Finally Chasing Waterfalls

Today I was gonna sleep in. But I woke up kinda early anyways. But I just laid in bed for a while because I was gonna be lazy and it was raining. So when I eventually decided to get up I got dressed and walked into town. I tried to get a pic of the view from the hotel but it was rainy and foggy so it wouldn't have been a good pic. Yesterday the water in the lake was soo blue and today it was so grey. It makes me kinda sad I didn't take a picture yesterday but oh well. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
So then I get to town and I'm wandering around looking for a taxi to take me to the Honey Hive and there's like none. And I'm looking for the ones I took yesterday because they were like right there and I literally walked way past it but eventually I found it and it took me to the Honey Hive.

When you're all by yourself sometimes you gotta improvise.

The honey hive was not what I thought it would be like. It was advertised like you come and you like learn all about bees and how they make the honey and such and you can taste honey and preservatives and spreads and such but it was really just a store. I did get to taste some honey but like that's it. And the ones I liked were super expensive, like the one I was gonna get for my sister (until I saw the price) was $117 for a tiny little jar. So then I was gonna get her the lavender kind but it tasted super bad so she didn't get that either. And they had like skin stuff too but they were also super expensive. So after staring at the honeys for a super long time I left to go to the Huka Falls.

woo hiking woo i didn't die

So there was no road to Huka Falls. Well like there was but there was no footpath (sidewalk) and it was like legit just for the cars, so I took the mountain bike trail. It was super narrow and if a mountain bike did come by, it might've knocked me down a cliff and I might've died, but I didn't so it's all good. It was actually kinda fun walking in the middle of the nature thing. Look at that, me, hiking! Go me. I know you're not supposed to hike by yourself and that's how Ally died, hiking by herself in New Zealand, but the tracks were fresh so if something were to happen a mountain biker would most likely find me relatively soon. The path was all zig zaggy instead of like up and down so that was good because ya girl does not do hills well (if you couldn't tell by all my 'I hate hills' posts). So anyways, then I came to this part that was like "this way to the beach" and I was like "wait I'm going to the falls" so I went the other way just hoping it was the right way. Then I heard the helicopter and I was like "cool, I must be going the right way because the copter must be above the falls for like tours and such" so I kept walking. At this point it was like uphill and I was like this better be the right way (back with the I hate hills aspect). Finally I saw water and I was like "yasss" but it was a river and not like the falls so I look at the river right because like water gives me strength and imma need strength if imma keep hiking bc like I have arthritis and I don't hike and who knows I could die and like there are bubbles in the water and I'm like YESSS so then like I follow the bubbles and that's how I know I'm going the right way because the bubbles gotta be coming from the falls bc where else would they be coming from?

Finally found the river with bubbles! 

The strongest connection one can have is that made of bubbles (quote by yours truly) and man my connection with those bubbles were on point so I keep following them even tho at this point there are no tracks on the path so if I die it might be a while til help finds me but oh well yolo, so I keep walking. Then there's another sign and it's like Crater Walk this way, Huka Falls that way and I'm like yay I'm almost there! So I go towards the Huka Falls way and then the path ends and I gotta find a new one but I found it and this one came from the road so like it's like a human instead of bike path and there are other people walking on it so I'm like at least I won't die and I keep walking and I'm all like "yeah look at my hiking go me I'm awesome" and I'm wishing I had my book so I could write in it but I don't so yeah I'm writing this like three weeks later but oh well I'm clearly still excited about it because look I survived because as long as I know how to love I know I'll stay alive and man I love the water. So anyways, then I finally find it! Yay me!
Omg I wrote all that in one breath (bc excited clearly) and now I'm like exhausted.
Anyways.
The path brings me to the bottom of the waterfall. It's like white where the fall lands then turquoise then teal and it's so pretty. So I just chill at the bottom for a little bit and take some pictures before I head up to the tourist area. It's cool because down here there's like nobody because they're all at the top because the clearly drove, the lucky ducks.
So then I go up to the tourist part and I'm like okay I'll like go check out the waterfall then eat because I'm sure there's a cafe there and there's no cafe so that plan fails.
But like so I go check out the waterfall and it's seriously so powerful. Like I'm not really sure where all that power is coming from but I've never seen anything so powerful like it is pumpin. Like the Queen clearly doesn't have much power but neither does Obama or anything. Like it's insane. I've such respect for this waterfall. I kept thinking I wish I had brought my book so I could sit in front of it and write about it, but I didn't. Now I know to always bring my notebook with me. Oh well.
The water is so mesmerizing. I tried to photograph/video it to get it but it doesn't come through digital media well. Like it does but not the mesmerizing effect. It's seriously so amazing. It's not a large waterfall by any means but it's so beautiful and powerful and strong and amazing. Like I've seen Niagara (yeah I was young but I still saw it man) and I feel like this waterfall was more powerful. It's so powerful that fish and other marine life cannot swim up the falls so there is barely any wildlife topside of the waterfall. & like here, and I guess hippies back home, are always talking about like how like areas give off energies and such (okay so when it comes to water I guess I could be classified as one of those hippies at home because I totally say that too but that's not the point) and like the one beach on Waiheke was clearly emitting like healing and restorative energies and like when it came to this fall I couldn't quite place what energies it was vibin but it was so strong it definitely was giving off lots of energies. I think it depends on like what each person needed most as to what energy it gave to them. Like hello, I don't hike, so like it helped revive and restore me so that I could continue on my journey, but it was just like so amazing and such an awesome waterfall. I literally just stood there staring at the waters for a while.
Then I started getting hungry so since there was no cafe at the falls I figured maybe the Spa Park would have a cafe so I started on my way to there.
Also, fun fact: huka means foam. If this post was solely about the falls (which it would've been if I had my notebook with me at the waterfall), the post would've been named the Foam Falls.

