08.01.2018 - Taupo

This is how the weather could stay! Today, we started with a boat tour on Lake Taupo. The sky was unbelievably blue, the green so intense, and above it all, the 'shy', snow-covered Mount Ngauruhoe, as the skipper called it today, since it is not often seen. From the boat, we visited the rock carvings created by 2 Maori artists about 40 years ago. The largest carving is about 10 meters high and depicts the Maori navigator Ngatoroirangi, who was also revered as a leader and priest by the Maoris. We also passed by beautiful villas nestled in the mountains, surrounded by greenery, with a direct view over the lake.

This incredible play of colors in sunny weather. The turquoise to dark blue water, framed by the deep green of the surrounding mountains, with the blue sky above and small clouds dancing, and the snow-covered volcano playing around. It is simply indescribably beautiful, and one doesn't know where to put these incessant impressions and overwhelming enthusiasm.

Back on land and after a long black coffee, we made our way to the nearby Huka Falls - huka means foam in Maori. The swirling water absorbs many air bubbles and visibly foams as it squeezes through the rocky channels. The water here isn't very deep, only 9 meters, but there is a lot of it, 220,000 liters per second. That means our natural pool at home would be completely full in less than a third of a second.

Afterward, we took a short hike along the Waikato River, passing by the Taupo Spa Park, under the strong midday heat but enjoying the beautiful landscape.

At the moment, we are enjoying the sunset from our terrace and from the sofa, watching as it creates a new play of colors over the lake every minute. Unfortunately, there are also mosquitoes.

With all these impressions, it is simply difficult to imagine that all of this has evolved and come about by chance in this incredible magnitude of beauty.

- Godzone -