Taupo Springs and Whitewater

Kayaking the gentle waters on a day that turned sunny and then pulling off to the side to soak in a hot, not lukewarm, waterfall was sooo relaxing. A redwood steam bath tops the evening for a night of slumber.

Quick Tips:

The hotbus is the best way to get around the Taupo area. You can use it combined with walking. Take it out to Huka Falls, Crater of the Moon, Aracatia Rapids, and return by footpath, or the reverse, or for the disabled, see the major sights. Hot Bus has both half- and full-day passes with on/off privileges. One of the stops is in front of the "I" center.

The "I" info center on the corner of Tongariro and Spa Rd offers maps and tours for both North and South Island and will make local calls for you. They also provide a list of free things to do and a rainy day things to do list.

Great information can found at here and here.

Best Way To Get Around:

Jason's New Zealand website enabled me to obtain descriptions for each activity and contact information. Some required a 10 percent deposit to secure a seat with full payment due upon arrival. Car and accommodations were booked the same way.

Book Intercity coach, Waitomo Wanderer, Kiwi Experience and Newman’s coach ahead of time to take advantage of their discounts, which only need one day advance notice. Hostel and student ID cards can get you discounts as well. Advance reservations provide the driver with a list of passengers, so that he will be expecting you if you. Be forewarned that there are no bathrooms on the bus although they do make a stop every couple of hours. Food and drink are not permitted which explains why the buses are very clean including the fabric on the seats.

I took the Intercity Coach bus from Rotorua to Taupo at 8:45 in the morning and the journey only took about 1.5 hours and the driver was just delightful. At one point he picked up passengers and a few of asked if we could use the restroom and/or get a drink across the street at the gas station and he waited for all of us to return.

Rainbow Lodge is a large hostel accommodating over 40 people in three- and four-bedroom units with sheets and blankets available for NZ 2. Rooms have locks and the main doors to the lodge are locked at 10pm. Office hours are 8-8 offering free tea and coffee and selling cookies and other beverages. You can reserve tours and transportation here and bicycles are on the premise for rent for $12 for guests and $15 for non-guests and come complete with locks and mandatory helmets.

Although the kitchen is quite large with two refers and sinks, it can be rather crowded during the dinner hours. Generally speaking the ample shelves for the dry foods and refers provides enough storage especially considering Mondays anything with a passed expiration date on the bag is tossed. The dining area consists of three large cafeteria-style tables and located right next to the living room for overflow diners.

There are two men’s and ladies’ restrooms and two each showers. A very nice dry sauna with adjustable temperature is available for free from 6-10pm and 50 cents during other hours. Since my tours usually ended around 4pm and then I had dinner, I could usually enjoy a free sauna session without anyone else around.

Located off Spa Road, it is within walking distance to the transportation center, information center, lake, river trailhead and the cheapest day spa in town. Two grocery markets are nearby. In spite of being so close to places, pick up service is just a phone call away.

The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand at 425km. It runs from Tongariro National Park through Lake Taupo and into the sea just south of Auckland.

An enjoyable footpath runs from Spa Thermal Park off Spa Road to Aracatia Rapids. An hour walk from Spa Road will bring you to Huka Falls, a popular sight that can also be reached by car. Therefore, you will encounter many other visitors. Standing on the footbridge looking south towards Lake Taupo the water is aqua blue and looks as smooth as velvet. Look over the other side and all you see is the churning white water. What a difference a few feet make! As a side note, Huka Jet provides boat tours on the Waikato to see the falls from another prospective as well as jumping the rapids.

From this point you can continue on for another two hours walking to Aracatia Rapids, where the powerhouse control gates open at 10, 12, 2 and 4pm, flooding the river valley within minutes. As with Huka Falls, this area also can be reached by auto, enabling many tourists to visit the sight. Rapids Jet boat provides a view from the river of this area as well. No, you don’t get to boat up to the floodgate and wait for it to flood and ride the waves!

The walkway is relatively flat with a few moderate hills, but not wheelchair accessible except at the major sites should you choose to tour by vehicle. The path is very lush without any obstacles unless a storm has a tree to uproot and fall into the normal walkway as I came across making me create my own detour. Along the way there are also short paths leading to the river for photo opportunities and one spot complete with dock for sunbathing.

After taking a 1:40am coach I arrived in Auckland where I would get one last our in before heading to the airport. I placed my bag in a locker at the station and walked over the ferry building for a $12 ride to Davenport Island about 20 minutes away.

With small map in hand I walked along the waterfront for about 20 minutes before reaching NORTH HEAD 1885 FORT. The history and buildings here would be fascinating to both history buffs and not. A clearly marked path with incredible views of Auckland’s Bay lead you into caves, old turrets, barracks and more. Without a flashlight, some places were rather eerie, but I found that if I looked down at my feet and continued walking there was always light at the end of the tunnel.

The history behind building this fort is that it was due to fears of being attacked by the Russian Navy back in 1885. Records exist dating back to this early period based on information logged by the designers of the fort, some of who lived through the 1800’s. There are North and South summit batteries, engine rooms, a minefield control post and more.

Down the hill and across a few blocks I headed up the side of the very green MT VICTORIA, at 87 meters. Here reside Maori fortifications, which are entirely different looking fortresses dug into the side of the hill. Interesting enough it now is home to concerts for some music club. There is also fenced in radar tower right at the top.

As a side note both of these sites have paved roads and parking lots enabling handicapped to enjoy as well. And there is a two-hour bus tour available that I couldn’t go on as I had a flight to catch.

Craters of the Moon in Wairakei Tourist Park an area of geothermal activity complete with interpretive walking path. After leaving the kiosk, which has maps, postcards and a few souvenirs. Although no admission is charged there is a box for donations. Just beyond the kiosk is a wide paved road that is relatively steep and ends at the beginning of the footpath. I really wouldn’t say it is wheelchair accessible. A leisurely walk, stopping to take a few pictures and read the signs should consume about 1½-2 hrs of your time. The walkway is made up of wooden planks in the more active areas and signs remind you to stay on the path.

The trail meanders around large cauldrons with boiling gray mud at the bottom. Grey mud is spew up a few feet landing with plopping type sounds. Rising steam from small and large fumaroles is around. Is wise to stay on the path as some of the smaller steam vents are within inches of the path indicating the ground beneath could cave bringing excessive heat to your feet.

One of the things I found so interesting was the small stream I saw that had beautiful moss growing along the sides. I would have thought the sulfur or heat of the water would have prohibited growth. The other sight that was surprising is looking off in the distance across the rising steam was the forest of pines and ferns right along the edge of the walking trail. Again I would have thought very little if anything would grow so close to these conditions.

Craters of the Moon is just across the highway from Huka Falls. You can walk up the road from Huka Falls to get there or take the bus or drive. If you can’t get enough of the geothermal activity, further up the road is the highly developed Wairakei Geothermal Power Station.