Day 11, 12: Lake Taupo Region

April 18
Distance Clocked: 61.151
Time Pedalling: 2:54:31
Average Speed: 21.0 km/hr
Cumulative roadkill/smelly truck ratio: 20/10

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Yesterday I left my bike chained down the hill in the cafe area, and David's lock is on there too so I have to wait until he or Jenny can go down there with me to unlock it. The power is out so I use my gas stove to boil tea for the work party, and then I make David one when he comes back from an errand.

I get down there a little later in the day, 11 perhaps, and am all rarin' to go after my few days 'rest.' (well, from cycling anyway). Unfortunately, my motivation is sapped a little when I discover that somehow or other, possibly from being in the back of the truck for a few days with stuff piled on top of it, half of one of my pedals has broken off. They're just plastic,so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I take it for a spin around the parking lot and it's a little bit uncomfortable but seems to go fine. Jenny tells me there's a cycle shop in Turangi where I can get them replaced.

By the time I finally head out, the previously beautiful sky is now difficult to see through a thin layer of fog, and it's getting a bit chilly. Going down bruce road is quite the adrenaline rush, especially given that my brakes need tightening up! (they work fine enough in most situations so I've just been procrastinating). the first 20ks or so whizz by, and I need to stop to put on gloves because my hands are freezing from the speed and the changed weather. Except a few k's later I need to take my jacket off because the sun's come up now! The rest of the ride is quite smooth with some gradual uphills. The scenery is wild & untamed, there are no farms. I'm passing through the whole national park area after all. There's some sort of plant that looks like a big white feather on a stick all through this area, and in general the region doesn't look like anything else I've seen in new zealand. I pass by Ruapehu, Ngaruhoe,and Tongariro one last time.

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Once I get to Turangi I'm quite tired, I book into a hostel that has a tenting site, $12. prices are going up. I put my tent in the wrong area and slightly regret it because I notice there's a bicycle right next to a yellow tent in the proper tenting area, perhaps we could have chatted.

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Somehow not registering that the New World is right next to the campground, I decide I can't be fussed to go shopping and make do with my budget brand 89c canned spaghetti for dinner. gradually a party of 25 university of auckland students trickles in to the kitchen, and they're pretty noisy and obnoxious, which I dont' really want to deal with in my tired state, so I finish quickly. I say hello to one of them outside and it turns out they're down here to raft the Tongariro River. The lady at the checkout later mentions that they pull out various dams at different times which creates exciting rafting conditions, and they've just pulled out a few. I'd love to do something like that, but of course I don't have a group to go with. The internet kiosk here's a pain in the butt, I have to buy three 20 minute time codes and can only top up once I'm in the last 5 minutes of the current one. I ask the checkout lady about the weather tomorrow and it looks like it's going to be less than pleasant. The general word is that it's going to be like that for a little while, so I think rather than go to Taupo tomorrow I'll just enjoy the good weather here and do some fishing or something like that.

=======April 19===========

Distance Clocked: 58.79km
Average speed: 17.1 km/hr
Time pedalling: 3:26:23
Total distance since palmerston north: 283.77km

I ask around in Turangi about cycle stores but there are none -- i guess I'll have to wait till Taupo to replace my pedal. Turangi is a mid-sized town on the Southern Edge of lake Taupo, in case I hadn't mentioned. Lake Taupo was formed relatively recently, geologically speaking at least, when a volcano in the middle of the north island erupted and left a gigantic crater in it's place. Apparently fishing is Turangi's claim to fame, they've got heaps of trout here, fly fishing and trolling both seem to be popular. I asked around yesterday about hiring some fishing gear (i've got some tackle but I left my $20 kid's pole in wellington), and though I've had days on my tour where I've really wanted to do relax in the sun and read a book and do nothing but sit with my pole in the water, I'm not really feeling it today. Besides I can fish back home. So I decide to enjoy the last-good-weather-day-for-awhile by cycling the 10k west to Tokaanu and go kayaking.

