting to try to plan our trip to OZ as time is moving quite quickly.
The next morning we headed to the lake shore and had a lovely walk along it. On the way we saw a great golf challenge where you pay to have a go getting a hole in one from the beach out 111 yards to a floating platform with a green on it. We had fun watching people missing by miles as the green moved in the choppy waves. On the walk we had a good look at the lakeside houses to get a few ideas for our own architectural masterpiece. Lovin' the split level action. We're going to get arrested someday for peering into peoples homes! After the walk we drove out to the Huka Falls outside town which are short but violent rapids and falls where a big river is channeled into a narrow gorge. Further up the road was another honey farm where T delightedly dragged Sara around learning about bees, trying different honeys and buying honey ice-cream. There were so many honey related products T could have spent a fortune so it was lucky Sara was there to remind him he is not stupid enough to get sucked into that kind of thinking.
An exciting morning next day as we drove up to see the dam gates being opened at Aratiatia Rapids. The dam was upstream from the rapids and it was a bit of criac to see the calm and peaceful river disturbed as the gates opened and the water came crashing in. We went to see the Craters of the Moon after that dam good early morning. It is another geothermally active area with geysers, fumaroles and a giant mud pool. It's probably more impressive than Hells Gate and you can spot the tower-like pillars of steam from miles off. All this geothermal activity is beginning to be a little disconcerting especially as the last mini earthquake was 5 days ago. We're leaving town but the next stop isn't much better as it is the site of the worst natural disaster in NZ history.
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