We began exploring the town of Taupo (beyond the grocery store, butcher and bakery, that is) and started with the town's museum. An imposing sculpture (Taupo Heartland) greets visitors as they come near the museum. There are two major Maori exhibits in the museum, including the historic Reid carving collection and a whare. The carving collection of 51 pieces were presented to the people of the Lake Taupo Region for safe keeping by the late Mrs Lucy Rongoheikume Reid, daughter of Joseph Rickit, one of the original Armed Constabulary members that settled Lake Taupo. The carvings are the work of master carver Tene Waitere, a survivor of the 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption. Out of respect for the Maori culture, no photos are allowed within either the whare or the Maori exhibit with the Reid carvings. There is a large carving out in the main area that provides a hint of the grandeur that lies within the exhibits themselves. Just off one of the exhibits is the Ora - Garden of Wellbeing. This is the gold medal-winning garden (Chelsea Flower Show 2004) and includes steaming silica terraces made in the Weta Workshop (best known for their work on the Lord of the Rings movies).
The main exhibit (other than the Maori) was a photo essay on North Korea that was taken by a New Zealander. He received permission from the North Korean government to enter as a photographer and was allowed to take photos – an astonishing accomplishment in itself. The photos were a little eerie, especially for Kent – the military photos reminded him of his remote tour in South Korea (1988-89). Other exhibits showcase local geology, the timber industry and trout fishing at the lake.
One of the main reasons for stopping by the museum was to take the 1-hour Heritage Walking Tour. Unfortunately (or fortunately as it turned out), the volunteer guide was under the weather. The museum had a detailed brochure so we could take a self-guided tour. We ended up taking a little longer than an hour since we stopped by the Lawn Bowling Centre and struck up a conversation with several of the players as they rolled balls of various sizes. We couldn't decide if lawn bowling was like curling on grass ... or if curling was like lawn bowling on ice. In either case, it certainly has a specialized following. In addition to the Trout Sculpture, we noticed the McDonalds restaurant had its own DC-3 (although we couldn't find out if they still used it for deliveries ... hee hee).
