Taupo

Golf On Taupo Lake

The town of Taupo lies on the northeastern corner of NZ's largest lake - Lake Taupo. At 606 square kilometers Taupo is the site of one of the world's great volcanic centres. Like that of Indonesia's Lake Toba in Sumatra, which I had visited about 4 months ago, Taupo is a super volcano. Hidden under the water is a source of tremendous quantities of magma - which one day wil be ready to shoot to the surface, blowing the volcanoes fuse again. In it's past Taupo has had two major eruptions. About 26,500 years ago - the really big one occurred which created a hole (caldera) now filled by the lake. It produced an estimated 800 Cu Km of ash and pumice. For comparison the 1883 eruption of Krakatua (which I was also lucky enough to see 4 months ago) produced just 8 Cu Km and Mt. St Helens only puffed out 3 Cu Km when she blew in 1980. The eruption devastated the entire North Island, coating the land in ash up to 100m thick. More recently in AD 181 there was accounts of darkened skies, and spectacular sunsets as far away as China - from an eruption that would have produced an ash column some 50Km's high. Luckily for everyone concerned - there was no-one (and so little concern was provided). NZ was uninhabited at the time and so what could have been a natural disaster of immense proportions was simply a natural phenomena of immense proportions. Today there are over 250,000 people living in Taupo and millions surrounding the area. If Taupo were to blow on a huge scale like those of the past - it would be an evacuation like no-one has ever seen before - the entire North Island of NZ would have to pack up - and thats if an eruption could be forecast, for if it couldn't - then it would be goodbye for 250,000+ people who would at least enjoy their last moments with front-row seats at the best fireworks show in town. Taupo was my sort of place - I think I was going to like it here.

Darren and myself arrived after a long 6 hour trip from Wellington. It was good to be off a bus for a while, as we were both staying here in the relatively small town of Taupo for the next month. Darren was going to look for a job for the next few weeks to keep him entertained and provide some well needed cash, and I was starting work in three days at Wairakei - a short trip up north of Taupo where I would work in the volcanology section at Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS), who do all the research and monitoring of volcanoes in New Zealand.

I have currently been in Taupo for just over a week. I have completed my first week at GNS, which was both interesting and enjoyable. I arranged this job before I left travelling, 7 months ago with Gill Jolly, originally from Yorkshire, England and volcanologist who is coordinating the work I am undertaking here. I have been put on the GIS Hazrad Response Mapping section, which is essentially compiling hazard maps for many of the volcanic centres in the country. I am compiling the information so that if one of the volcanoes is showing signs that she is ready to pop - all the map data is there on hand, with all the hazrad areas marked on, which places will need to be evacuated etc. I have also been told that I will be going out in the field (hopefully) when some of the monitoring teams head out - but monitoring is all weather dependant, one thing I or other volcanologists can't control - as much as we would like too. It's also interesting - speaking to the experts in the field, seeing how a volcano (and other geological) research centres operate, and having access to all the data, including real-time seismic signals as they come in. Actually on the 17th September, while I was walking to work we had an earthquake reach 4.4M and pretty much everyone felt it except me. I don't know how - I was awake, but later I found out that the only other person who didn't feel it - was Darren - he slept straight through it.

I suppose the only down-side to the job is getting there. I can't afford to get a car and as yet haven't sorted out a bike. There is no public transport and to walk from Taupo to GNS takes one hour and 15 minutes each way - so you can understand how, by the end of the week, I had slipped into a small coma. Actually I was kind enough to get some lifts here and there but not all the time as many of them ride bikes or don't live in Taupo. But apart from the fact that I feel like i'v just climbed Mount Vesuvius before i'v even started my days work, the rest is exactly what I wanted.

On the days that I have had when I haven't been working, I have taken a good look around Taupo and further afield. The Lake is a great spot to walk by - many just relax by this colossal pool of water. I have also walked along the Huka Track to the Huka Falls, which is NZ's most famous falling water feature - as water plunges through a narrow cleft in the rock and travels at spectacular pace and energy. The Huka Falls is actually on my walk to work so I get to see it quite regularly (as well as the other stunning scenery along the way) - so at least there are some advantages to my trek. Next to GNS is also a Volcanic Activity Centre which is full of useful information about volcanoes (especially those in NZ) and some earthquake facts too. If your into your volcanoes then a trip here is a must, just for the load of interesting information and the earthquake simulator. Customers have to pay a 10 dollar admission fee but I got in free because I work for GNS - perks of the job!!!

Darren also now has a job working in an internet cafe (the one I am writing this blog from) and we have found a cheap twin room in a backpackers. We have essentially stopped travelling and are now living.

We also said goodbye to our good friends Marie and Alice who left us in Taupo and headed onwards. We meet many travellers in our hostel - usually for a few days before they move to their next destination but some are here long enough to become real friends, which is nice.

The main thing I have to do in Taupo before I leave is skydive. This is considered by many as the skydiving capital of the world and one will definately be done in the next few weeks. However, while Darren attempts to get the funds before we do it - we did have time to do other extreme activities which were not so expensive. In fact we have done another two of them. In the last month Darren and I now both tally 4 bungy jumps each. The one in Taupo is over the largest river in New Zealand - Waikato River. On our first bungy, we both jumped the 47m fall and got dunked into the river, up to our legs. It was great fun and certainly cooling on a hot day. Our second jump which was done a week later, was done tandem. They tie a bungy rope to you, then tie one to your friend (Darren in this case) and finally they tie your ropes together. Then, on the count of three - you both jump off holding each other around the waist. To make it more daring we were told to do the reverse escalator. The jump is done backwards and instead of going down head first as normal you both jump off like your taking a step back. You fall feet first and then get swung all over the place as the rope flicks you back out. It was insane.

The only other thing to tell you was that we did this last bungy jump with party hats on, the reason for this was because on the 18th September 2008 I reached a quarter of a century years old..........