Fallin' in love...

Waterfallin', that is. Leaving Rotorua behind, we headed off for Ohakune with a stopover in Taupo today. I had read online about Huka Falls and the Spa Thermal Park, both of which are free and appealed to me quite a bit. We then drove to Ohakune with a few stopovers to take in the beautiful scenery. Once here, we spent most of the afternoon and early evening hiking, mainly to see other waterfalls. I chose this morning to go on a run and slightly regretted it after several hours of hiking up hill. Oh well! I can't say I didn't get my work out in today. :) Back on topic, though, today filled my heart with love, as I adore waterfalls! They are so powerful and beautiful. Here is a quick photo journey of our day.

Huka Falls - it's kind of hard to see it in the background. There isn't a big drop off, but the falls move very rapidly and create a lot of wind and noise. Very powerful to watch!

Spa Thermal Park - natural hot water pools that spring out of the earth. We swam in two of them; this one was much more secluded and we only knew about it because a New Zealander was in the first one with us and told us to head up the path a bit to this hidden gem. This is something I've always wanted to do, so it was very exciting for me!

One of the beautiful sights we stopped for on our way to Ohakune. This is Lake Taupo, which is huge! It looks quite like the ocean, actually.

Once to Ohakune, we stopped at our hotel and went straight to the mountain! We drove all the way to the top of the roadway, which was a bit of a scary ride, but the view was worth it. We then stopped at Mangawhero Falls (a ten minute hike), which is a waterfall area that was used in the LOTR filming - very neat!

Waitonga Falls is what you see in the background. It was spectacular! The hour and a half hike was well worth it. Grant walked up pretty close to it and got some nice photos.

Our last hiking destination was an area called the Rimu Loop, aptly named for the Rimu trees which inhabit the area. They are very tall. In fact, the Buttressed Kahikatea is the tallest tree in New Zealand, and the Rimu is its close relative. The trail went through the rainforest area at the base of the mountain and was a nice contrast to the forested area in the middle and the lava/desert at the top.

Ohakune Mountain. This is where we are staying this evening. Stunning!

All in all, we had a very adventurous day. We spent some time relaxing in the hot tub at our hotel this evening to soothe our aching bodies. I'm sure we will sleep well tonight, which will give us energy for our day in bustling Wellington tomorrow. It will be our last full day on the north island!

We are starting to miss our home a bit, but are enjoying the different hotels. So far, we've loved all of our accomodations. The people here are very helpful and kind. Until next time.

Love, the George family