Our early start took us along winding roads through, predominantly cattle grazing farm land with a scattering of ranches throughout our view. Soon however, we reached the summit of the road to be greeted with Lake Taupo, which is the biggest lake in Australasia and is roughly the size of Singapore, formed from a volcanic eruption blowing a huge 660-square-kilometre hole in the earth. The town of Taupo sits nestled on its north east shore and is a good place for offering numerous actives on the lake itself. Bustling streets packed with cafe´s and shops are noticeable as you pass through. From Taupo, you can take in the striking views across the vast stretch of water to the distant, but imposing mountains of Tongariro National Park. Snow-capped for much of the year, Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe provide a gripping backdrop. These three peaks are actually active volcanoes. Fantastic scenery!

And this national park was our destination, with accommodation booked at the DOC (Department of Conservation) Whakapapa Holiday Park Campground, with our plan being to complete the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in the next couple of days.

The weather at the lake was bright and clear, but on heading up to higher ground it soon became cloudy. Once we had arrived at the DOC, we decided to have a short walk nearby through the heather covered lower slopes of the volcanoes to Taranaki Falls, a two hour return walk. The cloud had begun to clear and so we were able to see slightly snow flecked peak of Mount Ruapehu (2797m). The area here is just one of the locations used during the filming of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The falls were nice to see, but with the area having such dry summer, I can only imagine that they would be slightly more impressive with a little more volume of water, still pretty all the same, especially with the volcanic backdrop, a bit different to the volcanic views of home