Lakes, waterfalls and white water rafting

After completing Surf Highway 45, our next themed highway was the Forgotten World. This certainly lived up to its name, passing through towns rich in history, one of which is a self-proclaimed republic, and alongside a once-busy train line you can now hire adapted golf carts to ride along. Along the twisting journey, over numerous saddle points and gravel roads, we caught glimpses of the central North Island mountain range, which was the ultimate destination. 

We emerged from the Forgotten World Highway into the town of Taumarunui for a much needed shower and a food/water restock before heading down to the Tongariro National Park. This volcanic region is home to the highest mountains in the North Island and our next themed highway of the trip - the Volcanic Loop! We made our way to Whakapapa village, the highest village in New Zealand at 1200m above sea level. From here we did a couple of short walks but plan to come back in the summer when the snow has cleared to undertake the Tongariro Crossing, an 8 hour hike through the park and supposedly one of New Zealand’s best day hikes.

We circled the park on the Volcanic Loop Highway and passed by some pretty spectacular scenery - snow-capped volcanoes with ski fields, winding desert and our first glimpse of Lake Taupō. To the north of the park (and south of Lake Taupō) we made our next stop - Tūrangi. Here we decided to go white water rafting on one of New Zealand’s best (and longest) rafting rivers. We spent over 2 hours paddling over 60 rapids down a 30km stretch of the Tongariro river. With a cliff jump and swim down the river also ticked off in-between drops over the rocks, we have to say that we definitely earned a well needed portion of hot-chips by the end of the morning.

Thoroughly exhausted, we made our way up to Lake Taupō and took advantage of another natural phenomenon, geothermal pools. The Wairakei Terraces featured a series of geothermally heated mineral-rich pools ranging from 31 to 41°C - it was the perfect way to relax.

We had a great few days in Taupō, visiting Huka Falls, Craters of the Moon geothermal park and spending an evening at the Two Mile Bay Sailing Club with pizza, beer and live music. From here, the plan is to make our way north via Rotorua and re-join the Pacific Coast Highway.