Three weeks in New Zealand - 4/12 - 5/4/2024

Day 7-Sailing in Lake Taupo- 4/17/2024

We are taking a 3 hours Sailing Adventure in Lake Taupō, located in New Zealand's central North Island.  It is the country's largest lake, formed by a massive volcanic eruption approximately 27,000 years ago from the Oruanui eruption, one of the most significant volcanic events in Earth's history. The lake's only outlet is the Waikato River, which flows through the renowned Huka Falls that we visited this morning . Covering an area of about 616 square kilometers, it's roughly the size of Singapore .

We are headed to the Taupō Marina, located along Redoubt Street in Taupō town.

This is the yacht that we will board for about 3 hours.

Boats docking on the Marina

Staying in line to board the yacht.

Ready for the adventure.

It is a beautiful day with the sun shinning above us. 

Since the weather is nice, we all opted to sit in front of the boat and watch what is ahead of us.

Hoa is getting comfortable...

Pizza is included in the trip. 

Music is blasted while we are sailing away.

The lake reaches depths of over 610 feet in places and the exceptionally clean and clean water is great for swimming, fishing, and Boating.

Northern shore of the Lake with beautiful houses.

A huge mansion next to the shore of the lake.  Many are custom-designed with large panoramic windows, native timber finishes, and expansive outdoor living areas. Some even have their own boat ramps or jetties, allowing direct lake access for sailing or fishing.

Mountains in the distance.

We are in the winter and the water is too cold for a swim but I am sure in the summer it must be an amazing experience to swim here.

A house on top of the hill.

An hour into our trip, the weather has turned to dark clouds.  We are now approaching the Moari Rock Carvings.

The carvings are only accessible by water in the Mine bay.

We are now approaching the Maori rock carvings of a height of 33 ft. tall.  The carvings depict Ngātoroirangi, a high priest and navigator who guided the Te Arawa people to Aotearoa (New Zealand) from Polynesia over 600 years ago.  He is a spiritual ancestor of the Ngāti Tūwharetoa iwi (tribe), whose rohe (territory) includes the Taupō region. The image shows him with a calm, powerful expression, representing wisdom, guardianship, and connection to the land and water.

Māori rock carvings at Mine Bay on Lake Taupō are one of New Zealand’s most remarkable modern cultural landmarks. Though they look ancient, they’re actually a contemporary work of art with deep traditional meaning.

The carvings were created in the late 1970s by master carver Mātauranga Māori artist Matahi Brightwell, with help from four fellow carvers.  Matahi was fulfilling a promise to his grandmother to honor their ancestral heritage in a lasting way.  The carvers accessed the cliff by rope or from the water, using chisels and hand tools, not explosives or heavy machinery.  No damage was done to the surrounding lake or environment. No damage was done to the surrounding lake or environment

As you can see the dark clouds are rolling in.  We were lucky to see the carvings before the rain came.

After a brief rain, a rainbow starting to form in the horizon.

The weather was freezing and we had to get inside to get warm.

After a while the clouds dissipated and the sun is trying to break through the clouds.

Really nice to walk around the yacht.

A beautiful rainbow above the lake,

Our skipper told us we have seen it all in this trip: beautiful sunny weather, dark clouds, rain, and then a beautiful rainbow.

It was a really nice trip and we had a great time.

NEXT... Taupo downtown