Day 12 NZ Fri April 15

Another black mark against the so called Quality Inn: the wake up call was 5. 30am instead of 6. 30am. They had not adjusted their main clock to daylight savings time. When was the change to daylight savings time? A month ago!!!

Shaking off the bad memories we walked around Napier admiring the art deco buildings, erected after a huge earthquake flattened the place in 1931.The Pacific Ocean forms Hawke Bay here.

Art deco in Napier.   

Our next landmark of note is not land but a lake, namely Lake Taupo, the largest lake in NZ, sometimes known as the Great Lake, 25 kms long, 160 kms in circumference, 606 sq. kms in total. Actually it is not a lake but a volcano with no top on, produced after a volcanic explosion in 135 AD, bigger than Krakatoa.

Brown trout then Rainbow trout were introduced to the lake in the late1800s. They seemed to like the environment and grew big, very attractive to anglers. I learned that one cannot buy trout, or order it at a restaurant. In other words if you want to eat trout you must buy a fishing license and catch it yourself.

Came upon NZ’s longest river, the Waikato, (means flowing water in the Maori language) all of 425kms long as it surged and roared through a tight little chasm only 15 metres wide, to form the Huka Falls. Not quite the roar of Victoria Falls but impressive nonetheless. The river’s full Maori name is Waikato-taniwha-rau ‘the flowing water of a hundred water monsters.’ An Austrian explorer named it the ‘Mississippi of the Maori.’ Obviously a river that makes a big impression.

Got excited at my first sight of steam rising from the ground. I’ve never quite believed it and have longed to see it. Here geo thermal water is being harnessed to provide power in Steam Bore Valley at Wairakei. It bores 1 and a half to 2 kms deep and this station is one of 5 in the area.

steam heat.  

All the way into Rotorua you can see plumes of steam here and there, and an ever increasing smell of sulphur. You can’t escape it. 'Roto' is the Maori word for lake,' rua' means 2, hence it is number two lake in the area. Lake Titikapu is number one I think.

Lake Rotorua.  

Visited Te Pui, the NZ Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. Our guide demonstrated how they use flax fibre to make baskets, skirts, and headbands of the most intricate weave. We ladies especially liked the bit where he rolled the flax fibre on his shapely bare leg!

He took us outside to meet Pohutu. She’s the biggest geyser in the area, blowing off steam every 30 minutes or so to a height of 3 metres or more. Groups have to be ushered by her in between blows otherwise they’ll get showered with hot water. Amazingly a lone duck was swimming just below her. Wonder if it knows to clear out before she blows. Was going to give you a photo but the internet connection is too slow this morning.

Waiting in the bus for our driver to bring the keys to our room, the smell of sulphur was particularly strong. I looked for the source. We were stationary just by the entrance to the swimming pool which has its own little gusher, turning the surrounding rocks a yellowish white colour. Moving into the hotel was a relief but not by much.

Came across the longest word in the world today, wait for it…..

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu

Phew!! 85 letters. Beats that long Welsh one hollow. Don’t ask me what it means.

Autumn colours in Napier.