Rest is not the absence of activity but the presence of peace…Jo Saxton

We woke up in paradise. It was a cool, grey morning but we knew it would warm up. The view from the balcony was even more beautiful than the night before and as the sun started to appear, it glistened and rippled on Lake Taupo. Rowers, kayakers, sailing boats, fishermen and swimmers all enjoying the tranquillity as we were.

We had a quick breakfast and we were out the door as Mike had booked in for a game of golf at Wairakei Golf & Sanctuary. We dropped him off and Yoli and I headed off to Huka Falls. What a place. It was still fairly early but there were people out enjoying the Falls already. There is so much force in the water and I could have stood and watched it for ages. But instead we went for a nice walk along the Waikato River enjoying the native vegetation along the way. You can’t always see the river or falls from the walk but boy can you hear it when you approach the falls. There is such a juxtaposition between the tranquillity of the river and the anger and forcefulness of the falls. 220,000 litres of water thunder over the cliff face every second. And boy are they fast and loud litres. When we passed people on the walk, almost everyone said hi and made pleasant. It really was a fantastic way to start the day.

When we left there we made our way to the Huka Honey Hive where, as the name may suggest, they sell honey and honey products. It was still reasonably early but we certainly made sure we tried the honey mead and some chocolate liqueurs along with honey and anything else that was on offer to try. The staff were lovely and before we bought anything, we sat down in a small lounge area and had a coffee and a milkshake. We were there for quite a while, just savouring our drinks and chatting.

When we got back up, we of course made the rounds again to see what we were going to buy. We found a few things we hadn’t tried so of course, we tried them too. One of the staff looked at us and said, ‘oh you’re still here”. She hadn’t seen us when we were sitting having our drinks and obviously thought we had left. We got what we were buying and left to head into Taupo for a look around.

Lake Taupo, which is roughly the size of Singapore by the way, is a really big body of water. It was created about 2000 years ago by a huge volcanic eruption. The town that sits on the shores of the lake is a lively town, with a great atmosphere. If you go there you have to go to their McDonalds, just to sit in the aeroplane which is a feature of their store. We wandered around the town, mainly window shopping but also browsing in and out of shops.

After we went back to pick Mike up, we decided to call back into the Honey Hive to pick up a few more things we’d passed up on the first visit and so he could have a wander around as well. We browsed a bit and then grabbed what we wanted and went to pay for it. The lady who had served us in the morning looked up and said.. “oh you’re back again”. (in the nicest possible way) I hope she didn’t think we were there with some sort of ulterior motives after being there such a short time from the first time lol.

Heading into town, we had another quick walk around the waterfront, then started looking for somewhere for lunch. There were people out and about, sitting in the outside seating areas, enjoying the glorious weather. We walked past one little cafe and the sign out the front said ‘Fush and Chups’. Now anyone that has listened to a New Zealander speak knows that that is how they say fish and chips, so we took that as a sign that they had a sense of humour, and chose there to enjoy a lovely, leisurely lunch. Taupo really is a lovely town which is obviously a big tourism town and it had a lovely friendly vibe.

By the time we’d finished it was getting later in the afternoon so we made our way back to our accommodation, picked up our gear in preparation of a trip to the Wairakei Terraces and Thermal Health Spa. It is a series of 4 geothermal and silica, mineral rich hot pools which are all differing temperatures. Now I have to say here, I didn’t know if I would like these as I overheat easily and thought I would find the warmth too much. But oh, what an experience it was. I didn’t try the hottest of the pools but the middle two were divine. I took no photos here as I just wanted to be present and soak it all. (quite literally)

The pools are adults only and as much as I love children, I was pleased to avoid the splashing and noise of kids. It meant you could just relax and enjoy the sounds of native birdsong, in harmony with cascading and flowing water, a gushing geyser and billowing steam. (this description is from their website This was like nothing I’ve ever done before and I loved every moment of it. When we got out after floating in the soft water for a while, we felt like we were still floating but this time on air. Our skin felt silky smooth and there was an air of serenity around us. This is a must do experience. It was a huge dose of blissful perfection.

We went back to our temporary home, feeling the serenity and had dinner and a wine while the sky put on a beautiful show for us over the lake. Even as the sun was setting, people were still out on the water, enjoying every single moment they could. I could seriously get used to this lifestyle. We were wiped but so zen. Another beautiful day to be so grateful for. Life, spent in the company of good friends, is a life well lived.

Happy relaxing in good company….Livvy xxx

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