Whanganui, Lake Taupo, Huka Falls, Mt Ruapehu Ski Volcanos Tongarino National Park

We started the day at Bush Lake just south of Rotorua and ended up in Whanganui along the southwest coast. Along the way, we stopped at Lake Taupo, which is a huge lake along the "geothermal highway" through the mountainous central region of the North Island. .
After driving along the southern side of Lake Taupo, we entered Tongarino National Park and drove into the park and up to the highest elevations to the ski resort on Mt Ruapehu. They just got 3 meters (9 feet) of new snow in the last 5 days, so the mountain offers the best of spring skiing.

The mountain is very obviously a volcano as you drive up to it. I wondered aloud to Rand about what we would do if the volcano blew its top, thinking this was just a playful, unrealistic fantasy. But at the ski lodge we learned that the volcano had erupted last in 1995, so my comment wasn't so far-fetched after all.

Another treat we enjoyed in the Lake Taupo area was Huka Falls, which generates a lot of the electric power for New Zealand from its powerful water flow. Amazingly, the water at Huka Falls was turquoise and crystal clear.
Here are the roaring, rushing Huka Falls.