Taupo (NZL)

20.10.2019 - 22.10.2019

Taupo is located on Lake Taupo - the largest lake in New Zealand. This lake was formed thousands of years ago when the crater of a supervolcano filled with water.

Near Taupo is one of the most visited attractions in New Zealand - the Huka Falls. At this waterfall, the normally calm and wide (about 100 meters) Waikato River is squeezed through a 15-meter narrow gorge. Up to 200,000 liters of water can flow through the gorge per second before plunging 10 meters deeper.

I naturally wanted to see this for myself. From Taupo, you can walk (about 6 km) to the Huka Falls, with half of the journey following the Huka Falls Track, which runs along the tranquil Waikato River. I have never seen such a clear river before, you can see the bottom in some places. You can already hear the noise of the Huka Falls from some distance away (really quite loud). The waterfall itself, with its ice-blue color, was definitely worth a visit for me.

On the way back to the hostel, I saw them for the first time - the mountains/volcanoes of Tongariro National Park. I was as excited as a little child and instead of turning to the hostel, I walked all the way to Lake Taupo. A beautiful sight, as the mountains are often shrouded in clouds and not visible. More about Tongariro National Park will follow in a later blog post ;)