Taupo

We have become accustomed to the beautiful green hills with sheep and cows and were surprised as we drove through the central part of the North Island to see desert! Once again we thought we had made a wrong turn and were back in Texas, but the snow covered volcanoes in the background proved that we were still right here in New Zealand. 

 We spent a day near the beautiful Lake Taupo formed about 25,000 years ago from a supervolcanic eruption.














 




 The water coming from Lake Taupo into Huka Falls is used for 15% of the electricity in New Zealand.









 
We were told of a geyser north of Taupo that erupted every day at 10:15, and were eager to see it (It has been thirty-six years since we saw Old Faithful). Imagine our unpleasant surprise when the guide put chemicals into the hot water underground to force the eruption!  We did see the geothermal activity in other parts of the park, so it wasn’t a complete bust. Our first New Zealand tourist trap.