Like many places in NZ, Taupo has thermal areas; just outside the town centre is Craters of the Moon,which is basically lots of craters which are full of boiling, bubbling mud and surrounded by ground which is literally steaming. It had just rained so there was lots of huge billows of white vapour mysteriously rising from the earth. It looked like something from Doctor Who..... and itsmelt of sulphur, which was horrid. The boiling mud and steam was quite unnervin...

Drove through Hamilton and on down to Taupo today, through more rain and some gorgeous forests.