We left Rotorua to stop off on an overnight trip in Taupo, about an hour’s drive south of Rotorua as we continue to wind our way to Wellington. The morning started out, unlike the previous day, with very cloudy, grey skies, cold, and you know that look of snow we get at home. So it was nice that there were blue skies and only wind for the marathon; albeit it didn’t make for a fun run, at least you weren’t dodging the raindrops in the cold temps. I was jotting down notes in my journal wearing gloves and the car heater on until we got warm. Though the calendar was May, my mindset was saying late November. It feels strange to have the calendar and seasons flipped like that; and as you drive south the weather gets colder!
The scenery of the rolling hills carpeted in (somewhat) green, gives the landscape such a soft look, and the sprinkling of sheep all around, it’s so idyllic despite the clouds overhead.
I love the row of skeletal trees.
Our first glimpses of Lake Taupo
Oh, a side note here. We hadn’t booked any hotels past Rotorua before we left home but we didn’t think there would be a problem to find accommodations. We went on-line before we left Rotorua and checked out the availability of places for Taupo and Wellington. We blindly picked the Point View Lodge in Taupo. More on this later . . .
In the meantime we arrived in Taupo, went to the visitor’s center to check on tours for Lake Taupo, and to find out where was the best place to get lunch. We ate at Body Fuel, strange name for a cafe but the food was good and organic.
“Surrounded by stunning volcanoes, bush clad mountains and a spectacular landscape lies the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere, Lake Taupo.”
Ok neat info, but being geography-challenged about the size of New Zealand, this tidbit astounded me — Lake Taupo is the size and almost same shape as Singapore. You can literally pick up Singapore and put it into the lake and still be surrounded by water! AND the total population of all of New Zealand is the same as Singapore. Which means, the entire population of Singapore lives within the area of a lake. Now it is easy to see why Singapore is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Feeling claustrophobic yet?
Oh and this is just so cool — you cannot buy trout in the supermarket; if you want to eat trout, you have to go and fish for it! Talk about fresh.
The main attraction to Lake Taupo, fishing aside, is the Maori rock carvings at Mine Bay, and only accessible by boat. It started to rain as we boarded the little boat to go out for our cruise to see the rock carvings. I did go out of the little inside seating area to get some shots between the raindrops. You can see how gray and gloomy the day was but it didn’t deter us from going on the cruise since it was our only opportunity.
“In the late 1970s master carver Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell came to his mother’s land at Lake Taupo and on a boat trip around the Western Bays he saw the cliffs at Mine Bay and saw the opportunity to use them as a canvas for his work.
“Matahi also carved two smaller figures of Celtic design, which depict the south wind and a mermaid. The Ngatoroirangi carving took four summers to complete and the carvers took no payment other than donations to cover the cost of the scaffolding.”
This is looking back towards the area where the carvings reside.
We poked around Taupo dodging the rain and boosting the economy! We didn’t shop in either of these stores but I just loved the signs!
After being wet and cold, it was time we went to find the Point View Lodge where we were booked for the night. The lodge was not on the main road along the lake but on a parallel road and on a hill high enough so that you could see the lake from the second floor. (It was confided to us later that it’s quite noisy with the truck traffic on the main road, which is why they bought the property they did for the lodge.) Our lodge was also home for Kiwi natives, Tricia and Bruce, and it was gorgeous. It also came with its own thermal soaking pool. They welcomed us like old friends coming to visit. After we were settled into our room, we were invited to some nice hot tea, and we sat in the family room to get acquainted. Really, it was so much like coming to visit with friends we hadn’t seen for a long time. In fact, one of their daughters had just moved from Singapore. We all went out to the local pub for dinner to continue our conversations.
The doors are one way glass looking out on to the patio and the thermal pool house; our little sitting area. The ultimate luxury – our bathroom floor was heated!!! If you get to Taupo, stay here for sure, tell them Mick and Shirley sent you 
We never did get a chance to use the thermal pool. We’ll just save this for the next trip. After we got back from dinner, we were ready to chill out and turn in as we (well, Mick) had a long five-hour drive the next morning for our last stop on the North Island . . . Wellington. We’ll be leaving after breakfast and some last minute shopping . . .
