Day Ten … Napier to Taupo

Oh what a day … what-a-day!

Every night when I go to bed I think that was a great day, hope tomorrow is another great day. And so far … we are hitting the jackpot!

We began our day by finishing one of the Adventure Labs that we started yesterday which took us to some notable icons along Marine Parade. We saw the Spirit of Napier, the fountain at the National Aquarium, the Millennial Arch and the Sunken Garden (having already seen the statue of Pania yesterday). My favourite statue was the Spirit … because she rose above the parade and we managed to capture her with the sun rising behind her. The sunken gardens were incredible, although our visit coincided with the gardener putting the sprinklers on so we got a little wet as we searched for the water wheel!

We then headed off to continue on our personal tour of the Art Deco buildings that we had started yesterday when we arrived into Napier. With the help of a wonderfully detailed $10 guide booklet we wandered the streets stopping to read about the architecture and for me to snap away taking photo after photo (Ian is an incredibly patient man!). We found our favourite buildings and the ones that we thought were a bit ‘meh’. In some cases we were allowed to enter the buildings so long as we respected the workers in the spaces. To say that I was enamoured would be an understatement. We also wandered some gardens as we followed the trail around the main streets. Along the way were information boards that showed you photos of the city following the earthquake and the subsequent fires that ravaged the city leading to major destruction. Our timing for the day also meant that we could stop for an incredibly delicious breakfast in the centre of the city … surrounded by the beautiful buildings.

After our self-guided tour we stopped in to wander the Napier Library - of course we did - we were right there. It was housed in another Art Deco building and may in fact be the first library that I’ve been in that had a chandelier! After visiting the library Ian let me loose in the gift shop of the Art Deco Trust and I managed to snaffle the most beautiful statue of a lady seated with a peacock and some gorgeous Art Deco beads. You will have to wait until I get home though to see my beautiful lady as she is all boxed up so she can travel safely home.

Leaving Napier we began the journey to Taupo - some 140 km and just under 2 hrs driving. Again the drive took us through winding mountains, cliff faces, forestry reserves and the opening up to flat plains. We reached Taupo in good time and went straight to the wharf to check in for our boat cruise of Lake Taupo.

Our captain and guide Matthew, along with Nina our crew, took us for a wonderful cruise on the Ernest Kemp, a replica steam boat. Ian and I decided to sit out the front of the boat along with a couple from Florida, a man from Utah and a man from Bundaberg whilst everyone else stayed inside the boat. The cruise was wonderful, the weather perfect … a light breeze, the sun peaking through clouds and the gentle ripple of the water as travelled … blissful. Our cruise took us to the Māori rock carvings which tower 14 metres above the lake. They were so beautiful and Matthew did a great job making sure we had plenty of time to capture photos and explaining the carvings to us. On our way back to the wharf Nina fed the ducks off the side of the boat which was a sight to see them wait for the boat to get some distance in front before they took off to take the food from her hand.

Safely back on land after two hours slowly cruising the lake (which by the way is 616 km2 … roughly the same size as Singapore which has a population of 5.6 million!), we headed off to have a thick shake in the “world’s coolest McDonalds” … because part of the restaurant eating area is housed in a decommissioned DC3! We grabbed a photo at the #LOVETAUPO sign before heading out of Taupo to visit Huka Falls.

Huka Falls have to be the most spectacular falls we have seen on this trip, and probably the most bizarre I have ever seen. They are formed by the overflow from Lake Taupo squeezing through a tight cutting in granite cliffs. The water is forced into this narrow cutting where the pressure causes swirling wild rapids that cause the water to turn a vibrant blue with foaming bubbles on the surface. As they spill over the edge of the cliff in to the river below at a rate of 200,000 litres per second … enough to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool in 12 seconds.