Taupo Weekend (which was a week ago)

So last weekend the entire program went on a trip to Taupo. Taupo is this huge lake that was once a mountain. The eruption of that volcano caused a minor ice age in the southern hemisphere and is the largest eruption to have occurred in the last 5,000 years. Looking at the lake its hard to imagine that a mountain stood there.

Our second day in Taupo we went on a hike. It was in Tongariro National Park and World Heritage Site. It's a very special area. Since I'm not in BIO 2100, I hiked Tama Lakes. It was super awesome until I came back. Walking back was painful and humiliating and I hate my knee.

Here are some pictures (I uploaded them all to fb because I have over 100 of them).

I don't remember if that's Ruapehu or Tongariro volcano

 Native flowers are white in NZ because they didn't have bees so they needed to be visible at night for the other animals that could pollinate them.

 Taranaki falls

 No one can use my camera

 The vegetation got weird.

 Lower Tama Lakes

 There were a few moments when I looked out across the landscape and couldn't believe I was there.

 No one, even my professor with the same type of camera could use my camera

Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings

At the top I could remember why I was on this program but seriously coming back was painful. I also ended up with a second degree sunburn on my arm. Luckily it's mostly cleared up now.


The next day was far less painful. I went white water rafting through Tongariro National Park. It was so great. I want to go again. My only complaint was that it didn't go longer. I think I'm ready for bigger rapids.
There are no pictures because I couldn't bring my camera and I wasn't paying for them since I wasn't in any really. But I did jump off a 17 ft waterfall and had chocolate fish dipped in hot chocolate. But the next weekend was more adventurous than 17ft waterfalls.