Taupo > Tongariro
As expected the Tongariro crossing was off due to the weather, but hey even if we did miss out on a fantastic walk we did at least get a lie in instead. We jumped on the bus and made our way to Tawhai Falls in Tongariro, this is the place where the Lord of the Rings waterfall scene was set, were Frodo and Sam trapped Gollum with a fish.
We drove up through Tongariro national park past the Skotel we were to stay at and into the ski fields. There was still a fair bit of snow about, but the lifts were closed due to the high winds. It was truly baltic up there and we were pleased to get some coffee etc. in a bar / café / shop complex near the lifts.
We got checked into the Skotel and got the Jacuzzi booked for the Stray folk in the early evening. Jonathan and Sophie wandered off to look around the visitor’s centre and Graham went off with some others to go on a two hour hike to see the 35m high waterfall. When everybody was back we sat in the Jacuzzi for an hour, cooked a steak dinner then retired to the bar for a quiet but very enjoyable evening with plenty of craic.