This post contains the rest of my pictures from Taupo (or the select few that made the cut, as I actually had many more).
This picture should really have been in my last post, with the other dam pictures, but Stevie sent it to me later in the week, and I thought it was quite lovely, so it merits getting added in, even where it doesn't belong. We were a happy quartet.
Stevie and Ryan took us to L'arté Café and Gallery, and as soon as we pulled up, the beautiful teapots hanging from the branches of the trees told me I was going to like this place!
They had an amazing number of beautiful things, and these suncatchers were among my favourites.
J relaxed for a bit on the "comfy" mosaic couch.
This is the view from that couch. It's phenomenal to think of the time and effort spent to place every little piece of this mosaic world.
Next, we went back into town, and walked along the edge of the lake, which was beautiful and calm.
There is a hole on that platform out in the water, and you try to get a hole-in-one from these tees. We saw a diver out in the water, assumedly collecting the sunken balls, which made me feel better about the ecological impact of this pastime. It actually looked like a very cool challenge, although not one for me, as I'm not even good at mini-golf.
After an afternoon rest, we decided to hike to the top of Mount Tauhara, which is the closer of these two.
It was a challenging hike, as it was an hour and a half straight up hill, and it was a hot day. But the bush we walked through was beautiful, especially this part that had lots of moss covering all the other growth. There were often huge natural steps to climb up, rather than a smooth path, which was a bit difficult on my back, but totally worth it.
Look at that view! I'd hike much further and higher than that for such an incredible view!
And turn the other way for stunning views of Lake Taupo!
We're on top of the world! And what a beautiful world it is.
The silhouettes of the mountains across the lake were mystical in the evening light.
I know that it is not new information for any of you that I love skyscapes and sunsets, but how could anyone resist this? As you can see, it was getting dark as we hiked back down - a result of trying to avoid the hottest time of the day.
It was perfect, because the air was pleasantly cooler, and then we got back to Stevie and Ryan's house at just the right time to order pizza and have a relaxing dinner and chat at their house before bed. (J and I appreciated that Stevie and Ryan aren't any more into late nights than we are, so we didn't have to feel like party poopers when we realized it was our bedtime.)
The next morning, J slept in, and I went and visited the early learning centre where Stevie teaches. I didn't take pictures, of course, given that it's not my space, but it was lovely to meet her children and colleagues and see her new environment. It seemed like such a nice place, and it's good to know that Stevie has found supportive colleagues and is enjoying her teaching.
I was also shocked and delighted to see a familiar face there; a teacher who I'd met at the first kindergarten I did relief (substitute) teaching for when we first moved to NZ, 3 1/2 years ago! We'd really clicked when we taught briefly together, but hadn't seen each other since, and it was wonderful to catch up with her. It is such an uncommon occurrence for me to run into anyone I know anywhere in NZ, let alone in the small town of Taupo that I'd never been to before! How fun!
To sum up, it was a wonderful weekend with wonderful people, and we only wish that Taupo were closer, because the four of us could have many wonderful adventures together. J and Ryan hit it off better than anyone expected, and Stevie and I have such a good time together. Maybe someday we'll live closer to each other, but we'll have to keep visiting in the meantime.
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