February 25, 2001 - Sunday - Taupo to Mt. Maunganui
 |
| Crater of the Moon, New Zealand |
Back on the bus with Dino the whining piglet again. We had a few more stops today so it was good to get some break from him. We stopped by a park where there are volcanic formations and fissures that ooze hot mud and spew hot steams.
 |
| Mt. Maunganui, New Zealand |
We then stop by the town of Mt. Maunganui and it was early enough for me to head into town for a hike up "The Mount" (as they would call it here). The hike was a bit grueling at times with steep, almost vertical climbs. By the time I made it to the top, I was dead tired.
 |
| Mt. Maunganui, New Zealand |
There were people here, waiting for the right wind to take off with their tandem hang gliding. Eventually, they took off and even just being an observer, it made a sinking feeling in my stomach when I saw them took off.
I was hoping to see a sunset but it was overcast. While sitting there waiting for the cloud to break, I chatted with a nice German girl named Melanie and an American woman named Bonnie. Melanie is doing some sort of adventure guide in Germany. She graciously offered me a place to crash should I ever end up in her town in Germany. I walked down to the bottom with them and parted company.
;)
;)
;)
