Craters of the Moon

A few years back I read a book about a geothermal area just north of Lake Taupo called Craters of the Moon and decided I wanted to go there. I was picturing it as being something like a rocky desert with big holes in the ground, no vegetation, no moisture. I was completely wrong.

The day that we ended up going was overcast and very foggy, it had been raining and it rained while we were there. The ladies at the front desk said it was a great place to see during the rain (I think they were wrong) because we really couldn’t see that much that wasn’t rendered invisible by the fog. Also it was hard to tell where the steam vents started and the fog ended – were those strands of white smoke heat rising or remnants of cloud just sitting there?

I was completely wrong on the vegetation count though – moss, lichen and small bushes everywhere. We did get to see a few interestings things, despite the fog, but I was very disappointed.

Towards the end you can either continue on flat ground or head up a hill to see over the park. Just as we started our ascent the rain came pouring down. My raincoat really wasn’t much use against the downpour, my friend had just bought a big plastic poncho that seemed to cover her quite well. So with the rain streaming down and the fog in the park, we didn’t see that much from the top. It was such an anticlimax after the years of waiting to see the place. I hope its sunny next time I go to Taupo.