Thermal stuff

Sat 16th Dec 2006
Our first stop this morning was the Rainbow Springs Kiwi Encounter- the children very keen to see kiwis as soon as we arrived in NZ! On the tour the guide explained the need for kiwi conservation- 80% of the birds die before reaching adulthood because of dogs, cats stoats and possums. Looking after the eggs and raising the young is incredibly labour intensive and truly a labour of love but you only have to see the kiwis to see that it's worthwhile...gorgeous creatures with big personalities.
We then set off for Taupo to the south and stopped en route at the Wai -o -tapu thermal wonderland. Hot and smelly which upset the more sensitive member of our party but features such as the champagne pool (little fizzy bubbles) steaming craters and blowholes, colourful mineral terraces. Again, a very well done tourist destination, very tastefully managed and not busy at all.










Stayed overnight at the Taupo Thermal Resort- u.s.p thermal pools which were bathtub hot which we soaked in before going back to our cabin (yes, we upgraded to a 'cabin' - no larger than the cv but hey, a change is as good as a rest! ) We ordered take away pizza from 'Hell'- red hot chillies on R's- appropriate rumblings all night considering the volcanic and gethermal nature of the region.

Sunday 17th

On the way to the Prawn Park- more of that later- we saw a sign to Taupo Horse Treks and on impulse stopped and booked a ride. We had an hour to kill and stopped off at the Honey Hive which had all sorts of products bee and honey related, edible and otherwise. Bought some bee sting cream for Grandpa's bad joints! And Bee Nut butter- homey and peanut butter- delicious! Honestly.

Then back to the stables where we mounted up for an hour's ride into the Forest of Waireke- R on Paddy, a sturdy beast and so was the horse; Sophie on Lilly, a delicate filly, and so was the horse; Oli on Eno, a determined little chap, and so was the horse, and M on Fiction, whom to watch was simply poetry in motion! And so was maryanne.....? After about half an hour we reached the top of a hill and looked out over the 'Craters of the Monn'- another thermal area whose name explained itself. Then we split into two rides, Oli went with the sensible ones, walking pace , the rest of us went on the 'fast' ride- cantering up hill and down dale. Very exhilarating- but we're paying the price now as we can't easily walk!

Then off to the Prawn Park, basically a prawn farm with bells and whistles. An excellent example of how the kiwis do tourist attractions, very stylishly and without resorting to Disney/Coca cola / Macdonalds style props. We were given bamboo rods with ox heart bait, and shown how to catch them- in theory. It took us nearly an hour to catch two- a labour intensive way to get lunch. But good fun. In the true spirit of animal welfare we liberated them, but took great joy in eating a kilo of their cousins for lunch.

Then off rather late in the day to Palmerston North, through the spectacular Tongariro National Park (3 volcanoes, ash fields, and a road that often gets closed due to bad weather). It rined heavily all the way, and the roads were quite hairy, so quite glad to settle for the night in our little tin box.