Following a relatively short fifty mile drive to Taupo, Rich and I were welcomed to the lakeside town with blue skies, fluffy white clouds and a cool breeze that offset the heat from the sun. We only had one night in Taupo and when we arrived we wished we had booked more.
It’s a beautiful lake and also huge, so big that it is almost the same size as Singapore and is the largest freshwater lake in the whole of Australasia. There are lots of activities you can do on the lake but we were just passing through and enjoyed a relaxing walk around the town and small harbour.
On our travels we found an outdoor gym which Rich could not walk past without using for a good half an hour whilst I sat in the sunshine!
In the town centre we found a McDonalds which has it’s own aeroplane. A decommissioned plane that has been fully refitted to seat McDonalds customers. It was a novelty I couldn’t pass by and so I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee in the not so luxurious McDonalds private plane.
We drove up to the Taupo lookout, which to be honest wasn’t the greatest. It wasn’t really high enough to look out over the town and lake but we enjoyed a picnic lunch here anyway and made the best of it before heading on to Huka Falls.
Huka Falls are the largest falls on the Waikato River which drains Lake Taupo. At the falls, the river is squeezed from one hundred metres wide to only twenty metres and then passes over a twenty metre drop.
Up to two hundred and twenty thousand litres of water gush over the falls every second and the immense hydro power of the Waikato River is harnessed by a series of nine hydroelectric power stations which provide thirteen percent of New Zealand’s electrical generation.
After a quick stop in Taupo we drove through seventy two miles of beautiful countryside to Havelock North in Hawkes Bay, home to Richard’s cousin Andrea and her family. They were kind enough to have us stay for a few nights in their newly built home and we were looking forward to seeing them and enjoying the luxury of non hostel living for a few days.
Built on a plot of land dug into a hillside, Andrea and Marcus’ house is beautiful and the views from it are stunning, with mile after mile of lush green land, dotted with houses and hills as far as the eye can see.
Sitting drinking gin and tonic in the garden as the sun set, I felt like I could have stayed there forever and with Fly, the family dog in residence, Rich started off trying to make a new best friend.
We took time to enjoy the peacefulness of their house, their two boys Lucas and Max barely making a sound as they played in the lounge or outside.
The hospitality shown to us by the whole family was incredible, much to Richard’s delight they even took us to Andrea’s father-in-law’s house to watch a six nations rugby match.
We took Fly on a few walks and on our last day there we walked to the summit of Te Mata Peak. Starting just a short walk from the house, Te Mata Peak walking trails crisscross around the hill so that hikers and mountain bikers alike can enjoy the wilderness and sights available all around.
With huge redwood forests to walk through, views of the surrounding hills and valleys and lots of streams for Fly to play in, we all had a great hike on our last day together.
On one of our days staying with Andrea and her family, we took a day trip over to Napier. Following a massive earthquake in 1931, most of the buildings in the commercial area of Napier were destroyed, if not by the earthquake itself, by the fires that followed.
The rebuilding that followed the devastation has made Napier one of the best art deco cities in the world. Everything about Napier is in the art deco style, from street signs, lamp posts and sculptures to homes and shops.
We even found Deco Drive, a crazy golf course where we whiled away some time and had a little competition of our own. I’m very pleased to say I won!
We had a lovely, relaxing time in Hawkes Bay. It was really nice to have time to get to know Andrea and Marcus and get a sense of what it is like living in New Zealand.
Havelock North was the first suburban residential area that Rich and I had visited in New Zealand and we loved it. Maybe it was the amount of gin, wine and beer on offer by our generous hosts but I’m sure it’s more to do with being able to enjoy the great outdoors in nice weather and the relaxed way of life people lead.
Either way, we’ll always look back fondly on our time spent in Hawkes Bay with Richard’s cousin and family. Thanks for having us, we may very well be back one day!
Lambs on the loose 