Kiwi Day 4 - Rotorua to Taupo / 29.01.2019

The heat was scorching even in the morning when we got back on the bus after a leisurely breakfast in the Maori Village. Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to Lukas and Talea because they were staying in Rotorua to work. Iris was also staying here for a few more nights, and maybe I would meet her somewhere again. Fortunately, the English people also left us.

Today we headed to Taupo, a small town with a huge lake called Lake Taupo, which is the largest volcanic crater lake in the world. There are also several other active volcanoes around Taupo, including Mount Doom, which became famous through the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, and Tongariro, where the famous and one of the most impressive hikes in the world takes place: the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
On the way there, we stopped at a very cool national park, Te Puia, where many buildings were inspired by the Maori culture.
Here, we took a 2-hour guided tour and I met a very nice girl named Vera, with whom I walked around.
First, a Maori woman showed us some god carvings, including one of Maui, which immediately made me think of my little cute (more or less) brothers at home because of Moana. She also demonstrated basket weaving and showed us how the Maori transform greenstone, wood, and bone into figures and pendant necklaces.
Then we went into the nature of the national park - we could see white smoke coming out of the grassy ground everywhere, and we passed by some small geysers until we arrived at a pavilion, behind which was a fenced-off small bubbling and steaming natural hot pool. We were told that the water was over 100 degrees Celsius and our guide brought out a woven bag with eggs that were supposed to be cooked now, and she tied it to a small crane next to the hole in the ground. She let the bag glide into the water and it would take 7 minutes for the eggs to be done.

Afterwards, we walked past a mud pool to a large geyser that also noticeably sprayed water droplets into the air. We all sat down there and could enjoy our naturally cooked incredibly delicious egg.

Then we headed to a small building for the last stop, where kiwi birds were being cared for. Since these birds are nocturnal, it was pitch dark inside and we were not allowed to make any noise or take photos while sliding along a dimly lit railing next to the glass enclosure, trying not to crash into the person in front of us. We also saw a kiwi bird wandering around a tree in the reddish light. Unfortunately, we couldn't see it very well, but it was still cool to have seen it.
That was the end of the tour and we gathered at the bus again after a short bathroom break. We made another stop at Huka Falls, a raging river where the turquoise water flowed in incredible rapids. I could have watched it all day, the sight and the loud roaring were so impressive.

Finally, we arrived in Taupo and the big lake was visible from a distance. In the Base Hostel, I ended up in a room with 2 Danish girls, Cecilie and Thien, and a Brazilian girl named Natalia. We chatted for a bit and then decided to do the hike together tomorrow - Taupo was the first stop where I would stay for 2 days because we absolutely had to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing here.

I also had to clarify some things with Kiwiexperience regarding my schedule because I noticed that everything here was not as spontaneous as it is described.
Other than that, I had a relaxed afternoon since the heat was unbearable, and I sat by the lake, observing the silhouettes of the big volcanoes in the background and daydreaming.
That's where I would go tomorrow morning.

Song of the day: Sun Comes Up by Rudimental ft. James Arthur, because Quags played it on the bus and I think the beginning is super awesome.