Blog 171 From Tepid Baths to Golem's Pool
November 11, 2022

I wore a bathing suit to one and a wool cap to the other. One was built on a morgue and exhibits a woman's death mask and the other was vaguely familiar. Another New Zealand day that started with torrents of rain. We are snug in our hotel room while to beautiful red ketch that won the Whitbread Round the World race tied up in front of us is getting soaked. Time to go swimming. I selected our Auckland hotel for a view of the harbor and a chance to swim. After comparing all the modern hotels with fancy infinity pools I landed on the hotel next door to the Tepid Baths, a public swimming center built in 1914 to use the warm water from early electric power plant that lit up Auckland. I have swim along the journey in the ocean but there is something magic about swimming in a pool being an excuse to do somersaults again and again. The people are welcoming and the only surprise is to find the swimmers swimming clockwise and not counter clockwise. Another ramification of driving on the left. I grab pastries for breakfast and we enjoy learning about the historic racing boats tied up right in front of us. The red Steinlager was built as long as the rules would allow. Her berths, stacked in atop the other in okie large open room make the Mabel Rose look luxurious. I dash out to get a new pair of hiking boots and find the Maori and Samoan women at the store willing to help both with my shoes and with my Maori pronunciations. Tina, my age, has recently returned from Australia and is just now learning Maori. Maori is everywhere now and learnt it is "full on."

The rain let's up and we head to the Auckland war museum, a natural history museum in a park overlooking the city. From giant Moa, birds taller than Karl to Maori history and culture exhibits the threads to the people and history echo we have seen crossing the Pacific. So much to absorb in one place after the tiny museums tucked in small corners in the Marquesas.

By late afternoon we arrive in the largest active volcanic province in New Zealand. It is cloudy on our drive in and we do not see much. Gillian the owner of the lodge lets us know there is still a chance the weather will clear and we can do the Tongariro Crossing tomorrow. If the Tepid Baths are one of the top swimming pools in the world (according to the Wall Street journal) the Tongariro Cross that takes you between two active volcanos, past beautiful lakes and steaming hills is one of the most amazing hikes. The crossing starts on one side of the volcanos and ends up 12 km to the north. Last time I could not cross because the volcano was erupting. I had to hike up and back. Right now the wind forecast to strong to make it safe in the Red Crater. We will see.

We settle into our room but I see there is still 2 hours of light and I know there are some short hike. I wait to see if Karl is interested. He shows interest and we are off. The Tawhia Falls are close and a short hike. The sky has cleared and we can momentarily see the volcanos. The rainbows remind us that our joy at seeing the dramatic cones may be passing. We reach the trailhead and have the place to ourselves. The waterfall gushes over the smoothed grey volcanic rock with hint of glacial blue. This is Golems's pool and was featured in the Lord of the Rings. The volcanos behind us is covered in snow. I left my bathing suit behind and am snug in my wool hat and down jacket.