To Taupo and Rotorua

Leaving the Leisureline Rally behind, we drove along the 150km Napier-Taupo Road.  Plenty of up and down hills along the way, and Robin was very pleased with how his Jeep performed.  He has already mentioned several times on this trip that our old Landcruiser used to struggle up some of these hills.  The Napier-Taupo Road is reasonably high altitude and can often be closed in winter due to snow. 

We arrived at the Taupo Airport NZMCA Park in time for lunch, unfortunately the resident wasps wanted to join in our meal too.  We spent the afternoon enjoying the warm sunny weather and watching the sky divers jumping out of aeroplanes and come drifting, seemingly effortlessly down.  Only stayed the one night at Taupo, and caught this glorious view from the lookout over Lake Taupo as we left the next morning.

Looking over Lake Taupo

Our stop for the next two nights was Ngongotaha NZMCA Park, in Rotorua.  You know you have arrived in Rotorua when you get the whiff of rotten eggs (sulphur) in the breeze.  Rotorua is a very active thermal area.  Four vans from our caravan club are traveling up to the CCNZ Easter Rally and we lined up together at the back of the park.

Club vans:  Turnbull, Solomon, Benton, Fisk

The weather remained fine and sunny, but definitely much cooler overnight, but it is Autumn, after all.  After doing a little shopping, we stopped off at Kuirau Park and joined the many tourists walking around admiring the hissing, steaming, bubbling vents.  Back in 2001 there was a hydrothermal eruption in Kuirau Park with mud and rocks the size of rugby balls flying in all directions. The rocks snapped branches off nearby trees like they were mere twigs and the nearby road and cars were covered in mud. Keep to the paths, the signs say.

Boiling water under this steam

We will be spending Easter at Mt Maungaui, so do hope that the Easter Bunny comes calling.