After the National Park experience I headed north to Taupo, an upscale town on the Great Lake of Taupo. There I hiked on the Waikato river to Huka Falls, crossing a hot stream on the way. The hot stream is like a hot spring, except it's a stream you can soak in. Lots of thermal features here, the ground is steaming all over in random places.
One morning I climbed Mt. Tauhara, a "small" volcano outside Taupo. This was a true rainforest mountain hike: Narrow, muddy trail that went straight up the mountain. There was no view until the top, which was in cloud most of the time. At the end I was so muddy I had to go to the lake to rinse off. While washing off the layers of mud I noticed the picnic-ers on the shore running for their cars. It was pouring rain. I didn't notice because I was already soaked from the hike...
Yet another immersive rainforest experience.
The Summit
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