Today we drove to Taupo Town where we parked at the far end of Lake Taupo and walked 1.5 into town along the shore. Interesting moments happened along the way!! Dave became the “winged whisperer” as he coaxed some black swans and a flock of ducks to visit him as he crouched down, they left quickly once they discovered he had no food. We next tried skipping stones where we picked up some hefty chunks only to find they only weighed as much as a marshmallow. We skipped a few where they bounced off the waves, then FLOATED on top of the water. They make rocks differently here!! Might not hurt if one was hidden in a snowball and chucked at Kathy!!! Just sayin’!
We then made a quick trip to Huka Falls, which was quite nice, but was small in comparison to Niagara Falls!! Still, we enjoyed the walk and the falls. We ended our day in Taupo by visiting the botanical gardens where we were able to finally capture the elusive and camera-shy Tui bird on film. We got lost in the maze of trails in the gardens and spent an enjoyable time just strolling around and viewing the trees and bushes. They had some of the largest rhododendrons I have ever seen and would give NC a run for their money. Lots of azaleas, rhodos, hydrangeas and hostas reminded us often of our old stomping grounds.
Wow! So lush~
amazing here, but we may not get out or be able to travel.