Taupō - Rotorua

My idea was to spend 1-2 days in Taupō depending on the weather and then do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing on Friday or Saturday. Unfortunately, the good weather has been pushed back to Monday/Tuesday according to the forecast. I didn’t want to stay in Taupō that long, so I first drove to Rotorua. Ultimately, I decided that waiting constantly for a good weather forecast wasn’t helpful, so I just booked a spot on the shuttle for Monday (the crossing is not a circular route; instead, you leave your car at the end of the trail, take a shuttle to the start, and hike back to your car). If the weather cooperates, I’ll be happy; if not, I’ll just have bad luck.

On the way to Rotorua, I checked out the dam opening at the Aratiatia Rapids. Every day at 10, 12, 14, and 16 o’clock the gates are opened, and from three different viewpoints, you can watch the water filling the riverbed. I found the transformation impressive!

Just before Rotorua, I visited the Māori village of Whakarewarewa. This village used to be located elsewhere but was destroyed during a volcanic eruption and rebuilt at its current site. Our guide grew up in Whakarewarewa and showed us the village: food is simply cooked in geothermal-heated ovens or a hot pool, and bathing takes place in pools fed by water from the hot pools. We even got to try a corn cob that had been cooked in a hot pool. The residents of Whakarewarewa are certainly aware that the village can be destroyed again at any time, as steam and hissing can be felt everywhere. But the benefits of the hot springs outweigh the risks.

You have to get used to the constant smell of rotten eggs in Rotorua, but the city still has beautiful spots! Roses bloom in the park, and especially the moon-like landscape at Sulphur Point, which is closed to the public because of the geysers, and Kuirau Park with its many mud and hot pools, I enjoyed a lot. In Kuirau Park, there are also pools of warm water where you can relax your feet.

A day trip took me to the Okere Falls and the Green and Blue Lakes. Neither of them really convinced me - which is the Green Lake and which is the Blue Lake? At least it was fun to watch people rafting at Okere Falls.

On the way back to Taupō, I bathed in Kerosene Creek, a hot stream, and tried various alcoholic beverages made with honey and different types of honey at Hooka Honey Hive. They also have 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Hobbit' honey, depending on where the beehives are located. I tried both types of honey and, to be honest, didn’t taste any difference.

Before I took one last picture of Lake Taupō on Sunday afternoon and then headed towards Tongariro National Park, I visited the Craters of the Moon and Orākei Kōrako. Both are geothermally active areas and create really beautiful landscapes. At Orākei Kōrako, there is also one of two caves in the whole world that are in a geothermal active area. The other is apparently in Southern Italy. If that’s not something special.