Wellington to Taupo

On the road again. Today was Wellington to Taupo but with a few stops on the way. Mt Doom stands not far from Taupo and is now a major attraction due to its role in Lord of the Rings.
Lake Taupo isn't actually a lake, it's the crater of the 2nd biggest volcano in the world. A few facts about this just so that you can understand its size:
- When it last erupted, an ash cloud could be seen all way around the globe.
- You could fit Singapore inside the lake.
- If you pulled a piece of string tight from one side to the other, in the middle the string would be 20m underwater due to the curvature of the earth.
That's one big volcano - 617km2.
Tonight was our last night with Gilly & Scott. After a great 20 days on the bus we were soon to be back on our own with no friends so we needed to say goodbye in style. We booked ourselves on to a night boat trip which included: clay pigeon shooting; trout fishing; pizzas & beanbags under the stars. What we actually got was: shooting a balloon floating on the lake with an air rifle; 2 slices of pizza each; no beanbags & no trout. But it was a great night! After the trip, we had made a few friends so we all decided to take the 45 minute walk to the natural thermal spas under the night sky. They were awesome and just in the middle of Taupo's Temple Newsam. It was a bit weird as with no light we didn't know what we were swimming in. None the less they are "as hot as a hot bath" (a quote from a drunk girl we were with).
In return mother figure Char was beckoned for duty and we had to get Gilly back to the hostel as she was fading fast. God only knows how she will feel on the bus tomorrow. We have made our number one rule of traveling - no drinking the night before a travel day but Scott and Gilly are yet to learn.
M & C xxxx