So after leaving the lovely little campground we worked our way towards Palmerston North, "Palmy" to the locals, spending a night in Ashurst after winding our way around an arduous diversion to avoid the Manawatu Gorge that had been partly destroyed by landslides earlier in the year. We enjoyed a coffee in a cafe where we watched the trees get blown around and dust get whipped up by the extremely strong gusts of wind. The next morning we headed into the city of Palmerston North and spent the day wandering around the nice city square, visited the very futuristic library and then kept out of the showery weather by going to the cinema. All in all "Palmy" seemed to be a very boring town, so we left. In the afternoon we drove along highway 1 towards the Tongariro National Park, hoping to find a campsite along the way before the sun set. We had no such luck and were still adjusting to the clocks going back and the sun setting before 7pm. We pulled into one site before driving straight back out again, we were the only ones there and it was in an eerie woods, no thank you. A little further down the road we came to a small town and followed the campsite signs to a much nicer camp ground, and even though we were still the only ones there it was a lot more inviting. It seems at this time of year the 'en route' campsites are deserted and people tend to stick to the main holiday parks in towns and cities. In the morning we awoke to strong winds, we were approaching the central plateau of the north island, an area of high ground dominated by several extinct and dormant volcanoes. We had planned to do the Tongariro Alpine crossing a long hike between two of the volcanoes but on entering the national park we decided against it as our van was being pushed sideways across the road by the strong easterly winds. Nevertheless the drive along the Rangipo Desert Road was very picturesque and gave us great views of the volcanoes before the clouds rolled in later that day. After deciding against the walk we chose to do a shorter and more sheltered walk around Lake Rotopounamu to stretch our legs after a few long drives. That night we drove to Turangi, a small town south of the Great Lake Taupo, we stayed in a holiday park that boasted thermal mineral pools and freshwater spa pools. The mineral pool looked like some kind of filtration tank for an aquarium, so needless to say we didn't go in, we did however go in the freshwater spa pool although the one we chose didn't have working bubbles so it was really just like sitting in a pool of hot water. Anyway the campsite was nice and there was a foal in a field next door so Lauren was very happy and stroked it for ages.
Lake Taupo was next and the drive along its shore was very nice, in spite of its tropical blue appearance it is supposed to be very chilly so we chose not to swim. We drove through the town and hit our first stop, Huka Falls. It was incredible, the falls are on the Waikato River that drains water from the lake. Further upstream it narrows from 100 metres wide to just 15, this forces over 200,000 litres of water each second over the falls. You would not want to fall in. From here we went on a nice walk along the river to the Aratiatia Rapids about 5 miles away here the release of water from a dam creates a spectacular section of rapids stretching hundreds of metres. Unfortunately unknown to us the dam only releases water at certain times so instead of seeing a gushing torrent we saw a small trickle of water. Never mind it was a nice walk. The next day we drove to other areas of the lake and enjoyed some great views before going to a thermal resort on the edge of town, we paid for a spot to park our van for the night and in return we got into the spa for a mere $10 instead of $40, bargain! We relaxed in proper outdoor mineral pools, up to 42 degrees, and enjoyed our own private mineral pool for most of the day. Feeling very healthy and remineralised (new word) we decided to celebrate our health with a very greasy macdonalds, which we ate and then went back for more mineralness in the dark, the pools were all lit up and the steam glowed in the cool night air.
