On To Taupo And Beyond

Our visit to Napier was not without a little excitement. Vicki found a beautiful Art Nuvo pitcher, in great condition, and was interested enough to do a little internet research...which revealed it to be a known reproduction, for which the store was asking $1200. Seriously. No sale. I, on the other hand, fell for a $12 Art Deco bottle opener from Paris, which I promptly bought, if for no other reason than literary foreshadowing...

Thus; nice relief of the Little Corporal on the other side

Anyhow, we drove back WNW toward the center of the island, Lake Taupo,
and New Zealand volcano country; above are Waipunga Falls

We tented that night at a place called Reid Farm, which a local farmer had willed
to the city council on the condition that it be a "freedom" camp; above is the
chute of the Waikato River leading to the famous falls

The famous falls, Huka Falls, themselves; not terribly scenic, but lots of water,
moving fast

As we approach Lake Taupo, Mt. Doom, 30 miles away, rises, um, ominously,
above the clouds; perhaps I should explain that Lake Taupo is the caldera of a
supervolcano that has blown up quite a few times in the past many millennia,
most recently in 181 AD or so, when the skies over both China and Rome went
red; earlier eruptions are conjectured to have triggered some of the previous Ice
Ages; anyhow, we are in volcano country now, many of them active

Taupo is a nice town, touristy indeed, but tasteful touristy
(don't ask me to explain); alas, we spent more time in the
shoppes and stimulating the local economy than in taking
pix of the town (except for a few to make it to the Out-
Takes); so pretty much all I have to show for Taupo is this
image of a local rubbish bin (for my forthcoming Trash Bins
of the World study)

Above Lake Taupo, heading west; the lake is some 238 square miles; little
volcanoes dotting the horizon

Further along, approaching the slopes of Mt. Tongariro, where a bit of a side-vent
eruption has been going since 2012

Thus

And thus; Mt. Doom, aka Mt. Ngauruhoe, is Tongariro's next door neighbor;
technically, merely another side-vent of Tongariro (so I've read)