Tuesday Tiki tour - Mangakino & Whakamaru Dam

Yesterday Joe had to deliver a package to someone in Mangakino, near Taupo, just under a 2 hour drive away. He took it in person because it wasn't something he wanted to trust to a courier service, I went along for the ride. As usual I had my camera, because New Zealand is a photo opportunity just waiting to happen.
We had done all of our Christmas shopping in the morning and had taken it home but before we could leave he had to have his obligatory cup of tea and something to eat, his belly always come first, one day it will.............literally! His metabolism will have to slow down sometime!!
We went armed with directions, a print out from Google maps, which was about as much use as a chocolate teapot, I don't know who the heck had worked the kms and the directions out but I reckon they got their seeing eye dog to do it! It did work okay to a point, you just had to stretch your imagination a bit and a general knowledge of how to get there helped too. Don't get me started on road signs here either, we won't go there! We really 'won't' go there, because there won't be a bloody sign for it anyway! It doesn't matter though we got there eventually after stopping only once to make sure we were at least heading in the right direction and as you will soon see, NZ's roads have a lot going for them.
I'll show you some photos now with a couple of links so that if you wish, you can learn more about them. I will just add it's a miracle we have any photos at all really, one day we'll end up in a ditch!! What with me yelling every five minutes.. "STOP HERE!! I wanna take a photo!!" At which point Joe wakes up and slams on the brakes..............
Tiki tour
Driving past Maungatautari, an internationally significant restoration project, this 3,400 hectare forested, extinct volcano stands majestically on the landscape in the Waikato basin, between Cambridge, Te Awamutu and Putaruru, in the central North Island of New Zealand. Takahe, kiwi, kaka (birds) and kokopu (fish) have already been reintroduced to two pest free enclosures! Click here for more info


We were beginning to get concerned about the build up of holiday traffic...........

I could take photos until the cows come home

On route we drove through forestry land, as you can see from the photos some areas are at different stages, some trees still maturing, some areas cleared and more replanted, it's a renewable source, and big business in New Zealand, Click here to find out a little of the history of forestry, logging and Tokoroa's pulp and paper mills at Kinleith


Waikato river - Whakamaru Dam



Whakamaru Hydro dam



About the dam, click on the picture and zoom in and you should be able to read the text. Click here for more info




As you can see the holiday traffic doesn't get any better...........