Tag: Lake Taupo

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.

Discovering Pukawa

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

It’s a grey, rainy day and the air is cool in Wellington, not holiday weather! But it will be good for travelling – it wont be a car sauna today. But less than an hour into the trip we are greeted with blue skies and sunshine.

We are heading to Pukawa, a small holiday spot on the South West edge of Lake Taupo. I have been to Taupo before but not Pukawa, I am looking forward to exploring a new place.

It’s a 4 1/2 hours car ride but we will make a few stops along the way, the first being a caffeine fix for Dad. Although we are travelling along State highway 1, our main highway, it’s not like the highways you have overseas – a lot of it is a single lane and takes you through varied landscapes. Coastal roads, country roads, a desert road and through forests.

Lunch is a simple picnic at Adventure Park in Levin. There is lots of playground equipment, including adult gym equipment. I have a good laugh at trying it out. There is even a human size ‘mouse wheel’. There were a lot of laughs on this one.

The next stop is to RJ’s licroice factory to pick up some essential supplies for the weekend, possibly buying a bit more than we need. We still have a long way to go so we jump back into the car and carry on.

We pass gorges and beautiful clear water streams, Taihape with it’s giant gumboot, the army camp in Waiouru before getting onto the The Desert Road. We didn’t see any wild Kaimanawa horses but there were some great views of the volcanoes- Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro which form part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

The Desert Road is probably not a landscape that I would describe as beautiful, but it’s certainly intriguing. It’s vast and dry with scrubby bush. Simplistic, wild and untamed. A different landscape to what I am used to looking at.

As we approach Pukawa, Siri gives us direction to our holiday home but listening to her trying to pronounce some of the Maori names is rather entertaining. We past Steaming Hill, this area has a lot of geothermal activity and we can see steam rising up out of the trees. We get our first glimpse of the lake and it’s beautiful. The late afternoon sun is creating a golden glow on the water .

After a day of travelling, we arrive at our holiday home. And Wow. It looked good in the pictures but this place has exceeded expectations. Nestled amongst native trees and surrounded with birdsong, the place feels like a tree house. From the living room and huge deck there are views over the lake. It’s not long before we are making use of the spa pool, sipping wine and slipping into holiday mode as the sun goes down on our first night away.