Lake Taupo to Waitomo

The Great Lake Taupo was formed in AD186 when the largest volcanic eruption recorded by man occurred.  Twelve-hundred cubic kilometers of volcanic matter was sent over thirty miles into the air causing 3 days of global darkness.  The Taupo Volcanic Zone remains one of the world’s most active volcanic/geothermal areas.

This large freshwater lake roughly the size of Singapore is known for its great rainbow trout fishing.  The rainbow trout was imported from California in 1898 and has adapted so well to its surroundings that no further restocking of the lake has been required.

We boarded the Cruise Cat at Lake Taupo harbor for a two-hour cruise.  The morning was clear and cold and, in the distance, we could clearly see the volcanic peaks of Mt. Tongariro, Mt. Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom to Hobbit fans) and Mt. Ruapehu – all with a fresh ‘dump’ of snow on their peaks.

 

 

Captain Pete left the helm of Cruise Cat several times during our cruise – he was intent on catching a rainbow trout!  Captain Frank stood ready to take control if need be but the cruise went smoothly and without incident.  After Captain Pete reeled in his trout we cruised over to Mine Bay to see the Maori rock carvings.  These ‘ancient’ carvings were commissioned by the Queen Elizabeth Arts Council in 1980 and were created by a local tribe.  We were not the only people on board Cruise Cat who were led to believe that these were indeed ancient carvings only accessible by boat!

Maori rock carvings on Lake Taupo

Devil's Staircase rock formation on Lake Taupo

 

While cruising Lake Taupo we saw another for hire boat, the Barbary.  This electric-powered sailing ketch once belonged to famous screen star Errol Flynn.  Legend has it that he won it in a card game in 1938.  (Frank was fascinated by the fact that Errol had covered the walls and ceilings in mirrors, but we will not be redecorating Lazy W in that fashion anytime soon!) If the weather had not been so cold and windy we might have opted for a lake cruise on her rather than the enclosed Cruise Cat.

Up the Thermal Explorer Highway from Taupo is the Wai-O-Tapu (Sacred Waters) Thermal Wonderland, New Zealand’s most colorful and diverse geothermal area.  Beneath the ground is a system of streams which are heated by magma left over from earlier eruptions.  Water temperatures of up to 300‍‍⁰C have been recorded.  Boardwalks and sign-posted paths mark the walkway through boiling mud pools (Devil’s Ink Pots), collapsed craters (Devil’s Home, Devil’s Bath, Inferno Crater), hissing fumaroles, steam vents and the pervasive ‘rotten egg’ smell of sulphur.  At Frying Pan Flat we observed a Pied Stilt wading in the hot acidic water. Having seen Yellowstone National Park, we were less than awestruck by Wai-O-Tapu but at least we didn’t have to keep looking over our shoulders for marauding bears and bison here!  Along the path back to the Visitor Center we managed to find many Silver Fern, another icon of New Zealand.

A view of Wai-O-Tapu

We were told that the Lady Knox Geyser erupts each morning at 10:15, spouting water and steam 69 feet into the air.  We were a bit skeptical by the seeming timely predictability of its eruption but decided that a morning visit was in order for tomorrow’s to-do list.  We headed out to Waikite Valley Thermal Pool Motor Park for the evening.  We parked the campervan amid the steaming vents that heated the in-ground pools of the motor park.

 

Rain overnight pitter-pattered on the campervan roof and a light mist was falling at daybreak.  We dawdled until 9:30 and then made our way towards Lady Knox.  A crowd had gathered at the viewing area and it soon became apparent how the eruption can be predicted so accurately.  After giving a short introductory talk on the initial discovery of the geyser, the ranger threw a surfactant mix into the man-made conical opening and, presto, ten minutes later she started to spout.  This is no Old Faithful!!!

Ranger prepping the Lady Knox geyser

Ten minutes later, Lady Knox erupts.

 

Now we were wet, muddy and disillusioned!  The authenticity of the nearby Mud Pools cheered us up.   We dragged our muddy selves back to the campervan and continued up the Thermal Explorer Highway to Rotorua and the Cosy Cottage Thermal Holiday Park.

