The Real Kiwi Capital

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Going South

Our travellers now have to make their way down to Wellington via Turangi to get the ferry to the South Island, which is a fair old drive from Taupo. This is spent making their way leisurely around Lake Taupo stopping of to see the scenery, say hello to and feed the local wildlife and give cheery waves to other Escape campervan renters (it is like being in a club). Turangi itself is very quiet - perhaps the only reason to stay here would be to get an earlier start for the Tongariro Crossing which starts nearby.

Up early the next day sees the final push to Wellington through the national park and a farewell to Mount Ruapehu and Mount Ngauruhoe. When they get to Wellington one of the warning lights has come on in the campervan - it's a symbol that Tim's never seen before (turns out to be the catalytic converter light) which doesn't bode well as the van's been struggling from time to time. Have to sort it out on the South Island, what with a ferry to get first thing.

There's only really time to take in the Te Anua Museum before dinner - where they find out just why New Zealand is called The Shaky Isles. The whole place exists at the tearing and subduction point of two plates with regular earthquakes and subducted crust boiling to the surface in eruptions. Nowhere in New Zealand is safe from natural disasters! This is where they find out that in fact the whole of Lake Taupo is an old volcano that wakes up every 100,000 years or so.

A Thrusday night in December can only mean office Christmas parties and a lot are in full swing in Wellington that night. It's the first real bit of nightlife Tim and Sue have seen for a while and highlights just how much the silliness of the season is passing them by, what with being on the road and the sunny weather (most of the time), though family and friends are very far away too.

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Photos

Round The Crater
No, not the one in the distance - the whole lake in front of you is a crater!

But The Geese Don't Mind
You swims your caldera, you takes your chance...

Farewell, Mount Doom
Maybe see you another time?

Farewell, Mount Ruapehu
Maybe ski you one day?