Last night wasn’t themost restful of nights but only because I’m not used to city sounds and lights, but the application of an eye mask and ear plugs can take care of a lot! We breakfasted on random bread products we had picked up over the last few days but we did pitch the well traveled but not well refridgerated jar of mayo before Ashish killed himself by eating it! I also found a cafe for some coffee since caffeine headaches are not fun.

We drove for about 1 1/2 hrs to get to our first adventure of the day, swimming out in Lake Taupo to see the cliff carvings. This was one of those things that you don’t really do but can be done, with enough planning and Steve’s prowess with maps! We donned our shorties, inflated our floaties, and hit the water! We ended up only having to swim about 1/2 km one way and the water wasn’t too cold at all! The waves were minimal and we were able to avoid the large boats taking tourists out to view the carvings.

We learned at dinner that the original carver is coming back to finish the eyes and fix some of the other smaller carvings that have weathered since they were first carved back in 1976. On our way back out, Steve found piles of natural pumice stone that had been washed up on the rocks. Of course, we had to take the opportunity to see if they would float!

Our next stop was also a water feature, this time though the water was hot! We drove around Lake Taupo and headed for Otumuheke Stream. This is a natural geothermal area and the Spa Park has been created to help deal with the quantity of people who visit the pools each day. The water was nice and warm, although not deep. The stream flows out into a nice swift river, mixing the hot water with the cold.

After a decent soak, we packed back into the car, which is becoming quite ripe, and drove down to our hostel for the night. The Extreme Backpacker is a great facility, large kitchen and dining area, and free laundry! While we can’t do anything about the smell of the car, we can at least clean our clothes! Tonight is supposed to be an early night since we are tackling the Tongariro Crossing and Mt. Doom (Mt. Ngauruhoe) tomorrow, starting at 4 am!