After a couple of very full days, we decided that day 9 will be more relax and just do some visiting. So our plan was to drive to Taupo, which is about 1,5 hours from Matamata where we were staying, for some sightseeing and then stop at Rotorua on our way back for some luge fun.
The Huka Falls are an impressive phenomenon of natural hydropower with more than 220,000 litres of crystal blue water per sec barrelling over 11meter high waterfall. The Falls are responsible for 15% of New Zealand’s electricity.
The view is mesmerizing and you can feel the power of the water rolling down those volcanic rocks.
There are a number of walking and biking trails along the rive some which will bring you down to Lake Taupo. Unfortunately, we were quite tired, so we walked along the river for around 20 minutes and then went back to the car. We had a nice picnic on one of the benches, and then we drove to Taupo.
Taupo is as they say “the heart of New Zealand’s North Island”. The place has a lot to offer, from amazing landscapes to hike, ancient forests, hot springs, volcanos, winter ski fields and alpine deserts. No matter the season you’ll find a tone of things to do. But since we only had a couple of hours we settled for a nice walked along the Lake.
I’m not sure if it was because of the season, the time of the day or the pandemic slowly coming our way but it was really quite, and we really enjoyed looking at the still water and some birds that seemed comfortable with our presence.
We then sat in one of the cafés for a nice coffee, and we made our way to Rotorua for a bit of fun.
On our way to Matamata, we stopped at Skyline Rotorua for some fun. The Skyline is a place on a hill where you can do different activities like luge, sky swing, zip line, mountain bike etc. There is also a restaurant where you can sit and enjoy the view while having a meal or a drink.
We stayed and enjoyed the view for a bit, and then we tried the luge. I have to say it was so much fun! You get into this luge like seats that have two handles for steering and for breaks and you go down the little route full of bends! You can either choose to go slowly and enjoy the view around you or you can go full speed for the adrenaline junkies.
The tricky part was going up again. You have to use those ski lift chair and when you have a fair of height like me well…. let’s say it wasn’t my favourite part of the day.
After that, we made our way back to our car and drove back to our place.
Day 9 was a very chill and easy day, but we still got to see some amazing sceneries and have a good adrenaline kick.
Huka Falls … the color of that water… WOW!
I didn’t even know Huka Falls existed but now I feel like I MUST visit them, because holy shit! They are gorgeous!
Aw so happy to hear you found out something new! You must visit them. And if you like hiking or biking I’m sure (didn’t get the chance to do it myself unfortunately) the trails along side are worth it!
Oh, hiking is one of my favorite things to do on the planet, so I’m pretty sure that’s all I’d do on this trip!