Kayak trip to the Māori carvings

Today we got up bright and early to go on a kayak trip. We arrived at the canoe and Kayak Taupo shop. We got a bus to the lake and kayaked over to the ancient Māori carvings. We had a two person kayak with a rudder which made it easier to stear. The guide told us the Lake is a super volcano. It erupted 26,000 years ago. The ash cloud caused dark days as far as Rome. The volcano lake is as big as Singapore. When it erupted the crater filled with water known as a caldera.

The Māori carvings in the rock were an impressive 14 metres high. While the carvings look like they have been in place for centuries they were in fact carved in the 70s by Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell. These carvings depict tupuna (ancestors) and kaitiaki (guardians) that are pivotal to the history of the local Maori tribe.

We then paddled over to the beach for a coffee and biscuits. The sun came out just in time for a swim in the clear lake. We got back for lunch. In the evening we went to the world famous Tuesday night quiz at Mulligans!! with a few people we met in the hostel. We came 2nd which was not bad!Read more