Lake Taupo, Sunset

Cold Caves and Hot Pools

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May 14th 2008
I ended up staying for a couple more nights in Taupo after leaving Petra. Lake Taupo is one of the popular stops on the commercial tourist bus routes, and the hostel was full of backpackers (most of them British) who were only there to skydive. As much as I would have liked to, spending $220 on a skydive wasn't within my budget. I got talking to the only other guest who wasn't skydiving, an Auck ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Rotorua

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The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year... ... read more