World Travels: Taupo

The road from Napier to Taupo is over the Ahimanawa Mountain Range and it and our heavy load often stretched our little car. The roads are winding and hills long and steep. I drove and was pleased when we got to our lakeside motel, where we booked in and went off to Taupo. The day had started sunny in Napier, got increasingly cloudy as we travelled but cleared for lunch in the warm sunshine.

I walked back the 4k along the lakeside to our motel.

We dined in the town at a lakeside restaurant. It was a warm evening and we happily lingered over our meal until the sun set on the longest day.

After an early morning walk along the lake and breakfast at the motel, we left for the 30 minute drive to Wai-O-Tapu. This is a volcanic area of geothermal activity.

We wanted to see the eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser, which we were told occurs at 10.15 every day. Lady Constance Knox was daughter of a former Governor General of New Zealand. He had come to inspect prisoners who worked on the site, brought his family with him and his daughter had started a geyser eruption, which was then given her name. We were there in good time and waited expectantly with many others.

It was then explained to us that the eruption cycle would occur naturally every one or two days but it is stimulated with detergent. This reduces the surface tension of the waters below, causing the hot water in one chamber to mix with cold water in another and to release steam. Detergent was duly added and a jet of steam shot in the air. This can reach heights up to 20m.