May 28 - Rotorua, again

A new day and a chance for new beginnings. Time to retry that walk from yesterday under a sunnier sky. This time the lake was calm but the swans were still evil. The beauty of the view can make one easily understand how it has inspired a maori love story involving the lake (if you really want to hear it just let me know). So as not to miss out this time we headed from the lake straight for the park of boiling mud. After a little initial disappointment, and only seeing less impressive boiling water (we do get that in pots regularly afterall) success! We spent a good hour here checking out the numerous muddy upwellings and the damage they have occasionally done when they spouted water all over the place.
Then back along the lake and a leisurely stroll through the Botanical Gardens, which confussingly surround a golf course, spas and museum. The walking paths hold warnings that if one wanders off the marked areas they may fall into large holes of steaming water and mud. Just a little freaky.
A good 2 hours were then spent at the museum which used to be a ground breaking spa and therapy centre. The tour guide was really into the place and tended to drone on every now and then.
So that's what there was to do within walking distance in Rotorua. Our bus didn't leave the town until 11 pm so we wasted the rest of our time at the Warehouse (kinda like a K-mart) buying warm clothes we had forgotten to bring for the depths of the south and the Tongariro crossing. We then bought books to read and sat on couchs in the hostel common room until we had to leave for the bus.
In between Mel stopped at what seemed like everyother doughnut shop just to buy bags of fresh mini doughnuts.
The bus reached Taupo around 1 am and since we had next to no energy left, a very incorrect map and I was sans my glasses/contacts finding the hostel was a task and a half. We snuck in and truly confused the guy already sleeping in the room by himself.