Taupo for the Holidays - 24 December, 2007

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Except for when you have to say good bye to your Hobbit Hole. There’s nothing like waking up to the sunlight penetrating the burlap-covered circular window of the Hobbit Hole. It truly is a wonderful and exciting place, very unique indeed. Check-out time was 10am and we made it. As we departed the Hobbit Hole we stopped to take a few last minute photos of the flowers lining the driveway.
While breakfasting at the Pizzeria once again I put in a phone call to our travel agent, Mirjam, to make a few amendments to our itinerary. I had Mirjam cancel the Tongariro Expiditions transport. We made the decision not to do the Tongariro Crossing as we felt we did not have the necessary experience. In its place however I had Mirjam book us on a Floatplane adventure to fly over Mt. Ruapehu and the Tongariro Crossing. This way we do not miss out on the beauty and we allow ourselves more time to do other adventures and rexations in Taupo. Following breakfast we were going to take some time to get online before travelling to Taupo, however, the electrical outlet adapter I have would not fit the outlets in the café lobby outlets. This completely shot any chance of internet until we got to Taupo because the battery of the computer was shot after I goofed last night when I thought I had plugged it in but didn’t.
After a diesel refueling and snack stop in Te Kuiti just twenty kilometers down the road we were on our way to Taupo. The two hour trip was graced with amazing farmlands. At one point I was compelled to stop and take a picture so I may share it with the Eaton Farm back in Exeter, Maine. Upon exiting the car a cow from across the road began staring at me and mooing. I proceeded to take my pictures, the cow continued to moo at me its objection to me interrupting its afternoon. Thanks to this cow’s ruckus additional cows made their way over to the fence-line to see what was going on. Finally, Hayley and I had taken our last pictures. As I was climbing into the car the cow let out one final moo that was louder and longer than any other, kind of its way of saying “get out of here.” It was rather humorous to us. One other stop we made prior to Taupo was when we came upon a rock structure similar to Devil’s Tower. Although it was heavily covered in trees and less rock showing than that of Devil’s Tower, it rose above the horizon and gave us both the sense that we were back in northeast Wyoming.
Upon entering Taupo we made a brief stop for me to take a picture looking out over the city and Lake Taupo, then checked into our motel. After unloading the car it was time to seek out more adventures, never taking a moment to relax. Our first stop was to take a tour and view the gallery at Lava Glass located just outside of town. Unfortunately, the tour was a no-go because they had just replaced the glass furnace and it takes a long time to bring it up to 1000 degrees (kind of like the Ents saying anything). The trip to Lava Glass was not a lost cause however. Hayley found a gorgeous purple vase that would go nicely in our living room alongside the blue vase we received from my friend Sarah in Ohio. We were able to get the vase shipped home, therefore we do not have to entrust it to the lovely baggage handling of our airlines.

Following the purchase at Lava Glass we made our way back towards Taupo only to stop at The Honey Hive for some free samplings of honey. The blackberry honey was pretty good. I opted to purchase a bottle of Fennel Honey, which is good for salmon dishes. I can’t wait to make something up with that. Hayley and I also decided to take part in a kiwi-fruit/honey ice cream cone each to take the bite off our afternoon snack hunger.
Upon the completion of our delectable delights it was onward to Huka Falls. Huka Falls is a waterfall not known for its height, but rather its volume of water that passes through. We stopped here to take numerous pictures and video, including a self-portrait or two. After a stop at the 20 cent pay toilet we were going to make our way up to the higher lookout over Huka Falls. Only problem was the ice cream wore off and our hunger began to grow again. It was time to make our way into Taupo for dinner before places closed for the holidays.
After circling the center of Taupo and finding a place to park we opted to dine at the Waterside Restaurant. From our window-side seat we were graced with the beautiful scenery of Lake Taupo and the volcanoes off the southern end of the lake, along with the heat of the afternoon sun beating down on us. We indulged ourselves with a large steak and vegetables, followed up with a poached pear dessert for Hayley and a tiramisu for me (it was a disappointment).
In fear of nothing being open tomorrow, Christmas Day, we stopped in at Subway to pick up ourselves some footlong subs for Christmas Dinner. It is amazing how quick you forget where you are when you enter familiar surroundings. Without even thinking, I asked for American Cheese on my sub. Wow, did I feel like a bonehead, I settled for white cheddar.
Here we are back in the room now catching the different holiday movies on television. Right now the end of Elf is on. It’s time now for some internet satisfaction and relaxation.
With Love, Merry Christmas from Bobby and Hayley
In New Zealand:
1. When you order lemonade you will get a Sprite.
2. When you order an entrée you are actually ordering an appetizer.
3. Tipping is not standard practice.
4. A full-sized Hobbit Hole towel costs $10NZ wholesale.