Feb7 we checked out of our terrific resort-hotel and headed south to Lake Taupo, about 90 minutes away. We checked in to the Sun Court Hotel where we had a good view of the lake and were just a couple minutes walk from the downtown restaurant area. We spent some time down at the lake and hurried back as a thunderstorm cut loose.
The next day we drove out to Tongariro National Park and did a couple short hikes. The first was to Tawhia Falls.
The river falls 13 meters over a step in the volcanic rock. If you are a LOTR fan, this is Gollum’s pool, where Gollum catches a fish while Faramir’s archers have him in their sights.
Ryan was crazy enough to get in the very cold water flowing from the falls.
After this hike, we took another short hike on a ‘nature trail’ that had signs naming many of the trees and bushes. And then back to Lake Taupo.
The following day, we checked out and headed to Wellington, but stopping first at Napier, about 2 hours away and on the Pacific coast. As soon as we arrived, we could see an enormous cruise ship, the Island Princess, in the harbor.
Napier is known for it’s sunny climate, beautiful esplanade and the many art deco buildings. In 1931, it was largely destroyed by an earthquake and fire. The area was pushed up by up to 2.7 meters, nearly 9 feet, exposing close to 10,000 acres of land that had previously been below sea level. After the destruction, much if the town was rebuilt in an art deco style, making it a popular tourist destination. It is also the center of the wool industry for the southern hemisphere and main port for exporting stone fruit from the north island.
Napier has a really nice esplanade with gardens, fountains, sculptures and parks along the waterfront.
It also has free bike repair stations, something I have seen in a few other places in NZ. This country is really bike friendly and makes you feel like being outdoors with others is the right way to spend your time. My kinda place!
The people in line on the left are from the cruise ship that was in town for the day. It is an ‘around the world’ cruise, taking 116 days if you make the whole trip. Many people only do part but I talked to one couple who had already done twice around and were planning to complete a third time before getting off. That’s a lot of time cruising!
There was a large pedestrian area with shops, cafes, quite a few sculptures and a number of art deco buildings. You could even book a tour in an old 1930’s car to learn more.
The water was a very interesting green color, with a dark gray pebble beach. The water was warm but we did not see anyone enjoying the surf. Not sure why.
Our stop at Napier was a nice way to break up our nearly 6 hour drive to Wellington.
New Zealand seems to have an endless number of beautiful sites. That’s why it was such an ideal location to shoot Lord of the Rings.
Testing – this has not been working lately.
Frank