"gaan we vanmiddag zwemmen?"

"are we going to swim this afternoon? we didn't swim yet today/gaan we vanmiddag zwemmen? we hebben vandaag nog niet gezwommen." laurian and tom were flabbergasted of their two and a bit year old in taupo by the thermal landscape called hidden valley orakei korako. these were two flawless sentences that mette uttered because she associated the very clear water deep down below in the cave with the thermal baths by their campsite. and also probably with the crater lake she saw the day before that looked like a swimming pool to her.

the family has entered into vulcano land big time. the national park tungariro has two vulcanoes of which one very active, the last eruption was in 2007. there is a huge castle/hotel in the middle of the park - where our friend boaz proposed to our friend renske - and a department of conservation campground next door. everyone on the campsite goes on a 7 hour transalpine walk that goes by mount doom of lord of the rings - chosen because of its symmetrical cone shape; a typical vulcano like in cartoons -, steam coming out of the ground and the greenish emerald lake. not tom and laurian because they don't have the back pack yet to carry mette. if fact, they would buy it the day after, but 7 hours was still a bit too much, really. instead they decide to treat themselves on a flight over the two vulcanoes. for this event mette has an attention span of five minutes and could better have stayed on the ground to save the other half of half price but after strapping her up properly she just can't switch allard's and her own headphones back and forth anymore and all is quiet.
the flight goes first over the steam from the ground. then by mount doom. what an impressive shape. a perfect cone. it's only shaped like that because it's very young and not yet eroded like its elder siblings and fortunately not as active. the last eruption was in the mid 1800's. how cool would it be to be able to look into the crater, tom thinks. the pilot must have received tom's brainwave because he approaches the crater and flies all around it. there's even smoke coming from the top! albeit a very small stack! breathtaking, that's what it is.
then off to the big active vulcano, ruapehu. it's the highest in new zealand and covered in snow because of that. you can ski on its slopes in the winter (july-august) if it doesn't have an eruption warning which it currently doesn't have. it looks like a mountain but yes, also here the plane flies over and around the vulcano, and on the top it looks like craters (there are 3 or so craters) with the biggest one as a beautiful green crater lake of around 35 degrees centigrade in the middle of the snow!
mette decides that it looks like a swimming pool.
laurian and tom decide that this flight was one of the greatest experiences so far.

the next day, after an early lunch at the chateau tangariro given as a birthday present to laurian from renske and boaz (thanks guys, very thoughtful and original!) the journey goes to taupo. lake taupo is a huge lake that was formed 131 AD from a vulcano whose effects of the eruption could be seen/felt in europe. the campground is next to thermal baths so everyone, including allardje, jumps in the 37 degrees bath.
that evening laurian and tom drink lots of new zealand white wine with wouter and gita van essenberg who are also traveling in new zealand for two months with their 3(!) chrildren of 4 and 2 and a few months.

wouter and gita recommended to not go see the craters of the moon but the hidden valley orakei korako instead. so the family went. gee! steam, boiling water, sulfur smell, geysers, a cave, bubbling mud, landscape from mars. you've never seen something like this before. mette's quote of the day: "het water is heeeeeel warm. niet lekker/the water is veeeery hot. not pleasant".