Tempting the Volcano Gods of Taupō

In Memoriam.  As I've written in some of the blogs, I was in New Zealand 42 years ago with friend Jim Fiero; Aotearoa was the last chapter our yearlong around-the-world trip.  We shared some amazing experiences and, in many ways, grew as people through those shared times.  It is with great sadness that I learned yesterday of Jim's death last night, the end of a long health-related struggle. 

Lake Taupō (pronounced like "toe paw"), Aotearoa's largest lake (though for you Midwesterners, only 1/100th the size of Lake Michigan), sits in the center of the North Island's central volcanic plateau ... a volcanic region that's still active, I might add.  Indeed, Lake Taupō is the caldera that remains from a series of grand eruptions 1800 years ago, and periodic reports of gas bubbles and volcanic rocks floating in the lake can be found.  The whole region is rich in steam geysers, natural hot water pools, and geothermal energy production and experiences frequent earthquakes.

We stayed in an amazing Home Exchange whose owners - Peter and Helene - are retired art dealers. Big time!  The house, which had an expansive view of the lake, was filled with the work of mostly Kiwi artists, and a wonderful assortment of well-placed sculptures populated the beautifully landscaped property.  We shared the house with the owners, enjoyed talking about and drinking local wines, had a few meals together, and even watched some pro tennis matches with them.

As you'll see in the photos below, we had some cool experiences in and around Taupō, including kayaking to some beautiful Maori rock carvings and touring of a Maori cultural center in nearby Rotorua and its active geyser field,

View of Lake Taupō from our "home," with some sculptures in view

Sunrise above Lake Taupō

Framed by this beautiful Maori rock carving; not old, but created by some young Maori men training to be master carvers

On our way back from seeing the carving, we got hit by a hard rain, but blessed with some beautiful rainbows!  Not only that, but we found out later that a 4.2 magnitude earthquake had rattled the region while we were on the water!

These Maori carvings on poles greeted us at Te Puia. a cultural center with training programs, a Kiwi conservation program, and a geyser field. 

At Te Puia, young Maori men learn and practice wood carving ...

... as well as stone carving

Te Puia's geysers were impressive ... you can watch one erupt here

The Waikato River flows north from Lake Taupō into a ravine carved into hard volcanic rock.  The water then crashes over Huka Falls at a rate of 220,000 liters per second ... yes, PER SECOND!  You can watch it here.

We're home now, but more stories yet to tell ...