Exploring Lake Taupo- Taupo Weekend

While my fellow Biology 2100'ers and I didn't have much free time this weekend, we made the most of what we had. The very first night we were there, we walked into town as opposed to taking a cab- enjoying the beautiful views of the lake and getting a laugh watching Alec cringe in the cold (the Bahamas don't prepare you well for Lake Taupo on a chilly, windy day). The town itself isn't very big- only about 5 blocks by 5 blocks- and in true New Zealand fashion, all of the businesses except restaurants and bars were closed after 5pm.

Saturday was when we had the bulk of our free time here. With the idea of saving some money for our Queenstown weekend, many of us made a day out of enjoying the natural hot springs. The water is heated geothermally and flows into the Waikato River. We took a cab over to one of the more popular spots and spent a few hours just hanging out and enjoying the warm water. Until you've experienced a hot spring, you will not understand how warm that water is. I figured it would just be heated a bit- like a heated pool- but it was definitely a lot hotter than a hot tub unless you were closer to the cold river water. I've never experienced anything like that, but everyone definitely should in their lifetime. And just because it's what we were told, here is my advice to you: "Don't let the hot water into your mouth because you will either get the runs... or DIE." Needless to say, I avoided getting water in my mouth and I was just fine.

If I could go back, I think I would go bungee jumping, since many people were able to go where it's the highest water-touch bungee jump in the world which is definitely something I would like to do. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend where I got to know many more people on this trip, and that's something that I will always be able to appreciate.