NZ, part 4 - Taupo & National Park

Wednesday Dec. 16, Ephraim did dawn patrol at Raglan (probably his first time using an alarm clock all year.) Then we played at the holiday park playgroung. Here Ephraim as a door-to-door pie salesman visiting Ella's kid-size cabin.
From Raglan we drove east through Hamilton again to buy some blankets and things. Then we drove south towards Taupo.
Windy coastal mountains, hilly farmland, craggy ravines, and more sheep. Like this one made from corregated tin:
We stopped at Huka Falls and felt the thundering under our feet. The water was an amazing blue.




In Taupo we only stopped to buy groceries, which always took a long time since there are SO many choices. That was when we realized with tears that we'd left our new stroller in Hamilton, three hours north. Too far. Too bad. Hopefully it will make some family's Christmas wish come true.

Taupo was a mega volcano anciently so now it's a giant lake and posh resort town. Great weather. Moving on.
We drove all the way around it to the mountains in the south and on towards Tongariro National Park.


At the higher elevation there were less sheep, more flax fields, and bright yellow wild flowers.

We found Howards Lodge (Lonely Planet: "We're not sure who Howard is, but he sure knows how to lodge")--wood, stone, boots, fleece, hot tub. We had booked five backpacker bunks in a shared room, but we realized that wasn't going to work. I don't think the other dude in our room would appreciate Owen's night wakings. So we upgraded to a family room with bedding and bath for almost the same price.

New Zealand is the perfect size: sea to ski in one day.