Well we managed to escape from the volcanoes without setting off any eruptions but we are now in the highly unstable geothermal area in the centre of North Island!

We left Whakapapa at 7c and headed north towards Lake Taupo. We stopped off in the little settlement of Tokaanu to visit a very small geothermal area that we were very taken with on our last visit. It is very much off the beaten track and quite low key compared with the big commercial enterprises further north but we like it because it is very quiet and you get a taster of some of the geothermal activities to come! There is a beautiful steaming pool, bubbling springs, smoking fumaroles and best of all plopping mud!

Beautiful steaming pool at Tokaanu

Deep steaming pool at Tokaanu

We continued driving up the edge of Lake Taupo to Taupo itself, where we got a cup of coffee. The lake is the crater of a former volcano - in fact the largest volcano the world has ever known and consequently the lake is vast. By now the temperature was a little more respectable and in the high teens. Later in the afternoon it rose still further and was pleasantly sunny all day. This is much more the weather we have been expecting and indeed prepared for!

Having had lunch in Taupo, we continued our journey north, stopping at Orakei Korako, a geothermal area on the way. We have been to several of these areas and each of them has their strengths. This one had stunning silica terraces in white and bright orange. Its geysers were a bit reluctant, though one put in a feeble appearance and its mud pool definitely a bit dried up! On the whole we thought it was well worth a visit and you can judge from the photos!

Silica terrace at Orakei Korako

Even more colour at Orakei Korako

After this we paid a return visit to the mud pool at Waiotapu. This is one of the areas you don't have to pay for and is tremendously entertaining as you don't quite know when each mud puddle is going to plop next! You can spend ages trying to get photos at just the right moment!

Plopping mud at Waiotapu

Exploding mud at Waiotapu

Our accommodation tonight was a little further on at Rotorua. Having checked in we went straight to the Polynesian Spa, which is a series of different pools heated to different temperatures and filled with different springs from deep down in the earth. Some are supposed to help skin complaints whilst others ease aches and pains and all of it smells of sulphur! We now have perfect skin and are ache free but a little smelly! Actually the whole town smells so maybe it's not us!