DAY 16 MOTUOAPA to KINLOCH via Taupo

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Up well before the sun.

Swans rush to greet me. Reminds me of Como foreshore.

We leave early and find a quiet spot on the banks of Lake Taupo to have breakfast before heading to Taupo. Nice, however in our opinion, not ‘raveable’. An ordinary town situated on Lake Taupo. Busy.

Huka Falls was the highlight. Flowing over a 9m fall in a narrow gorge at 200 000L/second, enough to fill 5 Olympic size swimming pools per minute. Cyclone Gabrielle had cut a swathe through the Taupo area. Hundreds of trees, many of them massive in height and girth, had been uprooted or split in half. Landslides and rockfalls were many. Numerous workmen were busy with chainsaws, cranes and other heavy lifting equipment as were opportunists gathering future firewood.

I suggested we head to Kinloch about 30km out of Taupo but still on the shores of Lake Taupo. What a luck-of-the-draw suggestion. Such a beautiful little place. Only 10 vans were allowed. Luckily we had arrived in time to be number 7. It really is a millionaires town … so … we fitted right in (that is a joke). Most of the properties are in the 3-4 million category. The marina is small and well protected from the elements. I recommend the ice-cream … rum and raisin and boysenberry … and … the carrot cake. Yes, I know … a minute on the lips is a lifetime on the hips … hey … what a lifetime!

The forecast rain came late in the afternoon. At that time Jane was enjoying a wine with the nibbles and me a port. Life is good.

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Photos

Two tourists with natures own, Huka Falls.

Early morning ... beginning a new day.

My friends ... swans.

A sample of Gabrielle's fury.

Thrill seekers.

The narrow gorge.

Geothermal Power Station.

Storm approaching ... late afternoon ... rain bearing only

Jane has chosen ... our style ... all wooden for the woods.