• Travel: In awe of Lake Taupo

Travel: In awe of Lake Taupo

Standing on the hill above Lake Taupo. The sun has recently risen, and crowds have gathered. Taupo celebrates its 35th Ironman Event.

The cannon fires. The pro-athletes are long gone. Anxious supporters, wrapped in jackets and beanies are bustling for a space, cell phones on video mode, trying to catch a glimpse of a loved one among a tidal wave of bodies.

The mass start of the swim section of the Ironman.

 

It’s futile, of course. With over 1500 swimmers battling for a space, all the supporters can do is marvel at the spectacle of seeing so many swimmers in one place.

A women comments “They look like a pack of Piranha’s!” Hopefully she was talking about the vegetarian piranha – Tometes camunai – who live in the Amazonian rapids of the Trombeta’s basin in Para, Brazil. They live solely off riverweeds. But I can see her point …

Personally, I couldn’t help wondering if the microscopic algae – Lindavia intermedia – which has recently been found for the first time in Lake Taupo, would cause more problems. This alga causes ‘Lake Snow’ - sticky strands of mucus or slime that hang under the water. It has been known to be a nuisance to swimmers: it clings to them as they swim by. I know how important every second is in these events.

Lake Taupo is the perfect setting for an Ironman.

 

My cell phone vibrates. It’s a message from Ironman letting me know my partner Tony Weber has started the swim. Now I can relax. The supporters drift away from the lake in search in coffee. Many are laden down with their loved one’s bag, shoes and warm clothes. We share knowing glances and smiles. It’s a long day ahead. But its not all bad, Taupo, on a late summer’s day, is quite exquisite. Loads to do, places to visit, and many natural attractions.

Wading in some geothermal warmth on the edge of the great lake.

 

My attention turns to the Lake. This lake is mighty. Its breath taking beauty holds me in a state of admiration.

There is good reason to remain in awe of Lake Taupo. Before the times of science, we would have worshipped this lake, believing some great supremacy lay dormant under the clear waters. Clues of another world spring up here and there. When the air is cold, steam can be seen rising from the flawless lake surface, and children play happily in the geothermal pools.

Lake Taupo is actually the crater of a super-volcano which has been active for around 1.6 million years. Over the past 26,000 years it has erupted 28 times. The ferocity of Taupo’s eruptions mean it literally blows its top clean off! The Oruanui eruption that occurred around 27,000 years ago is mostly reasonable for Lake Taupo’s current shape. These types of eruptions are known as caldera-forming eruptions.

The run section of the Ironman alongside the lake.

 

The cool clear waters of this world renowned Lake actually sit on another type of lake. Just 10km below, a fiery lake of molten rock bubbles. I try to imagine what this would look like if it pushed its way to the surface. Fire, ash, molten lava, skies blackened, rocks the size of houses being spat out at tremendous force. Nature, at its most powerful, taking back.

The Ironman swimmers have turned around. Forming an arrow, like flocks of birds migrating to warmer lands, their arms moving together, powerful strokes, in unison. The pro-athletes are already well into their bike stage. My cell phone vibrates. “Tony Weber has finished the swim”.

Enjoying the lake’s clear waters.

 

Lake Taupo is a fitting venue for Ironman New Zealand, and I can understand why it is considered one of the best IM locations in the world. Under its calm exterior lies a power that could change New Zealand in an instant.

The Ironman moto “Anything is possible” is fitting, when standing next to this super-volcano.