Lake Taupo and Tongariro

Before I hit the road for Lake Taupo, I had one remaining stop in Rotorua.  Apparently about 100 years or so ago, some redwood tree saplings were brought over from California and planted near Rotorua, with the intent to harvest them later for lumber.  The redwoods, which adapted well to the New Zealand climate, are still there, quite large, and part of a protected forest near the city.  Several walking and mountain biking trails wind through the forest and I wanted to explore.  Finding the visitor’s center and carpark was fairly easy as it was only a few kilometers outside of the city center and an enterprising adventure company had built a treetop walk experience nearby.  I was not interested in walking on elevated pathways, however, and after checking out all the available hikes, selected a two hour long walk that would meander in and out of the redwoods and also provide an overlook view of the city and lake.  The trees were majestic and it was utterly silent as I wove my way through the grove on the winding path.  It was not until I emerged from the redwoods and started to climb up a gravel road that I started running into people, especially the mountain bikers.  Luckily the mountain bike trails soon split off from the main trail so I did not have to worry about getting running over!  The overlook was nice and gave me a chance to get a birds-eye view of Rotorua.  As I finished the walk, drifting through the redwood grove once more, I almost did not want to leave as it was so peaceful.  But it was time to get on the road to Lake Taupo, my stop for the next few days.

The road to Lake Taupo was the straightest and easiest to drive that I have found so far in New Zealand.  The gentle rolling hills did not require the road to follow twisting and turning topography like elsewhere in the country- instead it just punched right through. The usual sheep and cattle herds dotted the countryside as I continued south.  About half-way to Lake Taupo I detoured off the main highway to visit one final thermal spring.  Orakei Korako is a smaller geothermal area and often overlooked, but nonetheless has a lot of activity, including a cave and boiling mud pools.  After buying a ticket, you get on a boat for a short ride across a small lake and dropped off to explore the park at your own pace.  There were only a handful of people there when I arrived so I felt like I had the whole place to myself.  Similar to the other parks there were brilliant orange, yellow and red mineral deposits spread over broad areas of the terrain, creating a bright splash of color.  There were also several small geysers that were continually spraying superheated water, a testimony to the underground activity in the area.  The boiling mud was very viscous and made deep gurgling and plopping sounds as the hot gases and steam fought their way out. I spent a little over an hour wandering around watching the dynamics, still amazed at the sheer amount of geothermal activity that stretches across the central part of the North Island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My next stop, just outside of Lake Taupo, was Huka Falls, a small, but powerful waterfall known for its pretty blue and white colors.  There was a trail from Lake Taupo that led to the falls (about an hour walk) but I decided to simply park in the car park and walk over to the bridge to see it.  Since the falls are so accessible it was fairly crowded, but I was still able to get a good view.  Some had chosen to book a boat ride or jet boat excursion to the bottom of the falls and it looked like they were definitely getting wet!

 

I easily found my campground and settled in for the evening, enjoying the tree covered site.  After doing a bit of research I planned out the next day—a hike up Mt. Tuahara.  Mt. Tuahara, a dormant volcano, is located slightly south of Lake Taupo and is a popular hike.  The summit, at 1088m, provides an excellent view of the city and the lake, which is the largest lake in New Zeland.  That is the good news.  The bad news is the trail is only 2.5km, so the hike is a constant, steep climb.  For me the hike killed two birds with one stone—I would get great views of the area and good training for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing hike that I planned to do later in the week.  Mentally fortified and with my full backpack (training!) I headed up the trail.  The first 20 minutes were a steep climb up pastureland before entering the forest.  Once in the forest the trail alternated between gently rising to abruptly rising, but the climbing never stopped.  I took my time, resting frequently and slowly navigating the roots and boulders that occasionally had to be scampered over.  At one point a guy, about my age, passed me practically running up the hill.  I took one look at him and figured this was a daily or weekly exercise because of how effortless he made it look.  I gritted my teeth and kept going.  About an hour later, I met him on the way down (I was still going up) and asked him if he did the hike often.  Turns out he is a local firefighter, and their squad does the trail twice a week to stay in shape (I felt better about my pace…..).  We chatted for a while, he told me I was near the top and I continued on my way up.

Sure enough, 15 minutes or so later, I reached the summit.  I made my way to the rocky outcropping that faced the lake, sat down, had lunch and chilled out for about 40 minutes.  Unfortunately, it was a little hazy due to some fires up in Tongariro National Park, but I could see the lake, the city and just barely the distant peaks of Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe, active volcanos located in the park.  Even so, though, the view was spectacular and worth the effort it took to get to the top.  It took me much less time to get back down to the car park, even treading carefully over the roots and boulders I had had to climb up.  By the time I got back to Lake Taupo, half the day was gone and I was hungry, so I parked on the shore of the lake near the city center and went in search of a late lunch/early dinner while also running a few errands I needed to complete.  Back at the campground I settled in, got out my camp chair and relaxed for the evening.

Lake Taupo was an intermediate stop on the way to my next adventurous location—Tongariro National Park and one of the most celebrated day hikes on the planet—the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (which gets its own blog post).  The drive to my campground, near the park’s visitor center, took a bit longer than I hoped.  The direct route was closed due to the wildfires that had sprouted up the day before.  Consequently, I had to go around the lake to the west side of the park and then south to the visitor’s center (as opposed to simply driving directly southwest).  The drive made for a longer day, but on the positive side, I got to see more of the country…..

Once I got to the park I headed directly to the visitor’s center in the Whakapapa Village to check out the trail maps and see what else there was to see.  I got distracted for a bit in the visitor’s center theater watching a movie explaining the volcanic activity around New Zealand that was very informative.  Finishing that, I found the information on the hike I was looking for- a two-hour loop track to Taranaki Falls that started at the visitor-s center—and set out.  The landscape was scrub and rocks with pockets of forest/jungle nestled into folds in the hills.  Inevitably I found myself climbing up and down (more stairs!) as I slowly worked my way around to the falls.  I passed quite a lot of people, and it seemed many were walking the loop in the opposite direction than I was.

The falls were quite tall, with a small pool at the bottom.  Several of the hikers were taking advantage of the hot day and the cool water to have a dip in the pool.  The water was quite cold so I was not tempted to join them! Instead, I sat for a while and watched, while I had a snack and some water.  Eventually I continued on my way, completing the loop and arriving back to the car park.  It was an easy drive from there to my campground for the next three nights.