Welington to Taupo

The drive up to Taupo was longer than I thought and took about 6 hours most of it on 2 lane roads. The last part was up on the 'The Desert Road' which is a high tundra like area. The NZ Army has a big base up here and for a large part of the drive there were warning signs along the road stating that it was a live testing and training area and not to leave the highway. Eventually the road dropped into rolling bush and strange rock formations finally dropping onto Lake Taupo itself. Driving into Taupo I pulled up and flicked through the Lonely Planet for a hostel. I chose the Berkenhoff Lodge which was on the outskirts of town. They had beds so I booked in then went back to town to get some food for tea from the supermarket. The hostel had it's own bar so I savored a few beers before heading off to bed.