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Taupo!
16th-21st January were spent in Kinloch, a village at the north end of Lake Taupo. Gordon’s parents have an awesome bach there. The gigantic lake (606 square kilometres) actually lies in the caldera formed by one of the biggest volcanic eruptions ever. It happened over 26,500 years ago and the volcano spewed 800 cubic kilometers of ash and pumice all over the place.
(Can you tell I’ve been reading my guide book?) It’s cool because you can pick up hunks of pumice in varying sizes and degrees of roughness on the beach there for free and give yourself a nice pedicure. =) Hard to believe we actually pay for pumice in Walgreens at home! Anyhow, I am so glad to have arrived here in the height of summer! It's wonderful and warm... We slip-slop-slapped on our SPF 30 (not much ozone over here- maybe if you guys could lay off the Aqua Net over there a bit?) and went swimming in the crystal-clear lake... It was pretty windy that day, so there were big waves- it really felt like the ocean, but it was fresh water and 
there were ducks swimming by! Totally confusing… It’s absolutely beautiful there- from Kinloch you look over the lake toward Mt. Ruapehu, and the sunsets are stunning! While there we did not do any trout fishing or skydiving, though Taupo is the world capital of both of those things. More people jump out planes there than anywhere else in the world, apparently. But not us. =) We
stuck to the simpler, more land-based pleasures. =) We took a little walk around Huka Falls (gorgeous- NZ’s Niagara, though quite a bit smaller! The water was an amazing bright turquoise colour!), visited Craters of the Moon- a geothermal area where mud boils and steam comes out of the ground (that happens a lot here, I’m told), did a little bit of yard work (and fed the clippings to the cute goats down the street), 
golfed (kinda), ate grits and ice blocks (a.k.a. popsicles) and corn on the cob (among other things, but those were highlights!), and watched the entire first series of Flight of the Conchords on DVD (because we really couldn’t stop ourselves- it's really one of the funniest shows I've ever seen, and it's kiwis)! Taupo was awesome and relaxing. And hot. =) Loved it! We plan to get back there soon for a little more R&R. We’ll definitely need it after our impending camping adventure! =)
16th-21st January were spent in Kinloch, a village at the north end of Lake Taupo. Gordon’s parents have an awesome bach there. The gigantic lake (606 square kilometres) actually lies in the caldera formed by one of the biggest volcanic eruptions ever. It happened over 26,500 years ago and the volcano spewed 800 cubic kilometers of ash and pumice all over the place.
(Can you tell I’ve been reading my guide book?) It’s cool because you can pick up hunks of pumice in varying sizes and degrees of roughness on the beach there for free and give yourself a nice pedicure. =) Hard to believe we actually pay for pumice in Walgreens at home! Anyhow, I am so glad to have arrived here in the height of summer! It's wonderful and warm... We slip-slop-slapped on our SPF 30 (not much ozone over here- maybe if you guys could lay off the Aqua Net over there a bit?) and went swimming in the crystal-clear lake... It was pretty windy that day, so there were big waves- it really felt like the ocean, but it was fresh water and 
there were ducks swimming by! Totally confusing… It’s absolutely beautiful there- from Kinloch you look over the lake toward Mt. Ruapehu, and the sunsets are stunning! While there we did not do any trout fishing or skydiving, though Taupo is the world capital of both of those things. More people jump out planes there than anywhere else in the world, apparently. But not us. =) We
stuck to the simpler, more land-based pleasures. =) We took a little walk around Huka Falls (gorgeous- NZ’s Niagara, though quite a bit smaller! The water was an amazing bright turquoise colour!), visited Craters of the Moon- a geothermal area where mud boils and steam comes out of the ground (that happens a lot here, I’m told), did a little bit of yard work (and fed the clippings to the cute goats down the street), 
golfed (kinda), ate grits and ice blocks (a.k.a. popsicles) and corn on the cob (among other things, but those were highlights!), and watched the entire first series of Flight of the Conchords on DVD (because we really couldn’t stop ourselves- it's really one of the funniest shows I've ever seen, and it's kiwis)! Taupo was awesome and relaxing. And hot. =) Loved it! We plan to get back there soon for a little more R&R. We’ll definitely need it after our impending camping adventure! =)
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5 comments:
Girly, girly, girly...those are not appropriate shoes to wear for golf! You need pumps so you can dig in and not fall over when you swing!!
I know! I thought of that, too, but I didn't have enough room in my suitcase! It was either pumps or Gordon's Christmas present... I'm such a good girlfriend!
What are pumps? Why are they called pumps?! It always makes me think of those pump up Reebok sports shoes that were all the rage for a brief period in the 80s...
Pumps = High-heeled shoes (my personal favorites!)
Brief history - The pump is a true fashion classic, having been around for centuries. The name itself was first used in the 1500s, when strapless shoes without heels were worn by men and referred to as "pompes." These days, the pump is firmly established as a woman's shoe.
I'm sure that's more than you ever wanted to know about pumps! ;)
Gordon thinks you made all of that up, but I assured him that you are an expert in high-heeled shoes and that you would never mislead him purposely. =)
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