Advertised as „New Zealand’s best dayhike“ we went for it, of course. Featuring the real Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings, craters and active volcanos, this is truly an awesome hike. It’s almost 20 kilometers one way, so you either book transportation by bus back to your starting point where you’ve parked your car (which was completely out of the question for us – 30 Dollars per Person for 20 kilometers driving, what a ripp-off!) or, like we did,…
We spent the next two nights in Taupo. Mainly because of the free camp site we found: Reid’s Farm, beautifully located directly at the shore of the Waikato River. We spent the days walking around the town, hiking along the river and to the famous Huka Falls. Apparently, McDonald’s is an attraction in Taupo, too. They’ve built a dining room inside an old airplane.
We arrived late Saturday evening at a campsite next to an aerodrome, the starting point for scenic and skydiving flights. We sort of crashed the campsites owner’s birthday party. A good time to arrive, he was already a bit tipsy and in a real good mood, so we got laundry service for free. The next morning it started raining again as soon as we got on our way. We originally wanted to take the tour through Hobbiton, but that’s something…
