A later start, at 7, as we're not showering which normally involves a game of tag with the room key. Our door suffers from a strong bowing effect which means it barely closes let alone locks so "standing guard" over our stuff seems more pressing -- not that we don't trust other backpackers or anything.
As it happens, it's not that cold but we'd made our minds up. For some reason I never seem to look at the sky until we drive off at which point I note that it's a clear blue sky -- a good sightseeing day. When we paid up we were given a couple of pointers for walks around the volcanoes -- today is volcano day -- which coincide with the Volcano Loop, part of the Thermal Explorer Highway.
The loop runs around the three big players on the North Island: Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro -- the fourth big player, White Island, is off the NE coast. The one problem with New Zealand roads is that they never planned for sightseeing tourists so there are precious few stopping places. Most often we screech to a halt at a turning into a field, or somesuch, and hope that no police are about. When you do get a chance, the views are stunning although we suffered mental collapse over which [volcano] was which and even what they were called -- Maori names don't seem to register.
As we turned across the bottom of the loop the weather had started closing in, back to low cloud again. We came back around the side and whipped (or rather the Corolla staggered) up the access road to Iwikau Village -- now a bleak mass of ski lodges in a barren rocky corner. Plenty of campervans staggered to the top too! Most people were off to ski or presumably take the lift up near the top of Ruapehu for the view (of cloud).
Iwikau Village S39.23606
E175.55585 Elev. 1620m. 
We went back down to Whakapapa Village (a large Chateaux, visitors centre and a holiday park) for the walks. The visitors centre has a PC linked to the local seismograph which shows a steady background of grumbling -- we presume that's normal.
We choose the Silica Rapids walk, two hours return and kit up as best we can for any change in the weather (that'll be waterproof top, some water and some sweets and chocolate) and head off. Lots of mountain streams, some of which seem pure, some cover everything in their path in orange (aluminium) or creamy-white (alumino-silicate) having leeched the chemicals from the volcanic rock above. Quite colourful.
We carry on round the Volcano Loop but the absence of advertised viewpoints is becoming quite irritating. We head off towards Taupo on the west side of the lake but again we only get glimpses of what must be spectacular views. We divert to the hot spring we found yesterday and it not only appears to have dropped in height (how odd) but there's a good dozen people there. It's obviously a popular spot.
Our double with shared bathroom is a surprise. Expecting a communial bathroom it turns out to be literally shared with the next room -- a two entrance en-suite. It's not clear how this works but the woman emphasises a vanity (swing) door which protects us if we're having a shower from next door tramping through to go to the loo, clean their teeth etc.. It doesn't do much for next door as, surely, when we open our door it'll whoosh the shower curtain aside for the poor soul inside. Ho hum.
Taupo seems a seasonably fitted out city [town!] (New Zealand style) though the restaurants (excluding the fast food chains) seem a little pricey -- NZ$ 16+ for a main. We find one offering a Tuesday special -- a steak and a tap beer for NZ$ 14 -- and I plump for the Speight's Old Dark as an accompanyment. Not a bad beer (so I stretch the budget by having another) and the steak arrives. It's cooked well enough but what's odd is that it's box shaped (an inch square by four long) rather than the usual slice of fillet.
The silence protocol is the technique we adopt for the shared bathroom. You wait to see if you can hear any noise then carefully edge in. Finding the place empty you make a reasonable amount of noise to give next door a fair chance. It sounds like next door is a group of German women. I must make doubly sure of the protocol tomorrow for fear of disturbing a Teutonic Valkyrie rampant in her ablutions...
Burke's Backpackers, Taupo S38.68403
E176.07433 Elev. 409m. 
Copyright 2002 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.