Month: March 2026

March 2, 2026

The temperature was cold when we woke up, and snow had been predicted on the mountain peaks. The view outside of our room showed partly cloudy skies except for over the mountains which were hidden as usual.

We had the breakfast buffet at the lodge, which was very good, and then we packed up to leave for Rotorua. On the way out of the park we stopped to take the short Mounds Walk which had a nice view of the cloud covered mountains. We could see some bad weather in the distance, and there was a little rainbow at the viewing point at the end of the trail.

Next we drove back to Tokaanu to see if anything had changed in the thermal area. We did see a new sputtering cone near the entrance that we hadn't noticed before. Otherwise, Taumatapuhipuhi and Hoani geysers were still quiet.

For further details at Tokaanu please visit Heinrich's thermal observations for March 2.

We stopped in Turangi for a gas fill up, and then we continued the drive north, following the shore of Lake Taupo. We stopped at a roadside viewpoint of the lake.

North of the town of Taupo, we stopped to see the Aratiatia Rapids. Four times a day in the summer there were scheduled water releases from the dam, creating a massive flood of water down the Waikato River. We were there for the 2 PM release. We decided to walk to the upper viewing point where we had a view of the flood gates and the river below. It was interesting to see the rush of water coming down and filling up consecutive pools before flooding further down river.

Our final stop on the way to Rotorua was the Waiotapu mud pots which were putting on a very good display.

We drove on to Rotorua and checked into our lodging for the next week at the Geyser Lookout BnB. We had stayed there on our previous visit in 2023 and really liked it. The back yard had a hot tub where we could see the stream rising from the nearby geyser area at Te Puia. The owners Shami and Dave remembered us. For this visit we had the larger room with a small kitchen shared with one other room. We fixed our egg and potato dinner and then relaxed for the rest of the evening.

March 1, 2026

Fog rolled in overnight, and when we woke up there was no view at all from our room. Later in the morning the weather partially cleared, but the clouds stubbornly refused to leave any of the mountain peaks. We spent the day taking some short hikes in the area.

Our first stop was the Chateau Tongariro Hotel, which closed in February 2023 after a seismic assessment deemed it a high risk. This closure had impacted us in 2023 when we were scheduled to stay in one of the cabins behind the hotel. The cabins were managed by the same company and also were closed. The timing was terrible for us since we had just arrived in New Zealand and found out less than a week before we stayed there that we would have to look elsewhere for lodging. Of course by then no other lodging was available in the area, so we had to stay a half hour drive away. It was sad to see the hotel still closed. Talks had been underway to either come up with the funds to make the necessary repairs or demolish the building.

Next was a hike on the Ridge Walk which climbed through the forest to a nice overlook of the area. From the overlook we were able to see the valley, but the big volcanoes were still completely cloud covered.

The forest was much drier near the top of the walk with none of the ferns. As we descended, the ferns came back into view.

We stopped at the Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre to look at some of the exhibits. Afterwards Heinrich decided to walk back to the room, but I stayed out a bit longer.

I took a short hike on the Silica Rapids trail, but I only went a short distance to a viewpoint along the river. The weather was starting to deteriorate with some drizzling rain.

I went on the Whakapapa Nature Walk which was a pleasant stroll through the forest, with signs identifying the various plants. Below is a sign for the Cabbage Tree.

I walked back to the room, and we decided to fix an early dinner. We had a shared kitchen with the other people in the lodge, and we wanted to use the facilities before everyone else showed up.

Afterwards the weather cleared and was nice for a few hours. But the volcanoes remained cloud covered. I decided to go on the hike to Taranaki Falls. We had already done this hike in 2023, but I wanted to see the waterfall again. The waterfall was flowing nicely.

After I passed the waterfall, the trail looped back to the parking area near the Skotel Alpine Resort. I passed right by our room.

I returned to the room, and we had a relaxing evening. We saw some nice sunset colors from the room.