Day 53 – Taupo – 6 November 2017

We had quite a busy day planned once we left Rotorua. First we decided to go back to Kerosene Creek for a dip in the hot water spring. We weren’t expecting such a large amount of people there, but we managed to nab a very nice spot for ourselves where the river formed a deep channel and spent a while there just relaxing in the warm water.

It was quite a cold and windy day but we had booked to go on the Lake Taupo cruise to see the rock carvings the day before, so had to be in Taupo for 2pm. On the way there we stopped at Craters of the Moon which is a very active thermal area with lots of steam coming out of the earth and some mud pools. It was a good way to spend an hour before catching the boat at Lake Taupo.

We went on a sailing cruise with Sail Barbary and I actually enjoyed the cruise despite the somewhat rough conditions and waves on the lake – though I think our guide made the trip rougher than he needed to just to make it more fun! The Maori Rock Carvings were impressive but the 2.5hr trip is quite long even though you get good views and the sailing is a bit different.

We checked into Taupo Urban Retreat (backpackers) for the night and had a quick shower to get rid of the Kerosene Creek smell before exploring the town. Taupo is a busy town with lots of options for food and drink and we walked around for a bit and had a drink before deciding that the food at takeout chain Burger Fuel looked more interesting than what was on offer in the bars and restaurants – and we were not disappointed! Our night in the backpackers could have been better as the rooms are tiny and you can hear every move people make in the adjacent rooms, but it was cheap and we got some sleep, which is sometimes all that matters!