March 26, 2005
...no it's a volcano. Lake Taupo is actually a huge volcanic crater which is still active. The eruption which caused it was believed to have been seen as far away as Rome where writings at the time spoke of red sunsets a dark cloud from the south which blackened the sky for a few years.
I took a boat cruise onto the lake today to see some very impressive Maori rock carvings, the biggest of which stands about 10m high. Other carvings included a Lizard, guardian of the carvings, a high priest to hold the SW winds at bay and a Taniwha, a spirit from the lake.
After the cruise I caught a shuttle bus out to the Huka Falls. On the way out the lovely driver stopped at Craters of the Moon, a thermal area, to let me take a few photos of the steaming landscape.
The Huka Falls were very beautiful, they are not particularly tall or wide but a ridiculous amount of water (220,000 litres actually!) passes over them every second.
Considering I was disappointed that I couldn't do the Tongariro Crossing due to bad weather on the mountain I had a very good day.
About Me
- Bryony
- Recent graduate of Marine Biology from the University of St Andrews. I am currently living in Kaikoura to work on a research project studying sperm whales and tourism. All photos in this blog are my own, unless credited otherwise.