Taupo and Nellie

Nellie and the hot creek.

Active volcano is flat mountain on right

Lake Taupo

Black swans at Taupo

After a weekend tramp into a hut and back, Nellie, a friend of Kierstin's from Stanford, met us at our motel for dinner.  New Zealand is now her home while she works for her Phd.  It was so good to visit with her, and be able to ask all our questions.  After dinner, we walked across the street to Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand.  She scooped up a handful of water from a little stream running down to the lake, and, as expected, it was warm.  She was also able to straighten us out on the volcanos, and show us the one that is currently emitting gas.  After we said goodbye to Nellie, some people have to go to work on  Mondays, we filled our mineral pool spa on our back deck.  "The hot water is natural  mineral water extracted directly from 30-40m below where you are standing.  It is very  hot 70-80 degrees Celsius, so please do NOT put any part of your body directly in the hot stream, as it may scald."  The water came out of one 4" pipe, scalding water on top, and cold water on the bottom.  We slept well after that.