 So the path to the Spa Park was a human walking path, so I'm not sure if it counts as a hike but I definitely liked walking on the mountain bike path better. It was more fun and less totally awful on my poor knees and breath and such. Like I wasn't too sure I was gonna make it to the spa park lol. I kept going off the path to go to little lookouts at the river, but it took forever and by the time I was like halfway there I was ready to give up, but I kept walking. I think because I was hungry and tired and thirsty made it worse. I had a drink but I drank it all well before I reached the park. But I eventually made it. Here are some pictures from my walk there:

So then I finally made it to the Spa Park! YAY! But there was no cafe there either. BOO. But oh well I just went swimming anyways and let the waters make me not hungry, but I did almost eat a dead fish I caught.
So anyways, what the spa park is is it's where a hot water stream from the volcanic like faults and such meets the river that goes down to the Huka Falls. So the closer you are to the river (even in the river), the colder it is because the river is freezing, and the closer you are inland in the stream, the warmer it is because of the geothermal activities. There were a couple waterfalls that went into pools on the inland side of the stream so it was cool to play in them because I've always wanted to play in a waterfall!! Fulfilling life goals right there. You can see the opening picture of this post.
But then it got like real hot so I spent most of my time practically in the river but still in the stream because the stream didn't have any current but the current in the river was super strong and also I stayed in the stream because the river was very cold even tho I went into the river to play a lot.

I caught a fish!!

Pretending to eat the fish for a picture

I was fine just chillin. But this guy comes over and keeps talking to me. Like an old guy that was clearly just lonely himself and wanted to talk. So I just like let him talk and I'm like "yeah" occasionally because I don't wanna talk because I don't like people. But this guy here finds out I'm American and starts going off about Trump, but it's not what you think. He likes Trump! He's literally the only person in all of New Zealand that hasn't complained to me about how much they hate Trump. So that was refreshing like the river.
Then a bunch of Maori boys come over and start talking to me. Now them I would talk to. So they see my GoPro and they're like "can I take a picture" and I'm like "sure" so now I have three pictures of them and we're Facebook friends and yay I made friends!  One was a straight up high school flashback, with Only God Can Judge Me chest tats and everything. I was supposed to hang out with that one in Wellington but he didn't come but it's okay because I was busy anyways. But yeah. They were chill. They own a farm a half hour away.

 (Also blogger isn't letting me move around my pictures like usual and it's making me mad.)
I could've stayed in the stream literally forever but it was getting dark and the tide was going out so there was literally like no water left where I wasn't burning up so eventually I had to leave. I guess 3.5 hours was enough anyways...except it wasn't.
I don't know how to get out of here so I follow the people in front of me and they take me to a parking lot and these people right in front of me keep turning around to check on me because I'm like panting like a dog because it's like uphill and I'm like dying. Then I'm like (to myself) "where do I tell the taxi to pick me up from" and I have no idea because there's like lots of parking lots and stuff so I'm like I'll just walk until I can't walk anymore then I'll call a taxi because I don't like talking to peoples anyways. So there's this group of people in front of me so I follow them and hope I'm going the right way to town. Then they're lost but I keep going anyways because I remember those road names from the map. So then I finally make it to town yay! That's enough walking for me for a lifetime.
So then I am very hungry so I go to this fancy Bistro restuarnt because it's right there and I feel very under-dressed but it's empty so it doesn't matter. They bring me free bread and free samples of some fancy appetizer thing while my pork is cooking. I love pork. It's amazing. Second day in a row I've had pork. It's so lovely.
So then I eat all my food and I can't remember if I'm still hungry but I think maybe I am but I have cheesecake back in my room so I leave anyways and I walk back to my hotel because it's really quite close.
So then I get back and I watch TV and take a warm shower because it's cold outside and eat my cheesecake.
The guide says Baggage Claim is next on TV so I'm like "yeah I love that show" but the show I like is just called Baggage and Baggage Claim is a movie but it takes place in Baltimore and it's a good movie so I watch it anyways and they show a picture of the Aquarium and it makes me very sad because I miss Maryland but it's okay because Taupo is a good place to be.
Then I read more of Sarah's book and go to sleep.

Until next time,

xoxo,

Tasha