Taupo

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We get up to start on a day hike by the Waikato River that goes up to Haku Falls. As we walk by Lake Taupo we notice several black swans on the lake, so we stop to take pictures. We stop and buy a sandwich to take with us for lunch later and walk about 2 meters to the trailhead. We hike about one hour up to the falls and it is very impressive. Along the way we see the national kayak course and it looks pretty difficult. As with everything in NZ, anyone can do it but they don’t recommend it unless you have white water experience. We also see a wonderful riverside lodge, the Huka Lodge originally built in 1930 as a fishing lodge, but the dams hurt the fishing in the river. It has been remodeled several times and is now just a luxury lodge.
After our picnic at the Falls, we start our return and run into the nice German lady again. She is on a tour with a group but likes to get away by herself sometimes. We agree that if we see each other again we will stop to have a drink and talk.
At the trailhead are several thermal pools and we wish we brought something to wear in the pools. They are a perfect temperature and empty.
It has been a beautiful, mostly sunny day. Taupo is our favorite city, so far. The lake area is so pretty and the city is much larger than we expected. We are staying in a Best Western motel, strangely named The Acapulco Inn and it is the best we have had since leaving Auckland. Most sinks in NZ have two faucets, one hot and one cold, so you have to put water in the sink to mix to the proper temperature. Not only does this motel have single faucets, it also has single handle faucets. Oh, the little things that make us so happy!
Unfortunately, since we left Auckland the cuisine has been pretty mundane. Kiwis lean toward British food, which isn’t known to be particularly flavorful, but we aren’t going hungry and the NZ wines are fabulous!

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