On the road again.

Yesterday we traveled from Gisborne to Rotorua. We made stops along the way for photos and a swim stop at a river. It was great. We were in this beautiful gorge in the middle of nowhere. Finally we stopped to put our feet into a thermal pool for a while. We stayed in Rotorua last night and all had fish and chips together. Our guide for the east cape, Jason, labeled all of the places that we had stopped while on out east cape tour. It was great that he did that, my map is starting to fill up.

I failed to mention before, but Rotorua is a very geologically active area with a host of geysers, hot springs, boiling mud pools, and thermal pools. The smell of sulfur hangs in the air everywhere you go. It is a gorgeous area with a great deal of history, first with the Maori and later with British settlers.

Today I hopped back on the main stray bus, and tonight we are in Taupo. Along the way we stopped at the boiling mud pools, just outside of Rotorua. That was really a sight to see.

Further along we stopped at the massive Huka Falls. The water begins crystal clear and turns to a deep blue as the water gets rough going through the gorge, and then finally tumbles over the edge in massive proportions. I can't exactly recall, because I don't have my camera (I took a picture of the sign with the information), but I believe the volume of water is around 650 cubic liters per second. If you don't speak metric, just know... that is a lot of water.

Tonight I am in Taupo. If you look at a map of new Zealand, there is a big lake right in the middle of the north island, that is Lake Taupo. The lake is the giant crater of a giant volcano that erupted sometime around 100 AD.

Tomorrow we head for Tongariro National Park. If the weather is favorable, we will make the Tongarario Alpine Crossing. This is a hike through the park that is around 18.5 kilometers, and takes 8 hours. It passes by, and if you have enough time you may take the track to the summit of, Mt. Ngauruhoe. You may know this mountain as the ominous and vexing "Mt. Doom" from "The Lord of the Rings."

HUGH'S QUOTE OF THE DAY: “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” Sir Edmund Hillary.