Rainbow Lodge to Huka Falls & Aratiatia Rapids
December 27, 2013Huka Falls is just a 10 mins drive from Taupo but we had to walk 1 hr 15 mins from where we stayed to get there passing through the Spa Thermal Park. The gush of water is due to the Waikato River being suddenly forced through a narrow channel and dropping 15-20m into a gorge. The river returns to a steady flow after a short distance, leaving a trail of foam.
Huka means foam in Maori
It was another 1.5 hours walk to Aratiatia Rapids, the filming scene of the barrel escape in The Hobbit movie. The scorching sun and increasing pain on my left foot made me very uncomfortable along the way.
Taupo bypass bridge
Huka Prawn Park
Had lunch while waiting for the gates to open at 12pm. Limped to the carpark to see if we could get a ride as my feet were killing me and I wasn't able to walk another 2.5 hours back. Two Germans on working holiday saw my sign and dropped us off at Taupo. Huge relief for my painful feet. Did some shopping in town and finally bought a $60 rain jacket from Kathmandu.
Medium half strength latte from Taupo's Streetwise Coffee was
We were in a messy 9 bed dorm with guests far younger than us and there wasn't enough power points as people were charging multiple devices in the room. Cooking in the kitchen was a battle. Lost our food bag in the afternoon but there was nothing else we could do. Went to bed early as we had to wake up at 1am to catch the next bus to Coromandel.
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