{"id":4412,"date":"2020-03-13T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=4412"},"modified":"2020-03-14T15:28:30","modified_gmt":"2020-03-14T19:28:30","slug":"new-zealand-lake-taupo-cont","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/13\/new-zealand-lake-taupo-cont\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand: Lake Taupo, cont."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the morning (see previous New Zealand posts<\/a>), we headed to Taupo (“toe-paw”), but first took a brief detour to the Murupara Area School<\/a><\/strong>, where we delivered extra hangi from the previous night’s feast. (We’d all pitched in to help package and refrigerate the leftover hangi, after the meal.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Murupara area has many Maori citizens, and the school is designed to help maintain the native culture and traditions along with the normal primary school skills. It looked like a pretty nice place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were greeted by a large group of 5-9 year olds who performed a welcoming haka for us, and then we had half an hour or so to meet the kids, and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sat with a very shy 5 year old named Lincoln and read books to him — Maori children’s stories and counting books (one kiwi bird, two takahe birds…). By the third book, he was snuggled against me. It was pleasant. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We then headed to Huka Falls<\/strong><\/a> on the Waikato river, a deep, fast, dangerous, and beautiful river that produces 15% of the country’s hydroelectric power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some pix: https:\/\/photos.app.goo.gl\/WFwmSpTYj1AsgY1V9<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On towards lunch, we arrived in the town of Taupo on the shores of Lake Taupo<\/strong><\/a>, a vast caldera with active volcanoes all around, including one that — suitably wreathed in CGI smoke and lightning — served as Mt Doom in the Hobbit movies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n