Thursday - falls and thermals

Today started very slowly as Mick had suddenly woken in the middle of the night feeling extremely ill, which he subsequently was! In local terms, he was crook! 

Eventually, at about 11, he felt well enough to leave the motel, so we set off round Lake Taupo.

First stop, north of Taupo, was the Aratiatia Rapids. This is where the Waikato river, the longest river in NZ, is dammed for a hydro electric plant. The original rapids are now just a set of rocks, until (4 times a day in summer) the waters are released for a 15 minute period. We were there in time to see the main Rapids just as the waters were released.

After a few minutes the scene was completely different as the waters flooded down the river bed. We then drove to see the waters from the lower power plant viewpoint, but as it was raining didn't bother waiting for the rocks to reappear again.

Next stop was the Huka Falls, the point where the river starts it's journey from Lake Taupo to Auckland. The amount of water which flows through this channel is amazing, some 300 tonnes a second. It's only a small drop in waterfall terms, but makes up for it in sheer volumn.

After a sandwich for lunch (in Mick's case 1/2 a sandwich, eaten with fingers crossed) we drove on to visit The Craters of the Moon, a geothermal area. This was almost non-existent in the 1950s, but when they built the main Wairakei geothermal power station the underground hydrodynamics altered and the Craters sprung to life. 

It's not a hugely showy area of geysers and mud pools, but has gentle steam rising from many vents round the area, plus a few old craters and bubbling mud. 

It took about an hour to walk round the designated path, full of warnings about steam burns if you stepped off the broad walk, and by the end Mick was exhausted. I carried on round a lookout area, then we set off back to the motel. Mick is now asleep after having managed another half a sandwich and a small banana, so I just have my fingers crossed he will feel well enough tomorrow to do the Tongariro Crossing.

O