Above: Waikato River, hills & farmland, natural hot spring along the Otumuheke Stream
The hot spring was hands down my favourite attraction in Taupo. There's nothing like soaking in a super-heated river, surrounded by rocks & moss, with pebbles between your toes. No need for electricity, or a changing room, just the essentials.
If exploring all these hills & rivers makes you hungry, head to:
Replete for coffee and killer carrot cake. They also have a kitchenware and food section, with exotic teas and Orla Kiely tins that I drooled over but did not buy.
Dixie Browns for good steak & fresh scallops. If you plan to go there for dinner on a weekend, be sure to make a reservation as they're often fully booked on the day itself.
More NZ photos:
iPhone snaps
Lake Taupo
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Google Reader officially shuts down today, ugh! If you're still looking for a replacement, I recommend checking out Feedly. Switching over is a breeze and its UI is very similar to Google Reader's. I've also heard good things about Bloglovin although I haven't tried using it yet.
