Lake Taupo is a short drive from Cambridge and along the way we stopped at the Blue Springs. The weather was overcast with a very light sprinkle of rain, which would come and go. Now this type of weather puts a dampener on the Blue Springs experience. When the sun is out the Springs are a vibrant turquoise and green, with clear water as well. This is why this is so for any technical minded people.

On this day we had a far more muted experience, although there was one small patch of blue close to the river bank.

Apparently, on cloudy days there is far less direct sunlight penetrating the water to scatter back its blue colour and the water’s surface reflects the grey clouds above.

So, we will just have to admire that postcard pic. Allthego is a bit suspicious though that it might have been cleaned up a bit in photoshop!It is just so blue.

We motored on from the Blue Springs and arrived at our lodgings for the next six nights in Lake Taupo. The locals seem to call it Taupo so I’m going to chop the ‘lake’ bit off from now on. We are in a unit across the road from the Lake but we can’t see it, blocked in by others.

There is much to do and see in this region and we are using the unit as our base for exploring the sights.

But guess what? On our first full day the local markets were running. Bargain opportunities there were not, but there was lots of food.

The markets were much the same as Aussie markets, although one food item stood out. The Mussel Fritter.

Allthego has had scallop pies in Tasmania that were excellent, but not sure about Mussel Fritters!

We moved on from the Markets for a short distance out of town to the Huka Falls. This is a very popular tourist spot.

New Zealand’s longest River is the Waikato and it drains out of Lake Taupo through the Haka Falls. Above the Falls it is 100 m across. It then narrows and its water flow compresses into a narrow 15m wide gorge plunging through the 11 m Haka falls. The surging turquoise water is an amazing sight.

Next stop was further along the valley through which the Waikato flows, Craters of the Moon.

This is a geothermal park, a large circular depression within which there are numerous vents and depressions. Some of these are dormant and others quite active, venting steam and depending on the pressure steam train like hissing.

Over time some vents will go silent and others will open elsewhere. An interesting walk through the changing vegetation that responds to the different ground heat in the park.

You are warned not to step off the boardwalk and to exit the park quickly in the event the warning siren goes off. No siren today!

We are going to head further afield next time to the Forgotten World.