Taupo

Sun 5 Feb

This was the day of the big drive. ♣ drove most of the way and did a brilliant job.

We decided to take State Highway 43, labelled as the "Forgotten World Highway", over to Taumaranui and then on to Taupo.



This highway turned out to be an extremely winding road (yes, I know I've mentioned plenty of others, but this was something particularly winding). As we left Stratford, the road twisted and turned, crossing four saddles along the way. The view was amazing and it felt as if we were going deeper and deeper into the remotest part of New Zealand.

For lunch we stopped at the Whangomomona Hotel, along with a dozen motorcyclists who had passed us earlier on the road. This is a small town of no more than 30, and the hotel is now famous as a stopping point along the road. It was a classic country pub, replete with rugby memorabilia, old photos of the town and the hotel itself, and lots of faded beer ads.



After our lunch we continued and the country became more remote and even wilder. The highlight of the drive, and also the highlight of the whole trip for me, was teh drive through Tangarakau Gorge. This portion of the road is not sealed, so it added to the wild/remote feeling.

The bush was in pristine original condition, lush with tree ferns, creepers, trees and shrubs. The gorge is very narrow with steep hills on both sides, so you get the feeling of being tucked away between the hills.



Eventually the gorge ended and the road became sealed again, and gave way to cleared land holding plenty of sheep and cows. We stopped in Taumaranui for tea, and then pressed on.



We joined State Highway 41 and turned off to Waituhi Lookout. From there we enjoyed amazing views to the south, to the volcanoes in the centre of New Zealand.



Finally we made it down off the plateau and on to the shore of Lake Taupo, and then on to our motel. We went to the hot springs adjoining our motel and I had a lovely time standing in the streams of hot water (41 deg C), loosening up my neck and shoulders.