Decided to have a chilled day today, had breakfast in the hostel before going on a coffee and wi-fi mission. We decided to see whether the I-site could help us find accommodation in Auckland. They had a few suggestions, but it was better to have a scout around ourselves.

We meandered round the outskirts of town where there had been a triathlon that morning. One girl in the hostel was doing it: 2k swimming, 90k on the bike and 21k running. Just beyond the finishing line was Taupō's Riverside Market. We had a nice stroll around there and succumbed to one market stall's persuasive powers!

It was getting towards lunch time, and we were planning a Ready-Steady-Cook lunch with our remaining food store ingredients. Tuna, tomato sauce, new potatoes and spinach.

We headed out to see the Aratiatia Rapids and hydropower station, where we arrived just in time for the 2.15pm water release. Headed then to the Huka Falls - very pretty but was mostly rapids with a very small drop. Nothing like the huge waterfalls we had seen in Milford Sound. Next stop was a geothermal borehole lookout - the first geothermal power station in the world (est c.1957).

It was hot and humid, and it seemed like a good time for a siesta before heading out for dinner, at the Waterfront Restaurant, over looking the lake.