Whenever locals ask me where I'm from, they'll tell me that Lake Taupo is the same size as Singapore. And we're more populated than the whole of New Zealand. Woohoo.
I walked to
Huka Falls, passing by a hot stream where you can soak in the hot water for free! Huka Falls wasn't what I expected at all. I didn't expect the water to be in this gorgeous shade of turquoise. You can do water rafting here if I'm not wrong.
Then I headed to
Craters of the Moon. It wasn't really an interesting attraction after
Rotorua. But I saw Mt Ruapehu in the distance so it was worth it. There is an optional hike up to a summit on the
Tongariro Crossing where you can see Mt Ruapehu up close but it is a challenging hike and you need to have enough time for it so I didn't do it. A guy on our bus did it and showed us photos of the snow capped Mt Ruapehu and it was SO SO SO BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL.
Then I had a romantic date with myself watching the sunset at Lake Taupo. You can see Mt Ruapehu at the horizon. The colours were unbelieve and the clouds! I mean, look!
The next day, I went 'sailing' at the last minute because the weather was fantastic. I saw a few parachutes drifting down from the sky and vowed to do it the next time. I felt it was the best way to explore Lake Taupo, incredibly relaxing under the sun. I'm glad I chose to do the sailboat rather than the ferry/cruise, as there were only a few of us so we found a spot and sprawled out. The people on the cruise looked over with envy as they sat rigidly on their uncomfortable chairs. Heh heh. You get a drink on board too! Beer, wine, juice. And I had a nice time chatting with a family whose daughter works on the sail and the captain who hilariously asked me to pose Titanic-style with the two German boys on board. He even let me steer! Just for a while but I've improved since my last boat rowing in
Hangzhou. Tyvm.