On to Area 51, July 1st

Another early day after saying goodbye to Craig and we headed south. It's pretty much a straight shot to Taupo but we did stop off in Karanganake Gorge. This was the site of a gold rush back in 1875 and the river drops off into a steep gorge with a few trails and tunnels where they dug for gold running all around it. The more interesting path was one that led up into the hills along a stream. We're starting to get into one of the areas where they filmed the Lord of the Rings and they could have done some of it here. It's all dark green with small waterfalls and pools and evergreens and small palms and huge fern trees. Moss hangs from a lot of the trees and flowers pop out from the side walls of the trail. Just as we were about to head back a small boy came running through with a couple of dogs - he could have been Frodo and we wouldn't have been surprised.

The landscape keeps changing dramatically. Within ten minutes of leaving the gorge we hit three continents - California, the South American rain forest and the Yorkshire Dales in northern England. If you blindfolded someone and told them to look out every now and again they'd think you were in a space ship able to travel from one country to another in just a few minutes.

A few miles down the road we saw a few of the mountain peaks from Lord of the Rings - snow covered and one with three peaks.

We got to Taupo and found our hostel, a sort of California/Florida split level motel with a courtyard. A lot of kids but clean and a heater in the room. Taupo is a new town built up around a huge lake formed by a volcano eruption 1800 years ago. The blast was stronger than Krakatoa and Mt St Helens combined. Like Toots said, it's nice, but has a strange feel to it. It's all one story, streets layed out in quandrants until you head out along the lake where all the houses are still single story, modern and square - a lot like Farenheit 451.

toots here again...
we were told that you could or someone could drop Singapore right into this lake.. that's how big it is... at least 30 miles long...

there was a couple young girls that signed us in ... they told us they left london because it distressed them... and they are happy in taupo.... i know they are aliens...

and we saw many juicy rental cars and lime green vans.. with their logo all over it.... two girls pulled up to this hostel parked and slept right there in the van.. went inside for showers and they were watching dodgeball.. the movie... then to the van.. in the morning when we left we saw the van all steamed up.. oxygen breathing humans inside...

our tiny tiny room... was like a japanese compartment to sleep in.... and the heater could be turned on for a maximum of 30 min. at a time.. being small it worked... but it ticked for 30 minutes,,sort of lulled us to sleep... surprisingly it didnt keep us awake..tick, tick, tick... tick.. tick tick.. need i go one.... off to see the wizard..... roger...