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Published: March 20th 2011
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Up at 0700 again, shower, quick breakfast and we are off.
We were going to look at the hot springs at Te Puia, but the GPS sends us in the wrong direction, when we do eventually find it the entrance is for a full day Maori experience, we don’t have time for that so we give it a miss and set out for Taupo.
We headed out along highway 5 (The Thermal Explorer route). We passed through areas of geothermal activity where we could see pockets of steam erupting; we even went through a place called Earthquake Flat.
(Some things that I have noticed in travelling in Australia and New Zealand is that in Australia they tend to be blasé about the dangerous wild life, e.g. box jelly fish, sharks, crocodiles, poisonous snakes and spiders etc. In New Zealand they seem to live with geological activity: If I lived in somewhere called Earthquake Flat, with geothermal activity bubbling up to the north of me, and a town that had been destroyed by earthquake to the south (albeit some 80 odd years ago) – I would be kind of nervous!! - But they appear to life with these surroundings, no
doubt the tragic happenings in Christchurch does tend to bring it back to the front of the peoples minds.)
Initially the road was long and straight. But then come up on the edge of the Paeroa Range and the roads become steep and winding. The weather also deteriorates and there is a mist and the higher levels and a drizzle starts. Lake Taupo is about 80 km and it takes us just over an hour. As we dropped down to Lake Taupo it cleared up and the sun came out. We parked up at the edge of the lake. This lake is massive you can hardly see the far shore (Although this is not helped by the bad visibility)
We have a stroll along the edge of the lake, and there is golf competition with a target about 120 yards out on the lake. I have 18 balls and hit the platform only once, but I did not get a hole in one. (I must get more golf in when I get home). They reckon they get a hole in one every two weeks!!
We then set of for Napier at Hawkes Bay, which is about another
140 kilometres. Again initially the roads are good but we hit another two mountain ranges (Ahimanawa and Maniaroa Ranges) and the roads a steep and winding again and the weather goes back to misty and rain. There is also quite a bit of road works going on that slows us down. As we approach Napier it gets warm and sunny. We find the camping site and check in. After a while we decide to walk into Napier, which is a 30 min walk. It is hot and we decide that we will not make it a round trip but get a taxi back.
We have a look around Napier and get some lunch come dinner. An earthquake destroyed the town in 1931. And was rebuilt in about 2 years in the architectural style of the time which was Art Deco. It is now one of the best examples of this style of architecture.
We got a taxi back to the camper site and read for most of the evening and had an early night. We may stay here another night if the weather holds out. If not we will head off to Wellington.
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