Mount Maunganui – known locally as “The Mount” – was one of our favourite stops on our first trip to New Zealand, two years ago. The beach is amazing, so I was looking forward to walking it again.

I celebrated my birthday yesterday, but several people have pointed out that it is still my birthday in Canada, so I can technically celebrate my birthday again today. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Last night we walked into Taupo for dinner. It was a pleasant half hour walk and the exercise also let us enjoy dinner guilt free. Here is the view of the setting sun from the restaurant.

We arranged a late checkout today, so we could enjoy another leisurely start to the day. It’s a short drive from Taupo to The Mount (two hours) so even with our late start, we had time to stop and explore on our drive. We weren’t even out of town when we pulled into a lookout over Lake Taupo.

Our next stop was Huka Falls, just north of Taupo. It is well worth a visit, with a foot bridge over the falls.

The section of the falls visible from the foot bridge was more like rapids, but there are foot paths along the river, with other lookout points, so you can see the actual falls. They aren’t that high, but still very impressive.

The paths near the falls were quite crowded, but once you get away from the falls we had the path to ourselves.

We were hoping to see birds, but didn’t have any luck. Fortunately, we did see a number of interesting plants.

Although we enjoyed seeing this plant, when we investigated, we discovered that it is considered to be a “noxious invasive species” in New Zealand. Here is a closer look at the berries, which may explain why it is so invasive.

One of the most widely known symbols for New Zealand is a fern that is beginning to unfurl. I’ve seen them several times, but whenever I take a picture, it is out of focus. It seems that all the fine hairs on the fern make it difficult for the phone to focus. I guess that’s the disadvantage of taking your pictures with your phone. So I had Jan put her hand behind the fern to help the camera focus. Jan said we should call this picture “Cousin It”.

When I was looking for things to do around Taupo, I spotted Craters of the Moon. It is a geothermal area that features a boardwalk path where you can view steam vents and bubbling mud craters. How could we possibly resist? It was our next stop.

The valley is covered in low scrub brush, interspersed with bare patches and steam vents. The vegetation was interesting – it is a variety of Kanuka, which is usually a tall tree, but because the ground is so hot here, its growth is stunted so that it creates a low ground cover. I’ll show a few more photos that give you a sense of the walk.

Note how the steam is coming from the collapsed walls. This next picture shows how there are multiple steam vents around the valley.

In some places, the steam was more intense, and sometimes the wind would blow it across our path. The temperature effect was a bit like an outdoor sauna. It didn’t exactly “stink” but there was definitely a distinctive odour. Later, as we were driving through Rotorua, we noticed the same smell, but even stronger.

The walk took about an hour, along gravel paths and a boardwalk. Fortunately there was a cool breeze that provided some relief from the “sauna”, but we still felt the heat from the ground and from the steam vents. And if anyone was foolish enough to stray from the marked path…

By the time we finished Craters of the Moon, we had pretty much used up our time, so we got on the road to The Mount. After we arrived, we checked in, unloaded the car, unpacked, and then headed to the beach.

It’s techically the day after my birthday, but several friends have pointed out that it is still my birthday in Canada, so I am embracing that idea. And what better way to celebrate my birthday (even if it is the second one for this year) than to walk barefoot through the surf, in February.

Life is good!