We started our day after a terrible sleep with soup and rice for breakfast, did a massive car clean-out and sort, then left the hotel by 9:45am. As we were driving away we saw the side of a nearby mountain steaming like crazy, so we were happy to get out of there.
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| Photo credit: Ryan P |
Tokaanu Thermal Pools was our first stop. Normally you pay to go in, but we did a really cool nature walk behind the building for free. There were bubbling bright blue pools that didn't seem to have a bottom, and there were even a few bubbling mud pools. There was a Maori school group picnicking there but we explored just behind them and found the free hot pools we were looking for. They were made by the locals to capture the hot water coming out of a nearby boiling geyser every few minutes. Nothing fancy - just a cement tub with the water intake corked by a wooden stick and a sock. It was way too hot for our Canadian blood, but really neat. And honestly, it was our only "native" cultural experience of the whole trip pretty much.
Our next stop was Taupo, also known as Lake Taupo. It was a really pretty lake, which was a nice change from ocean (probably also for the locals), but overall not that exciting. We tested the water, stopped to use some WiFi, got groceries, then went on our way.
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| Photo credit: Kat |
Our second hot springs of the day was Spa Park Hot Springs. We had lunch on the grass then followed a short path to the river. It wasn't hard to find because there were tons of people there, and someone had even brought a boom box, so it was like crashing a party. This place was neat because the water in the river was cold, but there was a small waterfall from a thermal pool near by. The closer you were to the waterfall the hotter the water was, so you could keep moving around to find your sweet spot. It was hard to walk on the rocky bottom, but really fun people watching.
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| Photo credit: Ryan R |
We ended our day at Waikite Valley Hot Pools campsite, which was a real gem so we ended up staying two nights. So nice to not pack up the tent for a night! It was also the best value yet, because for only $20/person we also got unlimited access to their beautiful thermal pools. It was like camping at a spa, really. They had a nice nature walk going through the area with dozens of hot pools, and the ones we could go in were more like hot tubs/swimming pools, which was a nice change from stubbing your toes on rocks or burning yourself.
After a nice walk and dip we settled in for a super-delicious dinner: Thai mussels, gourmet salad, lamb medallions, and wine. We hung out in the pavilion until the cockroaches started showing up and scared us away. Plus we were pretty darn tired from all of the hot soaking all day! The floors of our tents were warm, and lulled us into a glorious sleep.
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| Photo credit: Ryan R |
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