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ravi shanker's Blogs >> My visit to Taupo, New Zealand taupo terrific

Last month on October 5th tuesday, I along with my friends went to Taupo. It’s a town which is about 150 kms away from Napier. It was an unforgettable journey and the whole trip was very very memorable. The trip from Napier to Taupo was a highlight in itself as I feasted on a veritable show of greenery and undulating chain of forest trees. The whole route to Taupo was peppered with largesse of Mother Nature’s bounty of beautiful forests and I had a happy dilemma in trying to choose which way to look at from the car to the right or left, because you are sure to miss something stunning on the left if you are concentrating to see what is there on the right side. A problem of plenty? Sure is. But I had no complaints. This was New Zealand. This is where I have always wanted to come. This is what I have always wanted to see. And to actually realise that I am doing and seeing all those things that I have dreamt of is bordering on the surreal.



Okay, the first stop was at Lake Taupo, this is the biggest lake I have seen in my entire life and the lake was so huge that it had waves like what you get to see in a sea or an ocean. Albeit the waves were pretty mild and low. The water was crystal clear and I ventured inside the water maybe 5 feet or more inside the lake. I have set foot inside a lake which was so so crystal clear. I could easily see the rock formations beneath my feet. The birds there –ducks and swans merrily were floating around conveniently ignoring human presence. It is as if they got used to tourists. It was fun to watch those birds going about their business as usual. For a nature lover like me it was a huge bonus to be inside that lake and also get a glimpse of this beautiful and bold creatures. The water itself was pretty cold but that did not prevent me from going inside the lake. There were some rocks on the shore of the lake they looked very very big but actually when I held them in my hand they were so so so light in weight that I could not stop laughing. Me and my friend had a catching practice session with these huge rocks and it was extremely funny. I do not know the scientific reasoning behind what made those rocks actually weigh so less. It was just very hilarious.

After dabbling with the lake we all took lunch in a small lawn outside the lake. It was a great lunch under mild sun. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch. The way these kiwis maintain their public places is worth emulating. They are so particular about cleanliness and you are inspired to lift your own standards of cleanliness. There is practically no littering and of course there are always exceptions but overall the level of cleanliness is very very high standard.



Our next trip was to CRATERS OF THE MOON. I do not know how to describe this place because it has got a lot of scientific background to it. Suffice to say that the place is a vibrant with volcanic/thermal activity. Smoke emits from every nook and corner of this place and it resembled a garbage dump except that there was no garbage here and all that smoke was a result of some physical churning inside the ground. Magma I was told was the reason. We were given strict instructions not to go outside the laid path in the map. There were a couple of places which resembled gouges left wide open by the hitting of a small meteor. The whole place was filled with some gases and I do not know whether it was water or some other liquid bubbling with anger in those gouges. It was surreal. I was just very happy that I made the trip as I was not keen on making this trip. My best friend Jinse was the one who inspired me to take this trip and the rest is history now. I owe a debt of gratitude to Jinse. This visit consumed a little more than an hour.



The next visit was to HUKA FALLS. This clearly was the number one highlight of our visit. Oh, I am grappling with words to try and put together what I have experienced here. Okay, there is a lake which flows serenely up to a point where two hills narrow down the path of the lake to a feet of maybe 15 metres width. The serene looking water transforms itself into a ferocious monster and it gushes down with unimaginable speed and you can literally feel the incredible force of the water rampaging beneath the bridge on which you stand and just gasp at its awe inspiring power. I could not look at lake at 90 degrees angle with my head bowed down because the water was flowing at such maddening speed that I felt I was being sucked into it. It sent a chill down my spine. There is another amazing scene here. The water actually turns for some strange reason into white colour. From a distance you will be forgiven if you would think it is actually milk which is flowing. It is just milky white the whole water. And this white water jumps from the cliff and settles down into a large cess pool of milk churning the whole breadth beneath the cliff. There was a jet speed boat which raged through the water and I instantly wanted to be in the boat as someone told me the boat cruises at a speed of 240 kilometres an hour. I really wanted to experience that thrill but the tickets were already booked for the day and it was very very disappointing not to be on the boat. The tourists inside the boat were shouting their lungs out experiencing a thrill ride of their lifetimes. The way the boat twisted and turned at such dangerous speed made it look all the more exciting. At one point the boat came to such a sudden halt that I was scared the boat might capsize. But it was a neat trick of the driver of the boat and it just was a moment for the photographers to click away. Imagine what would be the mental condition of the guys inside the boat. Me and Jinse vowed to return back to experience this gut wrenching boat ride. I want to write so much but every good story has got to have an end.



I have told my friends that I would like to try my hand or life (he he) at bungy jumping. I thought I could pull it off. But when I actually went to the site of bungy jumping, I have no shame in admitting—I changed my mind. It was a 75 metre straight fall into the lake and I never saw anything from such a height. As I was walking on the platform which was about 4 feet wide or less, there was just you and this scary but serene water beneath your feet lurking some 75 feet below. My heart really got cold and I could not muster enough courage to jump from such a height. But the next time I will come here., I assure it is going to be a different story. Watch out for this space. I really really want to do this at least to drive away this sense of fear.



After this we went back to the lake again and it was already evening. The water was freezing cold but that still did not stop me from going inside. I was swarmed by a gang of swans or ducks or I don’t know what birds they were. I enjoyed their company for a while and I got out of it unable to bear the coldness of the water anymore.



Overall it was a trip which will always be lodged in my mind all through my life. And, there is no question that I would return back to this place. I have some unfinished business here (bungy jumping you managed to scare me away the first time—the next time I visit you----enough of the talk.



Okay I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed visiting this great place—TAUPO –TERRIFIC.



I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed visting this beautiful place.