Huka Falls

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Huka Falls is New Zealands number one tourist attraction but we'd never heard of it, it was on the hostels free to-do notice board though so we were sold.

It's a 3 hour bush walk with amazing views from a number of different points along the way with the spectacular Huka Falls at the end, now we've been let down by 'spectacular falls' recenlty in Okere but it was free and another amazing day so I pakced some luch and off we popped.

It was a long walk just to get to the start of the trail and we fought off the desire to stop and eat lunch and continued on to the Falls bush walk.

Our first point of interest was a natural spa, about 15 minutes into the walk, it was like a wee waterfall flowing into the lake, there were a few people sitting in it and there was steam coming off the water. Curriosity got the better of us and I wandered over to test the water as it were, no sooner was it up to my ankles and I had to jump out, it was roasting, and I'm not talking about hot bath roasting here I'm talking about the middle of an apple pie when it's just come out of the oven roasting, you know that first bite when you think that a quick blow on it will cool it down and it leaves a wee blister on your tounge for two days? Well that's how hot it was.

Anyway, I went back in and talked Fiona into joining me, we lasted about 5 minutes wntil we lsot the feeling in our toes and stumbled out on to the trail once more.

An hour or so later we could hear Huka Falls and 5 minutes after that we were standing on a bridge looking at it, it was really amazing, the power of it if not it's height, but it still wasn't as amazing, or as loud, as my hunger so we found a bench and ate lunch.

After lunch we went back to the bridge to take photo's and a proper look before heading back on the trail towards home. We were soaked with sweat and nearly broke down in tears of joy when a cloud above sprinkled us with rain for 10 glorious minutes. It was a nice walk back but we were knackered, of couple of juice stops and 2 hours later we were back at the hostel in the sweltering heat.

We've a long drive to the Capital tomorrow so an early night is called for, spag bol for dinner tonight and I'm down to my last 3 beers, it's going to be emotional but I'm sure I'll survive, Fiona has half a bottle of wine left but she's learned to like white so I don't steal it when she's not looking, needs must though and I've drank white before, desperate times call for desperate measures and that.

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Photos

Huka Falls
in all it's glory

Fiona
at the start of our trek

And a river runs through it
Taupo and Huka Falls

It's that-a-way
the long walk ahead

Lunch time
for Andrew

Fiona's dirty feet
and we're only half-way there

Andrew's gammy feet
all buckled, bruised, nail-less, striped, and sore.

Andrew
at Huka Falls bridge

Fiona
at Huka Falls bridge

The Huka river
before it falls

The aftermath
on it's way out

Andrew gets put in his pod
to rest for the night. I'm in our bizarre shower and have no idea when Fiona took this.