L.Taupo, Craters of the Moon, Huka Falls

Even after our geyser and hot spring experiences, more geothermal wonders were ahead. We spent the night on the shore of Lake Taupo, the biggest lake of NZ, 28km across. It's not just any lake though. It's the caldera (crater) of a supervolcano that erupted 26500 years ago, the world's largest eruption in the past 70000 years! Wow! The view, with the snow-covered mountains in the back, was beautiful!

We walked through an area called "Craters of the Moon". Large craters in the ground were caused when steam fumeroles got blocked, built up pressure, and then exploded in a small but violent eruption! Because of a geothermal plant that was built a few decades ago, the activity of the geysers had changed. Steam is still flowing out of the ground. But now there aren't any violent eruptions anymore. Instead, the area of the site has grown significantly.

We visited the Aratiatia Rapids, a once powerful river. Now a large hydro plant diverts most of the water to produce electricity. But a few times per day, they open the floodgates and let the river roar. A streambed that is almost dry fills up within 30 minutes and turns into a foaming, white water rapid.

A short drive upstream brought us to Huka Falls, a real gusher! It has the most water flow over it of any falls in NZ. A gorge funnels huge amounts of water from Lake Taupo to a big drop. It's impressive!Read more