Taupo, lake, entertainment and conventions!

Taupo viewpoint, quite 'Fresh'

 We had a chilly few nights in Taupo.  We enjoyed dinner at a restaurant that prides itself in serving wild meats.  I had feral pig, which was baked to perfection in a red wine sauce with wild mushrooms, served on a bed of wild rice.

The town is just that, a town on the edge of a beautifully pristine lake.  We think of Oregon's Crater Lake when we see Lake Taupo.  It's much larger, but just as pristine.

Blustery South winds on Lake T 

Taupo has become a convention center and a national venue for live entertainment.  The locals told us that we were lucky to see it in the winter as the town in inundated with tourists and Auckland denizens from Spring till Fall.  One person described it as a bedroom community to Auckland.  I'm beginning to think that Auckland might be described, as 'a large city on the edge of New Zealand' by some 'south of the Bombay Hills Kiwis.'

Bona fide DC3

How often do you see a real DC3 perched on a pedestal next to the local McDonald's.  It was personally breathtaking for my husband, as he did some real time (an 8 year old standing between the Capt. and first officer) in DC3s, dropping cargo in the southern jungles of the Philippine Islands. His mom was obviously short of babysitters and trusted the flight crew to keep him safe and entertained.  It was almost sacrilegious to have such a noble plane, so sorely used, with McDonald graffiti on it.  We did not go into the quick food restaurant as we stay away from franchises and go local.

Main St shop

Lining the main street of Taupo are the typical tourist haunts; upscale pubs, trinket shops, liquor stores, coffee bars, very trendy clothing outlets, etc...  When not in view of the lake this town could be found anywhere that draws large groups of tourists.

We left Taupo and took a beautiful drive through more undeveloped country on our way to Hamilton.  The road was mostly two lane, twisty and surrounded by the most picturesque verdant countryside.  Nice to get back to NZ from city life.  J