Feeling a lot better after a comfortable nights sleep, we carried on our drive around Lake Taupo and then found ourselves stopping at Huka Falls just outside Wairakei. This is where the Waikato River is squeezed into just a 15m wide chasm and the water thunders over a ledge and into the basin below. It's an pretty awesome sight and the colour of the water as it fills the basin is a brilliant light blue, accentuated by the foamy white bubbles. You get a great view from the bridge built over the falls.

A short drive further on from the Huka Falls we came to Craters of the Moon. Unfortunatley, they only took New Zealand bank cards and we didn't have enough cash on us. So it was a drive back to the town of Taupo to find a cashpoint. We decided to make the most of the trip to town and grabbed some lunch before heading back to Crater of the Moon to try and gain entry once again. This place appears as a wide, desolate valley containing steaming craters and pools, existing due to the geothermal nature of this region of New Zealand. You could take it at your own pace and there were some great craters to see. It's quite incredibly how active the area is. I think Stu's favourite was the mud pools.

Our next stop was in Rotorua, really the main area for tourists to experience the geothermal activity of the region. We took a brief drive down to the lake to take a few pictures, and also passed plenty of places here which looked worth a visit, but time was getting on and we thought it was time to find somewhere for the night. Stu decided that he wanted to stay in comfort again so we found a motel for the second night running. We certainly weren't stuck for choice as the main road in the town centre of Rotorua is one long line of motels. Due to the 'thermal' nature of the area, each one boasts of having spa pools too. We found a nice motel room which had it's own private spa bath, and had the bedroom on a mezzanine floor so was really spacious and comfortable. Stu relaxed in the spa bath while I chilled out in front of the TV. We found a channel which had a constant run of Family Guy, American Dad, Southpark and Futurama on it so that kept us entertained for the rest of the evening. Plus, they had a takeaway menu for the local Indian restaurant so we thought we'd get a takeaway. I have to confess that it wasn't the best takeaway Indian food I've ever had, but we ordered two main meals with rice and a few side dishes and appetisers and the whole thing came to about �20 - crazy cheap.