I have just recently returned from a week’s excursion to the Taupo district for a week of companionship and fun with some fellow members of the North Shore Fly Fishers. I am a devoted advocate of the philosophy that the fishing is always good, regardless of the catching, as it’s all about making the time to be in a place that’s wild and clean and home to wonderful and wild creatures. We had a full spectrum of weather, from near-gale winds and rain to idyllic clear and calm spells. Lake Otamangakau (Oh-tah-mahng-AH-kow), 
which was our daily companion, is within sight of the three peaks in the National Park, and when the wind wafts over them, lenticular clouds downwind are a fairly common result. And, if you look closely, that whitish patch on the side of Mount Tongariro, in the lower-right third of the image, is steam escaping (constantly) from a live volcanic vent.
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krikitarts 
Welcome back Gary, nice to see your first pic from the trip :)
Thanks, Liz, it was good to get out of Auckland and into the wildness, but it’s great to be home again, too.
Wonderful cloud! Glad you were off having a fine time as your absence was noted. Missed ya! Your attitude about fishing is mine about photography. Being there is the important part and coming home with a catch is a bonus although the more catches the better.
Thanks for noting my absence; this has been my longest one in quite a while and I’m working to catch up. I did have a fine time, but I had no internet access at all and missed it quite a bit. And, yes, there were a couple of memorable catches.
Happy lenticular clouds to you. Yes, we did note you weren’t here. (“Yes, we have no bananas.”) I looked up Lake Otamangakau on a map and found it’s not far from the southern end of Lake Taupo, which is the largest lake in the country; it’s supposedly also the second-largest freshwater lake in Oceania.
Thanks for that, Steve. Lake O is the second-largest lake in the Taupo district, but there are many much-larger lakes in New Zealand alone. It’s also man-made.
Fantastic! Elemental!
It’s good to get away from the internet for a while ;-)
It is good, and this was the first time in many months. It does take a lot of time to catch up on things afterward, though!
Sounds and looks idyllic 😊
About 10 of us from the club went down and we only saw about five others the whole time we were there. Missed the family but it was a welcome few days of a real change of pace.
As beautiful as the photo is, I’m more excited to imagine just being able to go off on a trip with friends. It seems unimaginable right now. Another round of applause for NZ! :-)
Oh, how I second that emotion!
:-)
Taupo! We just published a post on this lovely city today! I like how you pointed out the steam vent in the picture, I looked very closely and it make we smile. We were lucky enough to hike the Tongariro North Circuit, and it was spectacular!!
Thanks for the steam vent comment. You did a fine job on your Tongariro hike–wish I were still able to undertake a trek like that!
Thanks so much for that!😁 If you ever get the chance, you should definitely take it. The hike is like no other. 🥰