We had procrastinated this whole trip about whether or not to do a bungy jump. In Queenstown we had used the excuse that it was too expensive and had regretted it. Here we had another chance at Taupo Bungy, a 154 foot jump over the Waikato River and NZ's highest water jump. The fact that we couldn't really afford it still applied but we decided we would at least go and have a look, so first thing in the morning we drove to the clifftop and stood on the bridge to watch a few people jump. After almost getting back in the van and driving off we turned around, went in the office and paid for a tandem jump, the big 'no refunds' sign said it was now too late to turn back. We queued on the platform and our turn came, the elastic was tied around our ankles and we were nearly ready to go. At this point Lauren announced that she didn't want to do it to but everyone knew that wouldn't change a thing. We stepped in small penguin like steps to the platform and stood there with an arm around each others waist and holding each others free hand. Suddenly I had realised that I had been so worried for Lauren that I had forgotten that I was actually quite nervous, but there was no time for that and I faked a smile at Lauren and pretended that I was brave and everything would be fine, which of course it would be. After smiling anxiously on the edge of the platform for a photo and a helping nudge from the guy at the top we were in freefall, the most unnatural thing I have ever felt but also the most exhilarating. The scenery rushed by and the water drew nearer, all the while Lauren screaming in my now deaf ear, and then the elastic tightened sending all the blood in our bodies straight to our heads, it then recoiled and pulled us back towards the platform before bouncing us around for a while. We were slowly lowered into a little yellow dingy where the blood drained back from our heads, we were so happy and I was so proud of Lauren for conquering her fear of heights. We both agreed that if we had the money we would do it again.
One more thing off the list and worth every penny.
Lake Taupo was next and the drive along its shore was very nice, in spite of its tropical blue appearance it is supposed to be very chilly so we chose not to swim. We drove through the town and hit our first stop, Huka Falls. It was incredible, the falls are on the Waikato River that drains water from the lake. Further upstream it narrows from 100 metres wide to just 15, this forces over 200,000 litres of water each second over the falls. You would not want to fall in. From here we went on a nice walk along the river to the Aratiatia Rapids about 5 miles away here the release of water from a dam creates a spectacular section of rapids stretching hundreds of metres. Unfortunately unknown to us the dam only releases water at certain times so instead of seeing a gushing torrent we saw a small trickle of water. Never mind it was a nice walk. The next day we drove to other areas of the lake and enjoyed some great views before going to a thermal resort on the edge of town, we paid for a spot to park our van for the night and in return we got into the spa for a mere $10 instead of $40, bargain! We relaxed in proper outdoor mineral pools, up to 42 degrees, and enjoyed our own private mineral pool for most of the day. Feeling very healthy and remineralised (new word) we decided to celebrate our health with a very greasy macdonalds, which we ate and then went back for more mineralness in the dark, the pools were all lit up and the steam glowed in the cool night air.
We had procrastinated this whole trip about whether or not to do a bungy jump. In Queenstown we had used the excuse that it was too expensive and had regretted it. Here we had another chance at Taupo Bungy, a 154 foot jump over the Waikato River and NZ's highest water jump. The fact that we couldn't really afford it still applied but we decided we would at least go and have a look, so first thing in the morning we drove to the clifftop and stood on the bridge to watch a few people jump. After almost getting back in the van and driving off we turned around, went in the office and paid for a tandem jump, the big 'no refunds' sign said it was now too late to turn back. We queued on the platform and our turn came, the elastic was tied around our ankles and we were nearly ready to go. At this point Lauren announced that she didn't want to do it to but everyone knew that wouldn't change a thing. We stepped in small penguin like steps to the platform and stood there with an arm around each others waist and holding each others free hand. Suddenly I had realised that I had been so worried for Lauren that I had forgotten that I was actually quite nervous, but there was no time for that and I faked a smile at Lauren and pretended that I was brave and everything would be fine, which of course it would be. After smiling anxiously on the edge of the platform for a photo and a helping nudge from the guy at the top we were in freefall, the most unnatural thing I have ever felt but also the most exhilarating. The scenery rushed by and the water drew nearer, all the while Lauren screaming in my now deaf ear, and then the elastic tightened sending all the blood in our bodies straight to our heads, it then recoiled and pulled us back towards the platform before bouncing us around for a while. We were slowly lowered into a little yellow dingy where the blood drained back from our heads, we were so happy and I was so proud of Lauren for conquering her fear of heights. We both agreed that if we had the money we would do it again.
One more thing off the list and worth every penny.
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