Taupo......

Our second day in Taupo dawned promising weather-wise, although there were still some ominous clouds scudding across the sky.....we could even see the mountains we had missed the day before, outlined on the horizon....

Lake Taupo with Mts Ruapehu, Tongariro, & Ngauruhoe on the Horizon

but we were ever hopeful.....there were plenty of patches of blue sky.........and we had lots planned......

Lake Taupo

First port of call for the day was Craters of the Moon, where the Angels got their first real taster of geothermal activity.....

Craters of the Moon, NZ

The glorious earthy colours of sienna, fern, ochre, algae, red oxide, sulphur, and moss are everywhere and anywhere you care to rest your eyes ........

The pathway around the site is very clearly marked by boardwalks, with signs explicitly explaining not to leave the designated paths.........so you don't accidentally stumble into a steaming vent......they are extremely hot and some are very close to the boardwalks......

and if you bent down close to an open vent......and got a moments quietness from the excited exclamations of the Angels.....you could hear the boiling water popping and sizzling in the vent......

Steam never stops rising from boiling, bubbling, blubbing mud pools......bubble, bubble, toil and trouble......

Boiling, Bubbling, Blubbing Mud Pools

there is a constantly faint whiff of rotten eggs caused by ever-present hydrogen sulphide that is found in geothermal areas......where is that smell-o-vision when I need it......

and it was warm.....very warm......it was quite sunny, with just enough cloud cover to provide a welcome respite in this sun trap......thankfully we were visiting in the morning, before the sun beat down with it's full-on fierce force.......but you could definitely feel the warmth rising up from inside the earth.....it would have been a pleasantly warm outing had there been no sun.....although the colours wouldn't have been gloriously jewel-like without the sun to lift and brighten the amazing colour palette .....

Craters of the Moon, NZ

Wow.....what a primordial looking landscape, with a bizarre kind of beauty......and this was just the start......there was more of nature's art to wonder and marvel at later in the day......

-xx-