Hello again Taupo!

The next day, I was back on the bus. If I didn't hop off the bus at one of the optional stop over points, I would have went all the way to Tauranga (a vacation town on the north shore of NZ), but I decided to hop off at Taupo, since the weather was projected to be pretty nice there for the next couple of days. And thankfully, it was when I got there (it was actually really sunny(!); so nice to see after days of gloomy weather).

A brief stop at a waterfall.


Some views along the drive to Taupo. The last 3 photos are of a tree farm we passed by (I've never actually seen one before).


A hotel I spotted as we neared Taupo...it turned out to be a Hilton! The first chain hotel I'd seen in NZ(!); quite a surprise when hostels are pretty much the standard in NZ.


Lake Taupo in sight...we've reached Taupo! This is where me and the Swedish girls parted ways after travelling on the same bus for the past several days.

The other good thing about today was I would be parting ways with Rangi. After dealing with more of his annoying habits for the rest of the morning, he managed to really drop the ball again and screw me over (as well as the other people hopping off at Taupo): he said he'd book our hostels for us and insisted on not using the regular booking sheet to take down our reservations (as the drivers would normally do if you stay at a recommended hostel), but when me and a few others showed up at the YHA Taupo (I decided not to stay at the Tiki Lodge again), they had no record of him ever calling in to book us rooms! And with just my luck, I missed out on the last 4 bed dorm by literally a few seconds as I was being helped by the hostel worker with the slower computer, and had to stay in the 8 bed dorm for the 2 nights I was in Taupo (I was staying a full day tomorrow in hopes I could do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing day hike). It usually doesn't make that big of a difference to me, but the 8 bed dorm turned out to be the dirtiest dorm room I got in NZ (surprising for a YHA), and there was an unbelievably loud snorer (an old woman, go figure) in the bed next to me who managed to wake me up in the middle of the night despite the fact I wore ear plugs (so much for getting a good night's rest before a long day of hiking). There were a few positives: the hostel had a special rate at $20 NZD per night for stays of at least 2 nights (the cheapest nightly rate I paid in NZ), a decent dining patio (with picnic benches), a free hour of internet for your stay (only for Magic Bus riders), and a huge collection of videos (though they were all old, bad movies). Still, when it comes down to it, nothing can redeem a dirty room (at least the beds were okay).

We got into town well before noon, so after getting settled in, I headed to the nearby supermarket to get some food supplies. I ended up making a very tasty toasted sandwich: bacon cheese bread, white processed Colby cheese, mixed greens, and roast beef; way better than anything I could find in a restaurant for the same price.

Nothing like a good hot sandwich with a stack of meat (I really packed in the roast beef hahaha, about 200 g to be exact!). It was nice to have a good lunch after days and days of mediocre lunches (usually just little things here and there).

There wasn't much to do in Taupo during the day except for skydiving (believe me, I combed the activities board at the hostel), and since I had already done that, I ended up just chilling out at the hostel watching some NZ TV, resting my body for the long hike tomorrow. I did almost go paintballing, but quickly decided against it when I found out it cost $45 NZD (about $36 CAD) for 1 small bag of paint and rental equipment)!

My dinner: fettuccine with ground beef (again cooked with water! hahaha), tomato sauce, onions, and green peppers, and a mixed greens salad (again, plain and dry).


A shot I took with my phone as I went back to the supermarket after dinner to grab a 6-pack of Tui beer (since I had missed out on the chance to try it the day before). It was good beer, and went down very smooth (something I noticed all NZ beers that I tried tend to do). The really bright sunlight clearly revealed the phone's camera limitations.

That night, I just chilled out watching some lousy movie someone before me had put on...I don't even remember what it was because I wasn't paying too much attention to it haha. I met a British guy, James, and a German guy (whose name I've forgotten), who were both on the bus and staying at the hostel (me and the German guy were in the same room) who had just gone skydiving today. They were going to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing the next day like me, so we hung out for a bit before turning in to try and get some rest (it would be a very early start the next day). I actually met an English couple in my room who had just started their trip in NZ (also on the Magic Bus) and just completed the day hike (and sadly, lost their camera after finishing the hike!) - it's always a bittersweet feeling meeting travellers just starting their journey as you're ending your own; you get to help them out by sharing advice and expectations, but you also feel jealous that they're just beginning their journey.