Terrific time in Taupo
What a place Taupo turned out to be. From the magnificent view, stellar sunsets and great people I had a great week. I have to say that just being able to sit and read by the lake would’ve been more than nice enough for me but Taupo gave me so much more.
The week consisted of a hell of a lot of walking, including a 27kms day, the return of evening card games, a surprise return of a friend from my time in Brisbane, making lots of new ones and so much more.
The Maori carving
One of the big attractions in Taupo is the impressive Maori carving which stands 14 metres above the lake. Its was very impressive and was 100% worth going to see. It’s deemed as a piece of contemporary art and in the grand scheme of things isn’t that old - started in the late 70s and restored in 2019.
You spend an hour and thirty out on the lake with about 15 minutes spent at the carving itself. On a really clear day you’d have mega views of the Tongariro National Park.
It’s worth looking up if you haven’t seen it or if you’re in New Zealand and have the chance definitely go and see it!
Boulevard Guards
The group of us playing was like a revolving door, but luckily shithead is easy to teach and pick up meaning we could jump into games with anyone who fancied playing.
It’s remarkable how 1 game can have the same rules just assigned to different cards in the deck, but 1 rule I hadn’t come across before was the devil’s rule which is a game changer and is where if 3 sixes are played together the burned cards re-enter circulation and all players must return to having 3 cards in their hands. This rule does require the jump in rule to be allowed, but I can live with that given the hilarity that ensues from the devil rule. Thank you Johnboy for being my partner in crime!
We also spent a lot of time teaching people cockney rhyming slang…
All the people
Taupo was peak backpacking in my opinion, I’ll struggle to name everyone who I crossed paths with there because there was so many good people. It was great to see Matt again, and for him to introduce me to John, who in turn introduced the rest of the crew, Fabian, Ronik and of course Rebecca & Anahata you all made cards a lot more fun!
Not to mention Holly and Nathan who were in my room and will be returning characters here in Rotorua…
And to Jess, who I hope see this, thank you for the chat over coffee it was lovely to meet you and I hope you get to explore more of New Zealand soon.
A whole heap of walking
Shock I walked a lot.
Huka falls and Craters of the Moon
This was the mega walking day, Huka falls were worth a visit and the colour of the water going through the thing stretch of open rock was impressive to see.
It was also impressive to see Craters of the Moon which is a geothermal field with a high proportion of steam vents exiting (and some dried up mud pools). There is something very odd about walking around somewhere the earth makes audible noises and there is plumes and columns of steam appearing seemingly from nowhere and unlike most tourist attractions here on the north island they don’t rob you blind to see it which is a nice bonus!
The walk there and back was really nice and followed the river on its journey to the falls and follows the contours of the riverside. It was a great walk and in many ways reminded me of home a lot and the walks we did as a family in the Highlands.
Smiling at Sunsets
You better believe I was blown away by the sunsets I witnessed and you also better believe that someone was again cutting onions near me… they must really like them here in New Zealand because its been happening an awfy lot.
The colours, paired with the view, paired with the clouds led to some truly magical evenings once again reinforcing a deep sense of love and connection I have to that time of day.
I took over 4GBs of photos from my week in Taupo and I can tell you that the ones of the Maori carving make up a very small percentage of that total.
And even though I had my camera, and only a very small number will understand this, I can safely say that all the sunsets were Helen sunsets, a sunset so bright and beautiful it outlives its time here.
Toddy
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