Boat-loads of fun on Taupo waters

Once upon a time, I was feeling adventurous :-) Haha, who am I kidding, I’m nearly always feeling adventurous!! But, on this particular day, I had a jet boat ride booked with Rapids Jet, a company located about 12 miles out of the centre of Taupo. So, I borrowed my friends bike and pedaled through the beautiful, foggy, farm-filled hills of Taupo till I reached the stomping grounds of Rapids Jet.

The jetboat ride quite fun! This time, I was smart and wore my cozy wool hat, so I was much warmer. It was an overcast day, so it was bit chillier than usual. Our driver was fun and easygoing and brought the whole lot of us to the Aratiatia Rapids. At the start of the 35 minute ride, the rapids were mostly just rocks with a bit of water spouting through. But, at the end, after the dam had been opened wide, there was LOADS of water gushing over the rapids. You couldn’t even see the rocks anymore! That was pretty cool.



The jet boat did lots of spins and bumped us up and down the pristine Waikato River. It was fun bouncing along the rapids and gripping on to the heated hand rails! After that wicked ride, it was time for me to jump back on my bike and cruise (well, more like huff and puff – I had to go up a MASSIVE hill!!) my way back to Blackcurrant Backpackers.

The next day, my friend Hannah and I took a lovely walk from town to 5 Mile Beach (which was, actually, five miles out of town!) and back. This walk, also known as the “Great Lake Walk” was on my Must Do in Taupo list. Great Lake Walk – check!

Then, on a beautifully blue Sunday morning, my friend Marcus and I went for a sail on the Barbary – my third time on the boat! It was such a lovely day, but with hardly any wind. But there were others on the boat this time as well, so we motored/sailed out to the Maori Carvings which I had been wanting to see for ages!


The Maori Rock Carvings were done as a gift from the Maori people and have become one of Taupo’s many cultural attractions. The carvings are only accessible by boat, so it was very neat to be aboard the Barbary with views of the magnificant mountains over Lake Taupo and the Mine Bay cliff carvings. What a lovely and peaceful way to spend a Sunday morning!

*Photo Links*

A Wickedly Rapid Ride
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2156255&id=185002768&l=1ab13f0d1e

A Sail to the Maori Carvings
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2157551&id=185002768&l=0355f317dc

Trekking in Taupo
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2157597&id=185002768&l=8e74666f39