I pull up to Wai Maori and sure enough, the lady who helps me is Maori. Her name's Tui. I pause. "Oh, like the bird." I don't say, "like the beer." This should score me points, but somehow it doesn't.

After a needlessly confusing refresher on paddling (i've done this plenty of times in florida) I'm off! At first the stream isn't anything special, you can tell it *isn't* a canal in florida but somehow it's qualitatively the same. But after less than 30 minutes of paddling the stream opens into Tokaanu Bay, which is presumably part of Lake Taupo. it's a little overcast, but there's no one else out here really, which is a bonus. I paddle over to the Western edge of the Bay and with the aid of the map I find the steaming cliffs and the private waterfall. I sit here awhile and just enjoy being where I am.

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15 minutes later or so I turn around, paddle past the wharf and the marina, and back towards a wider stream which forms a near circuit with the one I just came out of. I pass a small mountain covered in trees, whose name I cannot recall but is something like Mangananaganui. Yeah. Thereabouts the stream flows into some sort of hydroelectric plant so I have to take my kayak out of the water and carry it over to where the canal begins.


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Now I'm pretty much following SH41 on my way back downstream. As I splash down in my kayak, the water is clear, the vegetation has a different character entirely. and it's absolutely beautiful. I'm actually so happy paddling down this little canal that I laugh a few times as I go.

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As I near the starting point, I pass the DOC thermal area which powers the hot pools that I went to with the Sherlocks a couple of days ago. It's awfully mysterious floating past bubbling mud and steaming hot water! I beach myself for a closer look:

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...and am lucky I don't burn my foot of as it slips into warm mud that I thought was solid ground. Tui warned me the water in this area can be scalding.

I consider camping in Turangi tonight but I'm refreshed and in such a good mood that I decide to continue on to Taupo. It's not all downhill, but there's no fierce uphills at first. This area is really pretty as well, kind of reminds me of new england in autumn. Or maybe it's just that it's autumn. I don't remember wellington being this colorful at this time of year. There's also still not too many farms, it's mostly open forest by the side of the road, which could make good camping in an emergency. Somewhere along the line I pass a small, inconspicous sign that notes that it's 330km to wellington and 330km to auckland, which makes this the halfway point between the two cities. at this point, however, I'm planning to arrive in auckland by way of whakatane, so it won't be my halfway point. the road passes by lake Taupo for a good portion of the ride, which is a treat, especially when it gets darker and you can see the lights of the city of Taupo across the water. There's lots of downhills, but as Taupo edges closer there's some more uphills as well. As the light fades I'm thinking I'll just camp immediately south of Taupo, perhaps by the lake.

About 15km from Taupo there's a really long hill to climb. I move to the side of the road to rehydrade and take off my jacket. Once I head out again there's a truck by the side of the road. I pull up and ask if he's okay. He's fine, he's there to see if I wanted a ride.I ask him how much further the hill is. He says it's not much longer, but I've still got a way to Taupo. I tell him thanks but I'll be fine. Honestly, what is it with these kiwis? Real nice people, but enablers. I gotta do this on my own guys!

The hill is quite a bit further. I take a few rests before I'm done. Eventually it ends, and now it is all downhill from here.It's a bit dark and spooky, there are these hilly figures on the sides of the road which block the lake, which is disappointing. I don't know whether they're landfills or natural or what. There's another car by the side of the road, and these guys are outside fiddling around in the trunk. I inquire after their health. He says he'll be fine as soon as he changes the tyre. It's an older couple so I offer to help but he and his wife are fine.

It's not too much further before I see the "Welcome to Taupo!" sign, and just beyond that is a "scenic lookout." I decide to see if I can find camping there. There's plenty of space and lots of picnic benches. Unfortunately the "scene" is behind a fence a few hundred metres. I hop the fence and get closer to the lake but the ground is really not pleasant to walk on, so I double back and make camp on the nearer side of the fence behind a bushy tree. I later wish I'd camped further back the road, as there are cars coming through here practically all night to enjoy the "scenic" lookout. Honestly there's not much to look at at night. It's better in the morning:

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