Day 9 Taupō

In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans. – Khalil Gibran

19th January 2023

This morning we visited the Hula Falls, a set of waterfalls on the Waikato River, that drains into Lake Taupō.

A few hundred metres upstream from Huka Falls, the Waikato River narrows from approximately 100 metres across to a canyon only 15 metres across and the water is forced through this narrow chasm and over a dramatic cliff drop.

The volume of water flowing through this gorge is controlled by a power generation company but often approaches 220,000 lites every second. The name huka is the Maori word for ‘foam’, which is fitting as the rushing water and falling rapids resembles foam, especially under high flow conditions. It was humbling indeed to watch the force and power of that thundering water.

We then had good lunch at a nice place called Cafebaku which overlooks Lake Taupō.

The town of Taupō is situated on a bay on the northeastern shore of Lake Taupō which is the large caldera of Taupō volcano. It is the largest lake in New Zealand, with a surface area of 616 km2 (238 sq mi.)

A lovely day was had by all of us and, after a few hours relaxing at home, the day drew to a very pleasant conclusion with an excellent dinner at a restaurant called Plateau.