Subject: January 2: The most visited waterfall in New Zealand, Lake Taupo, and "a roadtrip decision"
Date Sent: Sun, January 3, 2010 3:02:32 PM ("home time")
Kia ora,
I decided to do some sightseeing today - for a change. I started driving South from Rotorua to Lake Taupo -- I wanted to circle the lake. Along the way I saw a sign saying "Huka Falls" so I took that road, having no idea what I was going to see. The waterfalls is on the Waikato River, which generates the most electricity among all of New Zealand's river systems. There are a few dams along the river... and this waterfall was apparently the "most visited waterfalls" in the whole country.
This was another glaring example of how much better the South Island is than the North Island. The waterfalls I saw on the South Island were BEAUTIFUL! Everything about them was beautiful: the falls themselves, the setting, mountain cliffs, rivers, streams -- everything! By comparison, Huka Falls was basically "river rapids". It's literally a drop of about 10 feet (couldn't have been more than that). So the waterfall was a disappointment, but the ice cream I had there was good.
I continued driving South, deciding not to go to the "Craters of the moon" viewpoint. By now I was not in any mood for more sightseeing and I had seen something similar in Idaho and Oregon anyway. I kept driving south to the town of Taupo, on the shores of Lake Taupo. As I was approaching the town all traffic came to a stop, so this was another sign I shouldn't spend too much time here. After a quick stop at a viewpoint of the lake, I made a U-turn and drove straight to Hamilton, not going back to Matamata on the way either.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Jan 1 | Contents | Jan 3 |