DAY 2
SPA THERMAL PARK/HUKA FALLS/WAI-O-TAPU Thermal Wonderland
Spa Thermal Park
There were many hot springs in the area that I read about however one really stood out to me. Starting at 11:00 AM we headed straight to the Taupo Spa Thermal Park. It was even more amazing than we expected. There are several geothermally heated springs that feed into a handful of pools. We found one small pool that fits about 10 people and feeds into the cold river. My husband loved soaking in the pool with the hot waterfall feeding it, however it was a bit too hot for the kids. They enjoyed swimming in the river right where several hot streams feed in, and loved feeling the water changing from hot to cold in different areas and finding the perfect spot where the water blended to a comfortable temperature. Even my little one managed to find her favorite spot in the shallow parts of the river.
Huka Falls
This was yet another incredible attraction on our New Zealand trip, and it wasn’t very far from our last stop at the thermal park. After parking in the lot, it was a quick hike along a narrow river with raging blue water down to an amazing vista point where you can see the Huka Waterfall. The color of the water was really nice. At the bottom of the falls, we were watching speedboat tours taking passengers up very close to the base of the waterfall! It looked like so much fun, and I would highly recommend this if you have time and the budget. However since we didn’t have much time or budget planned (trying to get to our next destination before they closed for the day), the 45 minutes we stopped here was plenty of time at this park to see some incredible scenery and get some nice pictures.
Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland
We made it just in time for the last admission of the day at 4:45 p.m.! Wow the beautiful scenery at Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland stinks, literally! This park is so unique with its geothermal elements sculpted by thousands of years, and of course the strong smell of sulphur in some spots. There are so many unique things to see in this park it takes at least 90 minutes to walk around and see everything. I have to admit the sulfur smell was at times overwhelming in some parts and we did limit our time here, however it was easy to avoid just by walking to another part. My kids really enjoyed seeing all the different colored water, bubbling mud pits, the neon yellow pond, and especially the “champagne pool” which is named so because of the efflux of carbon dioxide gas with tiny bubbles, just like champagne (not chilled, more like 165° champagne!) This park is still a must to see while visiting this scenic country.