A leisurely start this morning after breakfast. We didn't have to drive far before we reached our first attraction, Rainbow Mountain.
A short walk from the carpark took us to a small hot pool, with plenty of scorching steam rising from its surface. We drove on a little way and soon arrived at a badly potholed road. The road led to Kerosene Creek. It sounds ominous but what a beautiful place! Fitted out in bathers and flip flops, we walked down a short track to a beautiful stream. The stream was really hot, as it was geothermal, so we clambered in and had a nice little waterfall all to ourselves!
Next stop, the mud pools about 10 minutes away. The mud in the pools was pretty hot and was bubbling away, making a pretty awful smell! The smell wasn't bad enough to put us off and we settled down to lunch on the grass nearby.
The famous Huka Falls caught our attention next. We drove to a lookout which over looked the falls. In fact the falls looked so impressive, we parked up and walked for a closer look. The volume of water flowing through the narrow gap was unbelievable! The Huka jet boat paid a visit whilst we were there and it looked pretty impressive with its high speed turns.
The day was coming to an end as we stopped in Lake Taupo. This is the largest lake in the whole of Australasia and it was huge. We visited the i-centre to collect some information and to discover more about the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, possibly the best day walk in New Zealand. The walk sounded great, so we booked the one way bus for bright and early in the morning.
We drove about 45 minutes out of Taupo to a campsite which allowed us easy access to the morning bus.
A short walk from the carpark took us to a small hot pool, with plenty of scorching steam rising from its surface. We drove on a little way and soon arrived at a badly potholed road. The road led to Kerosene Creek. It sounds ominous but what a beautiful place! Fitted out in bathers and flip flops, we walked down a short track to a beautiful stream. The stream was really hot, as it was geothermal, so we clambered in and had a nice little waterfall all to ourselves!
Next stop, the mud pools about 10 minutes away. The mud in the pools was pretty hot and was bubbling away, making a pretty awful smell! The smell wasn't bad enough to put us off and we settled down to lunch on the grass nearby.
The famous Huka Falls caught our attention next. We drove to a lookout which over looked the falls. In fact the falls looked so impressive, we parked up and walked for a closer look. The volume of water flowing through the narrow gap was unbelievable! The Huka jet boat paid a visit whilst we were there and it looked pretty impressive with its high speed turns.
The day was coming to an end as we stopped in Lake Taupo. This is the largest lake in the whole of Australasia and it was huge. We visited the i-centre to collect some information and to discover more about the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, possibly the best day walk in New Zealand. The walk sounded great, so we booked the one way bus for bright and early in the morning.
We drove about 45 minutes out of Taupo to a campsite which allowed us easy access to the morning bus.
