Birthday 2020

Many of you suggested that I do a write up on my trip to Taupo, New Zealand which was a quick getaway for my birthday. Overwhelmed by the topics you wish for me to include in my write ups, presenting this post to you about how I made my 28th year big amidst the lockdown crisis!

My excitement embarked to higher levels as ‘the day’ was approaching and I couldn’t have been luckier with the lockdown having been lifted already before my birthday. New Zealand had lesser cases back in July 2020 so we moved to Level 1 and were allowed to visit places, go for a swim, enjoy exotic cafes and soak in some freedom and good weather! As excited as we all were moving around and leaving behind the ‘new normal’ and getting back to the older normal, one fine evening I instinctively decided to get away for my birthday a week before the 27th of July.

With this being an ‘on the go’ plan and not knowing where to go exactly, I and my flatmates started looking up for nearby destinations which would be a one-night stay trip. Quick fact - Had it not been Taupo where we traveled to, any place in New Zealand is enthralling and scenic even at a distance of 10 kilometers! If your instincts tickle you for a quick getaway, it is as simple as packing your bags with the basics and your favorite food, and getting away to a beach, a national park, bays, islands, or any location with the least travel time!

But I wanted a drive too, I wanted to explore a place neither too far nor too close and the destination that looked alluring was Taupo, New Zealand. Having eared on the reviews from my friends and colleagues here, it indeed looked like we were going to have fun and lots of fun!

Birthdays for me are incomplete without a cake so I started my pre-birthday celebration with just the four of us (my friends) having a chocolate cake cutting a night before the trip. Oh! not to forget, the cake was a surprise gift from a Samoan friend of mine which was made using Samoan cocoa, something that New Zealanders really love!

Yummy yum!

Having relished it to my heart’s content, we set out for the trip the next day at 8 AM with our bags packed, sunglasses, and vivid smiles looking forward to a bright day. The weather was a perfect blend with our excitement levels, just some sunlight and a gentle breeze mixed with our elation.

Taupo was 3 hours, 15 minutes ride from Auckland traveling by car. It was an exquisite ride with me astounded by the scenic green landscapes outlining clear roads and blue skies, the sheep and the horses grazing grasses, houses located at the top of the hills, tall trees with the same heights, and with my favorite ‘Z’ hot chocolate to sip! Quick fact, ‘Z’ is a fuel station with outlets across New Zealand which makes amazing hot beverages, especially hot chocolate! It was so relieving, so relaxing to having let loose after long.

Hot Chocolate is love

The view

Taupo is known for being one of the most beautiful towns of the North Island and also home to New Zealand’s largest lake, Lake Taupo. For a day or two trips, it is indeed worth hopping into this beautiful town to admire its attractions such as the iconic Huka falls, water activities and thermal spas, soaking in the calm waters, hikes to mountains, sunsets by the lake and those really appealing cruise boats and dough boats!

Excitement fueling up, we land at our studio room which we booked at De Brett's resort for a cheap price as low as $100 for the night. There was a hot sale up for a couple of days with discounted prices for staying and this resort is perfect if you want a bit of nature, relaxation, and activities altogether. This is a great price for a studio room with your personal amenities in place, a little private kitchenette to cook with cutleries and basic food items available, no shared washrooms, bed heaters, extra heaters to keep you warm because it was winters, and a private sit-out like that of a mini garden extending to your room. My puppy-like face flushed on seeing how perfect our studio room was as I scurried to every nook of the room to feel it.

Fresh air, good vibes, beauty all around with mother nature never failing to impress us here and my hot cup of welcome coffee were the perfect relaxation on arrival. Also, not to mention, the staff was super welcoming and made us feel at ease like their own by guiding us, the services, the activities within the resort, the food, and other extracurriculars.

Coffee in the backyard

I was in love! My pre-birthday for sure looked like a hit! 

GEOTHERMAL POOLS:

This is an explicit experience which I felt for the first time at a Polynesian Spa at Rotorua (another place near Taupo where we traveled to last year). This is where natural hot water from the natural springs is directed into pools bubbling with varying temperatures as a result of geothermal activities, a MUST try for all those visiting Rotorua or Taupo. I recommend Rotorua for this since it’s bigger and has more options for spa parks as compared to Taupo. The cherry on the cake – it also aids in medical healings, soothes body muscles, soreness, aches and the Sulphur content nourishes the skin. We did this again because I so much needed a repeat of this, and Taupo had it! So, De Bretts had these pools within their resorts with a discounted entry for all those staying with them (cheap as $18), we all got ready to plunge into and soak in a warm soothing experience, different pools having different temperatures all suited to your body temperatures, every nerve of my body began to dip into the comfort as steamy waters and warm air hit our skins.

A quick tip: This could vary from person to person, but my individual experience would advise me to not stay in the pools for more than two hours since the steam and the heat in the water made me feel dizzy after a while. I took breaks in between and sat outside the pool to feel better with the cool breeze striking in. But like I said, it’s a personal experience, if your head begins to feel heavy and overall if you start feeling tired, I reckon jumping out of it has been there for a while.

After an enduring soak and a quick shower, our bellies grumbled for food and only lots of food! We all were so hungry that my friends decided to quickly drive to the town center and buy themselves some ready food. For me, it was a little different. Being a vegetarian, the options that you will like are honestly lesser than meat options and not always worth the price and taste. I wanted something fulfilling and I was in no mood to eat Indian food (though there were Indian food outlets there) or any other fancies or junk. This will sound hilarious but is also a quick tip, even if you opt for cheaper room stays which do not have a private kitchenette, there will be shared kitchens at most of the stays which you can use for self – cooking! You will actually find many people cooking with this being the most convenient, pocket friendly, and delicious option! All the groceries and raw materials are easily available at surrounding stores (Countdown and Pak n Save are the biggest retailers with numerous outlets in NZ) where we can get an every eating basic, fruit and veggies, meat as well as ready to eat food items. I chose to purchase veggies and some croissants (my all-time favorite meal) for my sandwiches and as funny as it could sound, knowing that we would have a kitchenette, I already packed in some dosa batter from home along with oil, salt, chutneys, bread, table spread, chips, cookies, and other essentials!

