Our first stop in Taihape, where Don spent time as young boy visiting his relatives. This is farming country – hence the giant gumboot welcoming you to town! After a coffee at a great little cart, we wander around town. I love the welcome at the library – see pictures! From here, a very brief stop at Waiouru to swap drivers. We don’t usually swap but today is different. Today, we will be driving along the Desert – possibly one of my favourite roads in NZ. Don has offered to drive, so that I can stare. The landscape changes a great deal from green & lush to almost lunar landscape. Tussocky grass, bleak, and then – the backdrop of Ruapehu, Tongariro & Ngauruhoe. Breath-taking! This road is straight and long. We find a safe place to stop for lunch and gaze up at Ruapehu while we eat. If no-one has written a song or a poem about this road, they should. It is a road of inspiration. One which also reminds you of your smallness in the world.

We are very lucky to be able to stay at the house of Don’s cousin for a few days. It is in the hills overlooking Lake Taupo – New Zealand’s biggest lake. Some geeky facts: I read recently that the entire island of Singapore (pop. 5 million & the same pop. as NZ) could fit in the same space! Actually Lake Taupo is the largest freshwater lake in Australasia and is the crater of one of the largest volcanic eruptions earth has seen in the last 5000 years. It has a perimeter of approximately 193 km (120 mi) and a maximum depth of 186 m (610 ft). It is a vast, vast lake.