Day 66: Napier to Taupo

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I woke early, split my ersatz king bed (two twins pushed together) back into its component parts, and returned the two extra pillows and the hot-water bottle to Reception. At 10 I checked out; at 10:30 I left the hostel and made the 15-minute walk to the bus stop.

At 10:46, the moment of the 1931 earthquake, the cathedral bells tolled. I focussed my thoughts on them for the 2 1/2 minutes that the quake had lasted. Then I was rather distracted by the promised "vintage aircraft" -- there was only one vintage aircraft, a biplane, but I could see it clearly, circling the memorial service a few blocks away.

The bus that came was supposed to be a Newman's bus, but it was painted with a strange logo, "TraNZit." It was not in good condition. It wheezed up the grades and its brakes squealed alarmingly on the downslopes. Once it broke down entirely for about ten minutes; then it revived and continued on its way, though the driver said he was obliged to wait another 15 minutes to receive a call from a mechanic in Wellington and describe the problem to him. At that point the driver let us get out of the bus, though one other passenger and I were the only ones who did. I walked around taking photographs; I was particularly entertained by the "Slippery When Frosty" road sign.

When we reached the top of one of the hills, the driver announced, "We're at the top of the hill! And going down is the easy part, right?"

I wondered whether he really meant that, or whether he was trying to fake us out. I've lived in the mountains for fifteen years; I know better. Going down is the dangerous part, particularly when your brakes make noises like the ones those brakes were making. I didn't say anything, though I did pray a bit. And I was very glad when we reached Taupo in safety.

Blackcurrant Backpackers isn't much like a hostel; it's more like a Motel 6. I have a large room with a comfortable bed, my own bathroom, and even my own refrigerator. The downsides are constant traffic noise (not quite as bad as Dusky Lodge's, but pretty bad) and constant chatter from fellow hostellers who have gathered in the outside lounge areas. (There is only one indoor lounge area, and it's pretty small.) If it's quiet enough to sleep, my shoulder can probably stand five nights of traffic, though it'll be hurting, as it was after Dusky Lodge.

I don't think anywhere in Taupo would be likely to be less trafficked. It seems to be a bustling town. There is almost certainly a pretty and touristy part of town, but I'm not in it; there's a "Warehouse" store (equivalent to Big Lots in the U.S.) across the street and a Pak 'N' Save supermarket (the sort of grocery store that displays everything in its wholesale boxes and charges you for bags) next door.

I may like the place yet; it may turn out to be another Cromwell. The people have already been kind to me. After the first person I asked for directions said brusquely that she was a tourist and went on her way, someone else spontaneously offered to help me, and then a woman and her teenaged daughter stopped and actually gave me a lift about two blocks to Blackcurrant. My bags are heavy again now that I've picked up the second half of my medicine supply in Palmerston North, so I was, and am, very grateful.

P.S. There was one amusing sight on the way. We passed a high board fence. On it was a small sign: "This is a Single-Sign Fence."

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Photos

Swampy lake
No, it's not Lake Taupo.