09.02.2020 Smoke on the water....

Today has been a geo-thermal day. First I went to Wai-O-Tapu thermal wonderland which is about 40 minutes from here. Tip one - get your tickets on line before you go there. The place is cashless and queues for tickets. Tip two - the guy who gave me my ticket gave me this one. He asked if I had ever seen a Geyser - yes of course been to Iceland and seen Old Smokey in Yellowstone park (sorry not bragging just stating a fact:):)). He advised me to miss the daily 1015 show at the Lady Knox Geyser where everyone was heading and only spurts for 30 seconds. That way he explained I would have the park to myself - no one blocking my views. It was a great tip and my early start meant that I had the best views for the two hours I wandered around this incredible place. Part of the Taupo Volcanic Zone covering around 18 square kilometres. The paths are well looked after and the longest walk leads out to Lake Ngakoro through pools and mud craters, the colours of which take your breath away. One was called Artist"s Palette and another Champagne Pool. The colours change depending upon the weather, the light and the steam coming from the fumaroles. The water gets over 90 degrees and the chemicals plus the heat create beautiful vibrant colours not only on the water but also the sulphurous rock and some of the vegetation. This is not a lesson in geo-thermal physics so I will let the photographs speak for themselves..

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The walk down to the Lake took me through a forest trail with beautiful trees and carvings

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On my way back to Taupo I decided to continue with my geo - thermal day and took a 45 minute walk around The Craters of The Moon - felt a bit underwhelmed I have to say after what I had seen earlier - it looked like the moor on fire but the steam was hot and the sounds coming from below ground were eerie.

Last day in Lake Taupo tomorrow - going on a boat on the lake to see some Maori rock carvings, then I have to decide which way to go on Tuesday morning. Have a few more days before I have to be in Wellington to get the ferry to the South Island. Hope you enjoy these pics as well as I have enjoyed my day. Would have loved my favourite artist Aimee Mommertz to have seen these wonderful natural colours xx