Category: Waikato Region

Exploring Kuratau

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn North Island, Waikato Region2 Comments

I love watching the mornings here. We have a fantastic view out across the lake from the living room and deck. The days always start out with a blanket of soft coloured clouds hanging in the bays. The water is still and the bird song echos around. Our tree house accommodation really is in the most perfect location. As the day unfolds, the clouds move away, revealing a brilliant blue sky.

It is our last day here and we still have exploring to do. We head to Kuratau, a couple of bays over and take a walk at Whiowhio Park, a track that leads alongside the river. This is my favourite walk I have done on this trip. The path leds through shady trees, a welcome relief to the heat from the midday sun.

For a lot of the walk, you don’t see the river, and then there will be a clearing and in the words of Lachie

‘Wow Auntie Lani, this view is so beautiful’

Yes, it really is.

Bullrushes dance in the breeze, their long slender stems swaying so elegantly. The tall white cliffs contrast against the lush green forest and the clear, cool water that looks so inviting. The bird song is beautiful and again we are able to pick wild blackberries along the way.

And just when we are starting to feel hungry, thinking we must turn around and go back to get some lunch, we pass some people who tell us that Floating Rock Cafe is at the end of the track.

Perfect.

Set amid a small vineyard, the alfresco lunch is so good. Normally they serve wood fired pizzas but as it is a public holiday, they only have the snack menu available. Disappointing as I love a good wood fired pizza, but in the end, our big selection of snack food that we order for the table is all we need. We sit, eating, chatting and enjoying our surroundings.

Although we are doing a walk alongside the river, we didn’t come across anywhere suitable for a swim so once we get back to the car, we drive 1 minute down the road to arrive at a lovely little bay (sandy this time, thank goodness!) There are lots of people in kayaks, I have been wanting to do this all weekend. After making an inquiry with a kayaker, we find out they are for hire nearby. So Dad and I are straight down there and pick up a kayak and a paddleboard.

The paddleboard was probably the wrong decision for today, its a bit choppy out on the lake making the board rather unstable. I manage to paddle it up the lake to where the rest of the family are and then need a break – it was hard work! Later I get a go in the kayak and it is so much easier! They handle the waves a lot better! We spend a bit over an hour at the bay, swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding and enjoying the sun. The river feeding into the lake is quite calm and it is much easier to paddleboard there.

While heading back to the rental place a wave catches the board and tips me in. Unfortunately the waves have been pushing me closer and closer to shore so when I fall in, there is only a foot of water below me and I manage to scratch up my leg. I was filming on my gopro at the time –

This has been such an amazing few days. The weather has been perfect, the location has been perfect, it’s been a real summer holiday. If you love to be busy, enjoy shopping, and lots of attractions, then Taupo center is probably the place for you. If on the other hand, you want to experience quiet, peaceful bays, surrounded by trees, where the way of life is slow paced and relaxed, head to Pukawa or Kuratau or Hatepe or Omori. These places are little gems waiting to be discovered. And once you have found them, you wont ever want to leave.

A Day Exploring Taupo

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn North Island, Waikato RegionLeave a comment

Our beautiful Pukawa haven is perfectly located. It’s in a quiet little settlement, close to a great swimming beach and feels like it is a world away. Perfect for relaxing, slipping into holiday mode and leaving time behind you.

But if you’re looking for a little more adventure, Taupo is only a 50 minute drive away. So today we head out to explore the area. The lake is looking amazing, people are out enjoying lakeside walks, parasailing, kayaking and boating. On the way in we notice a Sunday Market across the road from the lake front so we go and check it out. The sun’s shining, music is playing and there is a great selection of stalls to look at; a range of local arts and crafts as well as some yummy artisan foods. We sample wines, chocolates and honey mead. But the stall I spend the longest at is a jewellery stand with some gorgeous earrings. I haven’t worn earrings since lockdown, but I couldn’t resist getting a couple of pairs. Check out Alliemay Designs.

We then head on to Huka Falls. This is a busy attraction, the car park is really full and we drive 3 loops before we find a park. But it’s worth it. Huka falls is a waterfall, but not just any waterfall, the amount of water that passes over the falls is so impressive – more than 220,000 liters per second comes crashing over the 11 meter falls. The sounds and power of the water is something else. And it’s gorgeous – ice blue in colour. There are many viewing points on the walkway which allows you to view it from different angles. At one stage I feel moisture in the air, little drops of water that are splashing up from the falls below, an indication of how powerful the force of the water is. At the end of the walk, where the waterfall is, a jet boat comes speeding up. It does a 360 before coming right up to close to the falls, it would be an impressive view from down there.

From here we head to Craters of the Moon, a geothermal walk. I remember going here when I was a teenager. We have a photo of me engulfed in steam. So I guess I was a little disappointed as most of the walk wasn’t like this. It takes about an hour to walk around the loop track, which is a mixture of gravel path and boardwalks. There is a viewing platform at the start that offers views out across the park and pockets of steam rising out of the land.

The foliage around the park is quite unique. Being so hot, regular trees don’t grow here. Instead there is lots of scrubby, low lying bush and moss. I am surprised at how little sulphur I can smell, normally places with lots of geothermal activity have a strong smell that accompanies it. There are several mud craters with viewing platforms, positioned so you get some great views of the thermal activity. Some are hissing, some a bubbling away, it’s a very unique landscape.

The most impressive was a 3 minute walk up some steep steps to a lookout. There are 2 craters, the first is steaming away but average in size. An information board tells us this used to be the main crater but a landslide buried most of it and a new crater opened to release the pressure and steam. This one is intense. The viewing platform gets quite close to it. It doesn’t take long before I am engulfed in steam. I can feel the intensity of the heat on the back of my legs, my sun glasses steam up and the railing is incredibly hot. This crater was certainly a highlight.

After some lunch we make a trip to the Huka Honey Hive. Bees are the most fascinating creatures. If you ever have the opportunity to visit a honey place I would highly recommend it, the way they operate their hive, the tasks they do, it is really interesting. There are a variety of honey based products on offer to purchase along with free honey tastings. I always just think of honey being honey, but when you start trying them you realise how different in flavour they are depending on which flowers the bees have collected pollen from. My favourite is the meadow honey, made from pollen collected from local wild flowers. Lachie’s favourite is a ginger honey. Interesting that a 4 year old would love something with such a strong ginger taste.

It’s a hot day, so on the way home we call into the picturesque little bay, Hatepe, for a swim. Dad used to come here for summer holidays when he was a kid and is enjoying reminiscing. It’s nice to make new memories, but also to go back and visit places where special memories were made, no matter how long ago. It’s quite a stony beach, I struggle getting in, its not very nice under my feet and its a very shallow bay. I have to walk for ages to get even waist deep. But it is so refreshing and the dip in the cool lake water is worth the effort getting in. Before we head back home, we sit on the shore, enjoying the stillness, the quiet and the beauty around us.