Moho free days: Lake Taupo

Gill's Notebook:

Rot. - Lake Taupo. am. sun. Bought tape and scissors for car. Set off for Taupo. Went to Hukka Falls. good walk by river. Got to Taupo - lunch in lake cafe. View of volcanoes Quirky hotel. Walked to town - long way. Drove in for evening meal. Brewpub, talked to English people - father and daughter. Good beer, not good food.

The day started with a visit to 'The Warehouse' a big discount household goods and clothing outlet across the street from our hotel. Our mission - to buy gaffer tape and a pair if scissors to ensure the front end of the car remains attached to the rest of it so enabling us to arrive in one piece at Jucy's hire depot in Wellington in a couple of days time. The shop was enormous, a combination of the stock of Argos, Primark, ToysRus, W. H. Smiths and Homebase all under one roof. We found the adhesive tape eventually with the help of the store's extremely friendly security guard. We also bought a small stainless steel coffee pot for less than three dollars. 'All good' as Gill is wont to remark. Such unexpected forays off the tourist trail are always interesting. The Warehouse is definitely a discount outlet aimed at people on lower incomes. Our fellow shoppers were elderly people and poorer families, some white but mostly of Maori, Polynesian or mixed heritage. If you stick to the guidebook itinerary then you are prone to get a 'Ladybird Book' picture of a place. In Shopping Malls and retail sprawl the realities of a country are more obvious, its inequalities and social issues. History is hidden in the mundane; in 'The Warehouse' bedding and household items were called 'Manchester Goods' - reflecting a now distant colonial past when King Cotton ruled Manchester supported by dependent colonial markets across the globe.

After a moment or two of judicious cutting and sticking we declared the car fully roadworthy and headed for Taupo, a short trip of about 50 miles. Our plan was to visit the Hukka Falls en route. It was a beautiful day, clear blue sky and temperatures in the high 20s. We arrived at the famous falls to discover most of the tourists in the vicinity had the same plan as us. The place was packed with a line of people on the bridge above the rapids jostling for position to take the best selfie.

Summer at last.

Queueing-up

for the identical shot.

Across the bridge a riverside path wends its way through the valley. We opted to walk up-stream. In a matter of a few minutes we had lost the crowds and more or less had the place to ourselves. Soon the roar of the rapids faded and we found ourselves walking through a silent forest full of exotic tree ferns. I was struck by the place's small beauties as much as the more elemental aspects of the landscape. I took a clutch of photos - tangled spider's webs shining in the sunlight; the smooth sheen of a felled tree's heartwood, its concentric circles, stained white by algae growth, uncannily resembled a raindrop rippled pool. Magical is an overused word in relation to nature, but at times by some trick of consciousness we do perceive the world as a sum greater than its parts - and it seems New Zealand is prone to play this trick on you more often than most places.

dappled paths

turquoise river

shining webs in shadowy places

wood rippled like water

an exotic canopy

results in Pete in his happy place!

By early afternoon we arrived at our hotel a few kilometres south of Taupo next to the lake. The place aspired to a contemporary style, the exterior slightly corporate and quasi-industrial, the interior more quirky. A predeliction for slate grey and subdued lighting was reminiscent of a contemporary art gallery, which is fine, but not exactly jolly. The overall effect was to subdue the spirits, not exactly what you want from a hotel. It's saving grace was the place's lakeside cafe. The food was good and the staff were affable and attentive.

'The Cove' would have been better named as 'The Cave' given the grey decor and subdued interior lighting.

Great cafe with lakeside terrace - a redeeming feature

Inside - nuclear bunker chic.

The town of Taupo was clearly visible from the hotel, however, somewhat further than we anticipated. The volcanic nature of the lake means that some of the coves have hot pools - though when I stuck my toe in the idea that the water was scalding seemed somewhat of an exaggeration.