Fun fetish: Having rice pancakes on my pre-birthday eve was one hell of a craving I was struggling with for a while!

So a tummy full of delicious crispy rice pancakes self – cooked in our little kitchenette for the night drew me into a drowsy state, the room being cozy and pleasant for a nap. I state nap because I was sure I would be getting greeting calls from friends and family by midnight and I didn’t wish to miss those!

The clock struck 12 and it was my day! My phone continued to beep and be on hold for those warm incoming wishes that I began to receive over the call, friends and family flooding in with sweet talks, messages, and love. The whole day was lying ahead of us and we couldn’t wait to explore. I was going to miss my little studio room which also offered a view of the snow-covered mountains early morning.

We headed to Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake, a real huge lake with a fleeting stock of seagulls and other birds around, clear blue skies reflecting upon the waters and hills at a distance, it was indeed a piece of sight! We all grabbed another cup of coffee from the coffee truck stalled there since it was a chilly morning and spent a while there chitchatting, clicking pictures, and enjoying the view.

Lake Taupo, New Zealand

Lets get lost for a little while..

Post that, we headed for a short drive and were contemplating upon whether to cruise at the Maori rock carvings, an attraction again wherein the cruise takes you into deep waters to traditionally carved caves, historic eye candy or to do other adrenaline activities such as bungy jumping, jet boat or white water rafting. To be honest, I was only tempted to do one of these activities, the reason being my gut power actually scared me to try all of them out, and secondly, we were restricted to a budget. We finally decided to do one of the most thrilling ones of all, a jet boat ride at Huka falls!

HUKA FALLS:

This was the most awaited location for me on the account of my fondness for waterfalls, where you get to witness the phenomenon of natural hydro power with more than 220,000 liters of water per sec barreling over an 11meter high waterfall! The previously placid waters from lake Waikato now roar and rumble as they fall into a turbulent pool at a height of 11 meters! You get to witness this breathtaking scene absolutely free of cost at a bridge constructed right at the top of the falls. Here, you can also choose to do a Huka falls trail which is an easy hour-long walk passing through exotic native forests, this trail is a walk alongside a composed river which turns into louder roars as you approach a powerful display of water blasting, the falls!

JET BOAT RIDE:

To witness the ferocity and the fury of the falls from close, we chose to do the jet boat ride which we got for half price again on the account of COVID restrictions having been lifted recently and the country gearing up to attract tourism. The $100 ride was worth every dollar that we put in, accounting for my squealing screams at the extremely speedy ride! It began with the speed boat riding and it tasted every bit of my fear as the rider took whole 360 degree turns where the boat swirls at a speed taking a complete circle in the water.

The rider also took a certain nerve chilling exits and turns wherein we feel like we are going to dash into a tree or a swan in the water, or a rock! But in a blink of an eye, the boat has magically turned itself around and we are heading straight to another topsy turvy dash ride! The jet boat got me shivering with its thrill as we finally head to the iconic falls to see it from closer. I was speechless, I was numb and taken aback by feeling the hydropower and the energy pumped into the water which could be felt on the boat. We could not go further with the danger of the energy pull being too strong to have sucked our boat to the ground! That feeling was impeccable. We all were jaw dropped as we took photos from a safe distance and I was super lucky to have spotted a clear little rainbow right at the falls! I love rainbows and I was lucky enough to receive this birthday gift from a near distance!

It was already late noon by the time we finished strolling around the beautiful landscapes, having late lunch by the Lake Taupo at a central food hub overseeing the lake.

Taupo town views

It was early evening and we had to head back home since it was going to take us 3 hours again and we all had work the next morning. Delightedly, we decided to head back home with a feeling of heaviness in our hearts, not wanting to say goodbye to this little town. On my way back home, I told you about the tall trees with exact heights and planted in an organized manner which appealed to me. We decided to pamper our taste buds with my half-devoured birthday cake sitting amidst the tall trees as a short break.

A sweet treat with a sweet scene! We drive back home amidst an orange sunset, music, memories, photographs, and smiles. 2020 has been a strained year but also given me a birthday to remember!

Things we missed out on due to time barriers but you all must try if you visit Taupo:

1) White water rafting – Another adrenaline pump ride that takes you through sites only accessible via water, volcanic cliffs, and native bushes. Some of these rides even offer a few meters fall off a height at a waterfall which is an absolute ‘go for it’ feeling!

2) Dough boats – These are fun, unique donut-shaped boats with amazing multi-colored lights (especially at night), one good sailing experience at Lake Taupo. Hop in with your friends and get your cruising experience to another level for an evening session. Attaching a link here to give you a snapshot of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgKQS-ZEdTA#action=share

3) Cruise sailing – Cruises that take you to Maori rock carvings, for people who are interested in the Maori culture, I recommend taking up a cruise here. To further your experience, you can even choose to kayak here.

4) Mount Ruapehu – A 2 hours’ drive to a scenic snowy mountain, especially during the winters calling all the snow lovers here!

5) Camping - One of New Zealand’s favorite outdoor activities is to hire a campervan and set off on a journey where your heart takes you! You will always spot a number of campervans around, parked at beautiful sites for stay saving you additional accommodation and many other costs. There are so many camping parks around which offer additional accommodation and arrangements/services to make your camping experience more beautiful.