Beware That Kiwi Experience Bus!

The next morning, we wandered about, waiting for the park entrance to open at 8:30am. We were their first customers and had the boat and park to ourselves. There were wooden walkways throughout and very interesting features, unlike anything we’ve seen before. Marketing for Orakei Korako had mentioned a cave, which was a disappointment, as you only stand at a platform and look down to the entrance of the cave and weren’t allowed into it. I didn’t understand the sense in that. In total, it was about a 45-minute walk and as we waited for the boat to return for us, we realized it had just picked up its second pair of passengers for the day. I think the buses from Rotorua and Taupo arrive at about 10am, so if you plan on going, go early!

As we headed closer to Taupo, we stopped and did “campervan duties.” A huge motorhome was behind us waiting for the dump station and we got to talking to the owner. He said North Island was beautiful, but South Island was stunning! I thought North Island was gorgeous, I couldn’t imagine South Island being better, but now we had an excuse to come back and find out for ourselves.

We stopped at Huka Falls, which had a rather crowded parking lot. It was the first time on this trip we ran into crowds. The falls weren’t high or wide, but what makes them memorable is the amount of water that rages through them. We spotted a jetboat come up to the base of the falls and turn around, took a couple of photos, and then walked along the trail on the far side as we geocached.

I really hadn’t planned anywhere in particular to stay this night. I figured we would choose a place that was central to where we ended up. I looked in my camping guide and a place called Windsor Lodge offered campervan parking with hot showers and WiFi. It was located about 12km from Taupo and was right on the lake. It wasn’t what you would expect of a place calling itself a “Lodge”. There was a corner store (in NZ, they call it a Dairy) that sold beer, soft drinks and snacks, and loads of fishing gear. Behind it was an RV parking area that seemed to have folk’s 5^th Wheels and Caravans permanently parked. We were instructed on which empty space to park and later we were joined by another rental campervan. We were the only two vehicles with guests for the night. The manager was extremely friendly and helpful in directing us to the supermarket in town.

Once we staked out our spot, we headed back to Taupo to get provisions and went to Spa Park. We spotted our first Kiwi Experience Bus there. After having lunch, walking and geocaching a river trail, we went to the area Spa Park is known for. There’s a stream of hot water that pours into the cold river and people like to sit where the two streams meet. It was packed with people from the bus, and it looked like they were going to stay there for quite some time. Cases of beer and wine were on the shore and everyone in the water had a drink in their hand. I was a bit concerned about them drinking out of glass bottles and wine glasses in the river, it didn’t seem like a safe thing to do. But we had come all this way and decided to wedge ourselves next to the crowd. We spoke to a young woman from England. She was going to be in New Zealand for 3 weeks, but was taking several months touring the world. She was about 21 years old. Fred and I wondered how the bill was being footed but were both too polite to ask. Had the place been less crowded, we would have stayed longer. Feeling a bit out of place, we headed out.

We drove back up the road in the direction of Huka Falls. Across the highway was a place called Craters of the Moon. Scott Cook said in NZ Frenzy that it was worth the $12 to explore. After having seen Orakei Korako, the mud pools, Kerosene Creek, and the eco-trail at Waikite Valley, I can only say Craters of the Moon was a letdown. I suppose if it were the only place of this kind you saw, you would be impressed. I wish we had made the trip further up the road and timed it appropriately to watch Aratiatia Falls being released. I think it would have been more interesting to us.

At dusk, we decided to geocache around the area near our Winsor Lodge campsite and lake. Between the “Lodge” and the lake, we had to pass through a small cemetery. But it seemed to be the only access to the lake for quite some way. We walked along the lakeshore and watched the beautiful sunset.

The Adventure Continues>>>