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Today was a beautifully bright and sunny day.
I was really lucky with the motel room in Rotodua I had last night. Not only did it have a fantastic spa bath, but a skylight above the bed, so I could stare at the stars before going to sleep.
Just a short 1.5km drive from the motel is Te Puia, The New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. But it's best known for its thermal pools, mud pools and geysers, particularly the Pohutu Geyser, which can reach heights of 30 metres.
A 1 hour tour is included in the price and is well worth doing as it's very informative. You're then free to explore the whole site.
The site is owned and run by a Maori tribe and is used to help preserve their culture. Shows are available throughout the day, and you can sample a traditional meal cooked in one of the thermal pools. The income from tourists pays for two on site schools that teach traditional Maori skills - flax weaving and carving. The carving school are currently working on a commission from the government for a piece to commemorate the WWI battle at Gallipoli 100 years ago. When completed, the totem pole like structure will be erected at ANZAC Hill, near Turkey.
Te Puia is part of the Thermal Valley that stretches from Rotorua to Taupo, approx. 80km. The whole site is amazing, and witnessing the famous Pohutu geyser erupting was fantastic. The thermal pools range in temperature from 30°C to 100°C, so it's important to know which is which! The Puarenga Stream runs through the site, which is part of the reason the site is so desirable. When the Maoris first arrived, they were not used to winters so the constant heat source was much appreciated, but so was the non thermal stream where they could catch fish to cook in the thermal pools.
Our guide described the mud pools as like quicksand, but with one vital difference. If someone fell in, as well as being pulled down into the pool, they were also being boiled - charming!
I then drove further down the Thermal Valley. Just north of Taupo the SH5 goes through the Wairaki Thermal Power Station, generating electricity from the heat.
I explored The Craters of The Moon. Another thermal park where craters have been created. The last of these erupted in 2002.
I proceeded to Lake Taupo, which is about 50km long. I drove down some of the length, admiring the views across to the snow topped Mount Taranaki. I could also see smoke from Mount Tongariro, which last erupted in 2012 through a new vent and sent blocks up to 2km away and created an ash cloud.
I then headed back to the town of Taupo to join 7 fellow passengers on Fearless as we sailed on Lake Taupo to see the Maori carvings. As the wind was slight, the trip was half sail and half motor. Skipper Rachel took us to the carvings, which are only about 25 years old. They were created by 2 art students over 2 summers. They wished to honour their ancestors. Since then they have become a tourist attraction, and I would say there is no better way to see these carvings that can only be accessed by boat. In total the cruise lasted 2.5 hours.
I then headed back to Rotorua, grabbed the biggest battered sausage I've ever seen from the local takeaways before enjoying the spa bath and night sky again.
Total distance driven today: 290km.
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