For the next week of our stay in New Zealand we based ourselves in the small town of Turangi at the southern edge of the massive Lake Taupo, which is 46 km N-S and 33 km E-W and has a surface area of 616 km2. Our selection criteria for a place to stay were simple that we had to be near Mt Tongariro because Bec and Max were off on a 4-day hike (or tramp as the locals call it) around that mountain and the adjacent Mt Ngauruhoe. Secondly, there had to be a lot for Dot and I to do in their absence. Turangi fitted the bill nicely. Those mountains are impressive as the pictures show, especially Ruapehu, which is snow covered most of the year - even in mid-summer - and is 2800 m (9100 feet) high In the second picture, Ngauruhoe is the almost perfect cone to the left. These volcanic peaks are active, with steam coming out of Ngauruhoe's vents all the time and Ruapehu erupting in a minor way 60 times since 1945 and spectacularly in 1995-96.
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We stayed at Creel Lodge in Turangi, which was delightful. We had large well-appointed rooms in lovely surroundings close to the lovely Tongariro river which attracts lots of fly-fishers trying to catch trout.
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There is also a nearby trout hatchery open to visitors telling of the history of the fish in NZ and how the stock is managed, with self-guided walks through the various facilities. The first picture below shows a swarm of fingerlings presumably close to release into the Lake Taupo and its feeder streams. The river banks are home to many long walks, some of which Dot and I took and, at one point, I hired a bike to travel something like 10-12 km through the enchanting landscape. One of the pictures here shows Turangi from high up on a bluff overlooking the river. Finally, the hatchery was also in the business of hatching birds, namely the Whio. This endangered species features on NZ's $10 note.
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Although, Dot and I were alone for 4 days, we immediately targeted a ride in a two-stage chair-lift on Ruapehu to look at its dramatic scenery. Here we're on our way up past the NZ equivalent to chalets and into a fairy-tale world with lots of oddly shaped pinnacles and barren slopes graced with the occasionally tumbling waterfall.
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Just above the snow line Dot and I posed for photos taken by the other.
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Three days later we did the same again, but this time with Bec and Max after they finished successfully their marathon trek. Max loved throwing snowballs and sliding down the slops on his bum.
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AS
We stayed at Creel Lodge in Turangi, which was delightful. We had large well-appointed rooms in lovely surroundings close to the lovely Tongariro river which attracts lots of fly-fishers trying to catch trout.
There is also a nearby trout hatchery open to visitors telling of the history of the fish in NZ and how the stock is managed, with self-guided walks through the various facilities. The first picture below shows a swarm of fingerlings presumably close to release into the Lake Taupo and its feeder streams. The river banks are home to many long walks, some of which Dot and I took and, at one point, I hired a bike to travel something like 10-12 km through the enchanting landscape. One of the pictures here shows Turangi from high up on a bluff overlooking the river. Finally, the hatchery was also in the business of hatching birds, namely the Whio. This endangered species features on NZ's $10 note.
Although, Dot and I were alone for 4 days, we immediately targeted a ride in a two-stage chair-lift on Ruapehu to look at its dramatic scenery. Here we're on our way up past the NZ equivalent to chalets and into a fairy-tale world with lots of oddly shaped pinnacles and barren slopes graced with the occasionally tumbling waterfall.
Just above the snow line Dot and I posed for photos taken by the other.
Three days later we did the same again, but this time with Bec and Max after they finished successfully their marathon trek. Max loved throwing snowballs and sliding down the slops on his bum.
AS
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