Day 321: Huka Falls — Craters of the Moon
Bedhead scene at 7 am this morning:
This part of New Zealand — like all New Zealand, I guess — has some really beautiful natural landscapes. Today we went to check a few of them out.
First up: Huka Falls. This is a point where the Waikato River (which flows from Lake Taupo) gets super narrow and bursts over a ledge. The effect is a very frothy and intense fall of electric turquoise water. 200k liters per second, to be precise! Never seen anything like it.
We parked and walked a trail to get there, about 15 minutes down a hill.
There were a lot of camper vans in the parking lot. Campers are the “thing” to do for a lot of tourists visiting New Zealand: Rent one and drive around the two islands. (Side note: We’ve also learned this year that clearly “the thing” for young “in the know” travelers to the US is to hit NYC, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and then do Grand Canyon in a camper (or Route 66 in a rented Mustang).
A camper is the opposite of how we’re staying in this country, I hate to say…
Anyway, we loved the falls so much we had to go to another vantage to see them. We went to a footbridge over the river that gives you a great perspective. Really spectacular.
They picked some postcards to send to their classrooms — now that we know which class they’re in, we’ve been in touch with their teachers and offered to send a few notes!
Next up: the geothermal fields at a place known as the “Craters of the Moon.” We paid a small admission fee and spent the next hour walking along a boardwalk loop through the steaming fields.
James, I think, is still recovering from our late night in Auckland with Pete and Jeff and was whiny on the walk. We didn’t let it ruin our time.
The spot was beautiful and interesting — and mildly unsettling. When you’re quiet, and no one’s whining, you can actually hear the ground water boiling and bubbling like a cauldron. You’re always sort of wondering if a geyser is going to erupt beneath your feet….
Also it smelled like old socks. Or farts. Or, as Willa announced to a group, “Mama, it smells like the time you left our new gloves on top of the stove to dry out.” (That was in Tasmania. Oops).
We were there on a bright, sunny day — I imagine it’d be way more creepy/eerie/mystical on a cold and cloudy one.
We made another quick stop at the grocery store for some dinner stuff, then headed home for a swim and relaxation.
Don’t judge
The Hobbit suddenly got more interesting (all reviews said that if you can get past chapter 1 it gets way better), and the kids were visibly giddy when the book mentioned things like the Green Dragon Inn, where we’d just had been the day before. “We’ve been there!!” They’re hooked.
MISC:
We decided today to drive, not fly, to Wellington on Tuesday. The original idea was that driving was too far (5 hours) and flying would be more convenient. But we’re so much happier, we’ve learned, when we can be in control of our own destiny and get on the road whenever we want/stop when we want/arrive when we want. Driving IS more convenient. Plus we’ll get to see more of the country. We’re in no rush. Much happier with this decision.
