Now that I've go the ear worm happening for us all I can tell you about our day.
We had a lazy morning sleep in (this is a holiday after all) and headed for Taupo at about 11 am. Taupo is at the top of the lake (geographically) but the water runs out of the lake there, and runs in here (Turangi, which is at the South end) . Very confusing.
We were on a mission to revisit the Huka falls which so impressed us 30 years ago (pre kids!!) When we visited. It is still an amazing sight, with the water thundering through a 15 m wide canyon as it rushes from Lake Taupo under pressure. Apparently some have been known to kayak through here, which is unbelievable. The water is a beautiful pale blue with the air bubbles creating a frothy effect like thousands of soap suds in a pale aqua bathtub as the 300,000 litres per second rush through.
Trevor talked me in to the jet boat ride to the falls. We had a totally fantastic time (my face hurt from all the smiling) getting thrilled and wet as we first went down the river to the dam wall and then up the river to the base of the falls, doing spins and risky manoeuvres on the way. It was incredible to be right in among all that frothy scary water as it thundered past. At one stage we passed the more sedate cruise boat that also goes to the falls and we felt really sorry for the people aboard having their boring ride while we were a having a blast.
We didn't take the camera with us, so very limited photos.
The boats have 2 jet engines and 2 V8 engines. They sound good too. This might be the dream job for some young men... roaring up and down the river showing off all day and giving thousands of people a good time.
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| We went to the fall lookout after the ride and snapped a shot of the boat with another load of excited passengers. |
Very close to the jet boat start point is a prawn park. This is advertised as the prawn fishing capital of the world!!!
On this idyllic day we were fascinated to see hundreds of people sitting on jetties and grassy banks dangling rods in the water in the hope of catching some prawns. If you catch them you can cook and eat them. We didn't see a single person catch a prawn while we were watching. 
Our next stop was the Aratiatia rapids, where the barrel scene in the Hobbit movie was filmed. This is a spectacle created when the dam down river from the falls makes a planned release from its other end. Every 2 hours the flood gates are opened, and a huge volume of water is allowed to flow from the dam down the river, creating temporary rapids. This reminded of our visit to Trollhatten in Sweden a couple of years ago, when we saw a similar thing as the water was released for hydro electricity generation. The similarity was stunning. The signs warning of people walking on the road, the warning siren, the sudden crowd of rubber-necker, and the uncanny transformation from dry dirt and rocks to gushing, dangerous beauty within the space of a few seconds. Apologies for the shots below. We were not in a good position for the camera as we had just rushed to get to the spot a little later than we should have.
Hopefully the pics below will give you a bit of an idea of how it happens.
After lunch at 2.30 and then the obligatory icecream we headed back along the 50km winding road, stopping briefly at the scenic lookout to admire Lake Taupo in the afternoon sunlight with the mountains showing in the distance.
We've been and checked the weather predictions, and tomorrow looks best for the Tongariro Crossing walk, so Trev will walk alone with me as shuttle driver. Tomorrow I might have to get him to write the blog as I think he will have lots to tell.
Great photos from Huka Falls, Erica. Trevor will love the Tongariro Crossing. Bloody shame about your foot, you would have loved it, too. It's tough but there are lots of rewards.
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