Going a bit further south from Rotorua we travelled to Lake Taupo, cultural grounds for the native Maori’s as well as a recreational hotbed. The town is located on the shores of the lake near spectacular Huka Falls where the Waikato River ends its journey. For anyone interested in fishing Lake Taupo provides some of the best trout fishing I have ever experienced. It is easy to charter a boat, catch a few trout and enjoy a great shore lunch courtesy of your fishing guide.
Taupo is a centre of volcanic and geothermal activity and hot springs suitable for bathing are located at several places in the vicinity.
The thing you will want to bring to the area will be time, which you might not have enough of as there is so much to do if you want to be active. You can fill your days with walking, kayaking, sailing, cycling and mountain biking, culture and heritage, wine tasting, camping and backpacking. Ski on a live volcano. Hike on the rim of one. Accommodation in the area, in all of the major centres in the country in fact is easy. Prices are similar to what you would expect to pay in North America and at the time of our travel we got a 10% discount from the Canadian dollar. However, the country is getting busy. We have started to find that as tourism increases in NZ it becomes more important to book ahead. In more rural areas you can get caught out without a booking if left to the last minute, especially during peak season when their summer school break is on.
We were keen to spend some time in the Tongariro National Park. The park is renowned for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing which takes you up and over Mount Tongariro and is next to Mount Ngauruhoe, otherwise know as Mount Doom for you Lord of the Rings fans. The crossing is 19.4 kms so it can be done in a day if you have rides organized to drop-off on one side and pickup on the other. There are hotels and tour operators for hire who support this as well.
We started the trek by driving into Whakapapa where you can leave a car. Off in the distance we could see the grandness of Chateau Tongariro at the base of Mt. Ruapehu. I skied at Ruapehu years ago which was a really cool experience. The volcano is live and we were able to walk down into it and enjoy a soak in one of the hot pools at the time but I am told that it is closed off now.
The land around Tongariro is a bit of a desert. Grasses cover otherwise barren, volcanic and rocky land. It is an easy walk up to the base where the real work starts. Steps are in place to help you get into it but the further along you go the more rugged the trail becomes. We were fortunate to have Mt. Doom revealed from a heavy cloud cover during our trek up. At one point we reached a plateau and descended down onto a flat volcanic crater floor. The soil was warm to the touch and steam was rising up in parts giving us an indication of activity close to the surface.
The trail directed our continued assent taking us past volcanic ponds and onto a ridgeline. At the summit which is Red Crater, 1886 M, the view was breathtaking. We had a 360 degree sweeping view with barren volcanic rock in front of us contrasted with lush vegetation in the distant hills.
After working up a good appetite we headed off to our B&B in Okahune, a little town on the SE side of the park. The town is small but quaint. It is setup to serve skiers in the winter as there is ski area access nearby. We had a great meal at Osteria which has a broad selection of hearty dinners and a wine menu to match. Sit at the back of the restaurant to take in the view of Mt. Ruapehu’s alpine glow.