An interesting day if nothing else. A bit dull and overcast but probably 20 degrees or so. The plan was to climb Mount Tauhara It lies to the north east of Lake Taupo and it's a couple of mile hike out of town to the start. So, off I went on my merry way and got to the start ok, only to find my way barred by a group of Maori men who refused me entry. As far as I could gather the Maori claim the land/mountain as their own. I don't know whether they have officially been awarded the land or not, but I do know the courts over here are inundated with land claims from the Maori people. Again as I understood it, a local company catering for tourists went ahead and built some sort of heli-pad on the mountain and the Maori community are up in arms about it.Anyway it was a definite no go with some big units blocking the way. Bring on plan B. I ended up doing what they call the Great Lake Walk which is a pleasant enough 10 miler around part of the edge of the lake. Whilst it was enjoyable enough it wasn't something I would have chosen to do but hey ho! I used it as a practice walk for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing which I will do when I move onto the Tongariro National Park in 3 days time. Really looking forward to that. If you're a Lord of the Rings fan it was the mountain that they used to film the Mount Doom sequence. But there's loads of other stuff going on there too. Going for a swim in the morning in the outdoor pool and then hiring a bike for the afternoon.
Attached a couple of shots of the lake
Much love,
Glen 
Much love,
Glen
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