Today was spent exploring Taupo’s natural assets, which were in abundance on the outskirts of town due to its position on the volcanic plateau.
First stop was Huka Falls, where NZ’s longest river, the Waikato, is slammed into a narrow chasm, making a dramatic 10 metre drop into a surging pool.
The sheer power of the falls was overwhelming, and not hard to believe that the water poured over at a rate of 5 Olympic sized swimming pools per minute.
Next stop on our self drive tour was The Honey Hive, where we got the opportunity to look at thousands of bees in their glass enclosed hive.
We even partook in some honey tasting, and treated ourselves to an ice cream.
We then drove onwards to Aratiatia Rapids, where prior to a hydroelectric dam being placed across the head of the waterway there was a spectacular display of white water rapids.
However, with the use of modern technology they open the dam gates every 2 hours to control the flow of water and recreate this spectacle. We timed our visit for the midday opening, and watched as the water thundered through the rocks and chasms, until all you could see was a mass of white water rapids. Above and below are the before and after pictures of the same scene.
Now, our next stop was a tad different…call it Kiwi ingenuity at its best…let us explain! On the banks of the Waikato River is a geothermal power station, where the unused naturally heated water passes to their neighbours for use in their…Prawn Park!!
We went on a guided tour around the Huka Prawn Park, learning about how they farm these creatures in their naturally heated pools (prawns are a tropical sea creature). We met ‘Shawn the Prawn XXV’ with his 7 wives, 2 of which have to get replaced each week due to their cannibalistic habits!
We then walked through to the prawn farm where we got to feed some of the thousands of small baby prawns. It was quite a weird feeling, especially when they seemed more interested in nibbling our fingers than the food that was in the palm of our hand.
Next was the highlight of the tour…we grabbed a rod each and hit the outdoor pools; the challenge – to catch some of these feisty creatures!
Not something any of us had done before, we had to put our patient heads on and wait, watching the rod to see if we got a bite. Some of us getting more bored than others!
The first catch of the day went to Ben, with a little beauty…only problem was trying to stop the prawn from squirming while he got the hook out of it’s mouth.
Next catch went to Nicola, who was very vocal about the little fighter she had caught…her screams amused the other fishermen/women though.
And, lastly Tracy caught a huge mummy prawn…not bad for over an hours work!
As we carried our tiny catch to the restaurant we felt proud of our efforts, but won’t be giving up our day jobs anytime soon though! The chef cooked them up in a garlic butter sauce, and we got them to go, saving them as a starter for tonight’s dinner.
Last on today’s agenda is ‘Craters of the Moon’, an area that appeared in the 1950s when the nearby power station lowered underground water levels. As hot water was withdrawn from deep within the field, the water level in the deep reservoir dropped and the remaining water boiled more violently, producing more steam. Large quantities of this extra steam are able to escape through bubbling craters, mud pools, steam vents and colourful soils at Craters of the Moon.
We did the loop walk around this thermal area, letting the hot steam keep us warm, but remembering not to stray from the path as the floor and mud pools were over 100 degrees.
Back at the campsite that night we tucked into our gourmet starter…Huka Prawns!
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