Apparently, thermal activity is common in NZ because it lies on the edge of two colliding tectonic plates, the Pacific and the Indo-Australian Plates. The Pacific Plate is pushed downward beneath the North Island and the deeper it goes, the hotter it gets. In 1958, The Wairakei Geothermal Powerstation opened, taking underground water from the Wairakei Field and converting heat energy into electrical energy. It was the first geothermal plant in the world to use very hot water as the source of steam to drive the turbines. It now produces 1550 GWH of electricity per annum, 4.3% of NZ's electricity prodution. The Powerstation is just up the road from here, near the geothermal field know as Craters of the Moon, with its steam vents, hot springs, mud pools and geysers, caused by a large pool of ... read more

Ta-da! They've finally put our cheesy photos on the Hukajet website for us to download, and here they are, for your delight and delectation:... read more

We made our way from Hamilton to Taupo, hoping to stay on the Municipal Motor Camp right by the river, like we did during our visit in 2006. On our arrival to Taupo, we discovered that the Motor Camp has gone and it's now a reserve-cum-show ground. Why do Councils get rid of things that people like to use?! It was a lovely spot to stay at, right by the river, lake and town, and it seemed to be really popular.... ??!! So, we decided to stay at the 'Top 10 Holiday Park' up the road, which is a really nice 5 star campsite with great facilities, but it's not quite the same as being by the lakeside or river. Perhaps we'll have to 'free camp' by the river sometime while we're here... We still can't ... read more

Feeling very chilled-out here in Mt Maunganui; staying here for a few days to unwind. The weather changes here by the minute. It's been quite windy most days, with bright sunshine and then downpours. We picked a time today when it wasn't quite so windy and ventured up to the top of The Mount, 232 metres high. The route to the top seems to be a regular route for runners, several of whom puffed their way past us on the way up. The view from the top is worth the hike, with the Bay of Plenty on one side of Maunganui and Tauranga Harbour on the other. The stretch of beach from The Mount is about 20 km long to Papamoa. Went over to Tauranga Airport earlier in the day, to a Helicopter Training Centre. Steve ... read more

Tested out the GPS again for our drive to the Coromandel, not that it's much of a challenge for it - one road most of the way, but still, have to play with the new toy... Set off from the campsite at Orere at about noon and drove to Thames, the main town for the Coromandel Peninsular, a former gold-mining town named by Captain Cook after a nearby river. Went into 'Dick Smith's', the NZ equivalent of 'Dixon's', to have a look for a small flat-screen TV to put in the van (more gadgets), but they only had big ones. Stocked up on groceries at the 'Pak-n-Save' supermarket and set off again across the Coromandel Range to Hahei, on the east coast. Pitched the van at Hahei Holiday Resort; our pitch is a stone's throw away ... read more