Bubbling mud pool

Rotorua, situated on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, is a major center of Maori culture.   The city has one of the largest Maori populations in all of New Zealand.  The Rotorua Museum fronts the formal Government Gardens that contain a series of neatly trimmed croquet and bowling greens, formal flower gardens and steaming thermal pools. 

Rotorua Museum

Picket fence with Maori icons at entrance to Government Gardens

Prince's Gate at entrance to Government Gardens

 

We were looking forward to an evening at Tamaki Maori Village where we would experience ceremonial rituals, storytelling and an authentic hangi feast.  Dennis, our coach driver, picked up a group of us from the holiday park.  During the twenty minute drive to Tamaki, Dennis instructed us on the proper protocol for entering the village.  We had to wait for the formal welcome ceremony to be performed.  Our Maori hosts sent out the challenge of peace with the warriors going through many menacing gestures until the Teka ( peace offering) was accepted by the visiting chiefs (our selected bus leaders).  The welcome ceremony is purposely intimidating to let visitors know just who is in charge of this marae (village).  We were then welcomed into the marae.  Under a canopy of huge trees with small fires burning, we were introduced to some Maori activities of a bygone era (poi twirling, weaponry displays, carving, facial tattooing, weaving) performed by tribe members intent on keeping these traditions alive.  These re-enactors were dressed in traditional Maori attire – the women with bare shoulders, the men with bare chests and legs, all with bare feet – while the visitors stood bundled up as best we could against the cold, damp night!

The chief awaits our arrival

 

 

Maori warrior

Maori war dance

Inside the heated wharenui (big house) we were entertained by another group of Maori performing native songs and dance.  Here we witnessed our first haka (Maori war dance).  This is an impressive dance performed by the men of the tribe to intimidate their foes.  There are plenty of protruding eyes and tongues and other gestures of defiance.  The All Blacks rugby team performs their own version of the haka at the start of every one of their games. 

The hangi feast

The traditional hangi feast was served in the wharekai (the food house).  The hangi feast this evening was a meal of lamb, chicken and vegetables prepared in the age old Maori cooking method – heated rocks are placed in a large pit; baskets of food are layered on the hot stones; a wet burlap cloth and dirt are placed over the food; three to four hours later the delicious meal is served.  We feasted at a table with an Australian family from Sydney who had lived in Connecticut for two years – the dad was wearing a New York Giants football jacket but his Aussie accent clearly indicated he was not a New York native!

After the closing ceremony we all boarded our buses for the ride back to Rotorua.  Dennis attempted to teach us more Maori words but the best the group could do was a rousing ‘Kia Ora’ – hello, welcome, goodbye, have a safe journey. 

Another of New Zealand’s must-sees is the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.  Although our intended travel route was nowhere near these caves, we decided that we just had to go or we would regret it forever.  So we got up bright and early and drove two hours through nothing but pastures filled with cows and sheep and the occasional llama and alpaca.  Tourism Radio never once interrupted the music to point out anything else of interest.

The Waitomo region is famous worldwide for what lies beneath the earth’s surface here – twenty miles of a dark subterranean world of limestone caves and grottoes dripping with glowworms.  A chamber of the Waitomo Glowworm Cave was first explored in 1887 and our guide’s great-grandfather was a part of that exploration.  He led us down through three levels of the cave – the Banquet Chamber, the Pipe Organ and the Cathedral.  (The Cathedral is known for its great acoustics and many choirs perform here during the Christmas holidays.)  The pale brown, pink and white shades of the huge dripping stalactites, the eerie darkness and the occasional unexpected cold drip of water falling on your head is rather creepy. And then, still in darkness, you board a wooden boat with two dozen other tourists and your guide who pulls the boat through the glowworm grotto using a series of overhead rope cables.  The quiet and darkness engulf you as you gaze overhead at the thousands of pinhead-size lights – sort of like gazing up at the Milky Way on a clear night.  Magical!

Glowworms are the larvae of a species of fly called a fungus gnat.  The glowworms use their kidneys to create a glowing light that attracts flying insects into their sticky silk threads. These threads hang like fishing lines that the glowworm then pulls in to eat the tasty trapped insects.  Sounds a bit icky but it makes for a mesmerizing display in the cave.