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Published: March 15th 2009
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Days 40-42 9-11 March Taupo & Rotorua
The sun stayed out for the journey from Napier to Taupo. Spent first part of the journey looking in the mirror for Oddjob chasing behind. ‘So….Mr Smith….You decided not to play? Mr Big is not pleased…. He will charge your Connect Card for the full amount….He will also be reporting you to the Royal & Ancient. You vill be blacklisted at all golf courses in New Zealand…. For life… Enjoy your holiday….vile you can…” Having shaken off Oddjob, we found Dermot and Barbara’s B & B in the hills above Taupo.
This area of New Zealand is geologically very active. The more famous Rotorua is just up the road. The whole region spits heat and hot water from the ground. Far below, all those things in your geography book to do with volcanoes and geo-thermal activity are alive and kicking. They are still packing a punch when they bubble up in near boiling mud, puff out of fumeroles as steam, and in the most spectacular form, spray hot water and steam 30 meters in the air. The landscape is mainly green and bumpy - a whole set of former volcanoes, apart from
the alien-looking more active moonscape bits. It’s like the Auvergne’s hyperactive little brother. The Huka Falls chuck n million litres of water towards Lake Taupo, providing 15 % of NZ’s energy needs. Most of that goes on recharging camera batteries for the tourists who take pictures of the falls.
Bad timing, chance, a bit of travel fatigue and indolence meant that we saw little geo-thermal activity around Taupo, apart from on the golf course, but instead, paid bigger money in Rotorua at Te Puia, where $40 will give you all the thermal activity you want, the full introduction to Maori culture and a chance to buy all the carvings and tea towels you need. This is big-scale tourist industry. I hate being herded, but surprisingly, we didn’t mind being escorted with mutual dignity and respect into the Maori marae (=meeting house) by our slick, but genuine guide, along with 50 or so others. As visitors, we were greeted by a haka welcome, then spent an enjoyable half hour in the marae watching a group of talented performers giving us a flavour of Maori music, dance and a full blown macho haka. Thank god we weren’t required to scrum down against them. Show over, - correction - cultural introduction over - the rest of the deal was an exploration of the thermal park, with its bubbling mud, sulphurous steamy springs and the star attraction, Pohuto, a geyser which can spout a spectacular 100 metres in the air. Truly a diamond geyser.
Managed a game of golf at Taupo Golf Club, was invited to join the Wednesday regulars, including my welcoming playing partners, Elwin, Darryl and Miles. In spite of playing even worse golf than ever before in the Southern Hemisphere, it turned out to be a successful afternoon. Miles & I beat the other two in our private match play. My contribution was little more than a birdie at a par 3, which won me a $10 voucher and a jar of honey for being nearest the pin. There must be pro golfers who earn less than that for their only two top shots.
Our B & B was a real find. Out in the sticks, down a French manoir-like tree-lined avenue, was Minarapa, the home of Dermot, a hilariously funny self-deprecating Englishman and his knowledgeable and welcoming Kiwi wife Barbara. The best B & Bs are those where there is clean comfort, hospitality and interested and interesting company. Minarapa had all that in spades. There was no need to take advantage of the cattle petting, snooker, tennis or horticultural delights on offer. We really enjoyed the company both of our hosts and of our fellow guests, Californians Naomi & Don, and Torsten & Beate from Berlin. Reactions to Obama from N & D, T & B’s memories of the fall of the Wall in ’89 and everyone’s ability to be send up both themselves and their national stereotypes or prejudices provided a wonderful evening and breakfast time.
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Oliver
non-member comment
I can't see the traditional reference to rotten eggs?