Op Shops and the Crafty Trout Brewery

 

Op Shop is a Thrift store

WE LOVE OP SHOPS

In New Zealand and Australia, we loved to go to Op Shops (Opportunity Shops), which Americans call Thrift Stores. Almost everywhere we go, we hit up the Op shops as we arrived in a new area. Lots of fun. And we'd find good deals, but wouldn't always buy things (because we were backpacking and had very little room). So, it was mostly safe.

BOOKS

So we found two good books at an Op shop in Taupo. First was a Tundra, an Alaskan comic strip book. Chad Carpenter is a hilarious writer, and we've followed his comic strips for a long time. He always comes to our state fair in Fairbanks. So, we picked up that book and gave it away. 

THE DOOMSDAY BOOK

The Domesday Book is a manuscript record of a massive survey of England and parts of Wales, completed in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror. It is Britain's earliest public record and was designed to assess the country's wealth, landholdings, and taxable resources. [1, 2]

The other was a great find: The Doomsday Book. Mind you, we found this book in the Travel section, but it is not a travel book (even though it contains photographs of cities). Being in the SCA and loving medieval history, we knew that this was a copy of the survey done by none other than William the Conqueror in 1086! So we picked that up (for like $1) and gave it to a friend there in the SCA (where it will do much more good than it will in the travel section of an Op shop!).

CRAFTY TROUT BREWERY

Nothing is more fun than a welcoming, well-done brewery! When we saw the front, we knew we'd have to go eat there. 

We loved the great pub decor and also the clever signs (much more than pictured here!). 

BREWS ON TAP

Here's the list.

AROUND TOWN.

Around town, we saw another majestic tree.

A view of Lake Taupo from near our Airbnb

What is this? Not sure.

Craters of the Moon and Huka Falls

 

Craters of the Moon

Craters of the Moon Entrance

We didn't have a car, so Jen dropped us off, and we walked through the Craters of the Moon park. It takes about 30-45 minutes to walk the loop, and then we'd walk to Huka Falls nearby.

Bumble Bee    

Craters of the Moon (Karapiti) in Taupō is a young, dynamic geothermal area that emerged in the 1950s following pressure changes from the nearby Wairākei geothermal power station. It features steaming fumaroles, mud pools, and colorful soils, with a constantly changing landscape that requires regular, safe rerouting of its wooden boardwalks.

After that, we walked about 30 minutes to get to Haka Falls, another popular tourist spot.

Huka Falls Map

Huka Falls

Huka Falls

HUKA FALLS VIDEOS

Huka Falls, located on the Waikato River near Taupō, is New Zealand's most-visited natural attraction, featuring a powerful 11-meter waterfall created by the river narrowing from 100 meters to a 15-meter chasm

Formed ~26,000 years ago by the volcanic Oruanui eruption, its name means "foam" in Māori.

THE SILLY ZOOM

Sometimes Khevron takes a picture of me and keeps coming closer and closer until the pictures get sillier and sillier.

Normal

Getting closer.

Silly

Sillier

Khevron!

Silliest!

ICE CREAM

After the Falls, we stopped for ice cream. The temptation was just too much!

Mmmmm!

Sillier.

Then we walked for maybe 30 minutes, thinking we could get closer to town. Finally, we called Jen, and she came and picked us up. It was a big walking day.

The Walkway

View from the walk home.

GARDEN OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

We are both suckers for majestic tall trees. I suppose I should learn more about trees, flowers, and shrubs because we have gone to a LOT of Botanical gardens throughout the years.

On our walk, we saw two types of cool trees. One was Coast Redwoods brought to New Zealand and planted at the beginning of the 20th century, specifically between 1901 and 1905. The others were Oak trees, which were just budding with acorns.


The 17-acre grounds are a recognized Garden of National Significance. While the property is heavily known for its native ferns, willows, and pine forests, it also features an idyllic green space known as the "Orchard," which is surrounded by majestic, old oak trees. [1, 2, 3]

Acorns on an Oak tree.

REDWOOD TREES

The towering trees you see at Huka Lodge in Taupō, New Zealand, are Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). [1, 2]

While "redwood" and "sequoia" are both commonly used terms, it helps to distinguish between the two prominent varieties in California: [1]

• Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens): These are the trees on the Huka Lodge property. They are the tallest living trees on Earth, featuring flat needles and fibrous, reddish-brown bark. [1, 2, 3, 4]
• Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum): These are the largest trees by volume. They have scale-like needles and generally grow at higher elevations. [1, 2, 3]

The specific Coast Redwoods at Huka Lodge were planted as part of historical experimental forestry efforts and now soar above the grounds on the banks of the Waikato River. [1, 2]

Here are the specific historical details:

• The Background: The trees were planted as part of a widespread government experiment. After native forests were heavily depleted in the 19th century, authorities planted over 170 different exotic species across the central North Island to see if any could provide a quick-growing, sustainable source of timber. [1, 2, 3]
• The Location: While the most famous grove from this era is the Redwood Memorial Grove in the Whakarewarewa Forest in nearby Rotorua (about a 50-minute drive north), experimental plantings were also established closer to Taupō. The sheltered, mineral-rich volcanic soil and high rainfall of the Waikato River basin proved ideal, allowing the Californian redwoods to thrive and grow nearly twice as fast as they do in their native United States. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

(GoogleAI)

We have seen a lot of Redwood trees as we have traveled through New Zealand.

New Zealand grows a significant amount of redwoods (over 10,000 hectares planted), but it is a niche crop compared to their dominant Radiata pine. While they export milled timber and logs, the export volume is currently small but growing. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

(GoogleAI)

I found it interesting that the Redwoods could grow nearly twice as fast in New Zealand as they did in California. 

.

A day in Napier

Napier, New Zealand

In Napier, New Zealand

March 25th, 2026

We walked to town, set on heading to the Bluff Hill Lookout. 

We walked along the beach a little. The Sunken Gardens are right next to the beach.

Here’s an oddly leaning tree, on the beach.

SUNKEN GARDENS

On the way, we walked along the beach and saw the Sunken Gardens. Being late in the season, some of the beds were empty.

Video: The Sunken Gardens in Napier NZ

https://youtube.com/shorts/FClRjDjx9R4?feature=share

CENTENNIAL GARDENS

Then we stopped at the Nui Mai Tuhinapo, which is the Centennial Gardens.

Centennial Gardens: 

https://youtube.com/shorts/832HEK-m1qw?feature=share

BLUFF HILL LOOKOUT

Bluff Hill Lookout

The walk up to Bluff Hill Lookout was pretty steep and longer than I thought it would be. We had quite a view of the ocean, and also Napier Port which was busy with activity.

Video: Bluff Hill Lookout, Napier NZ

https://youtube.com/shorts/Kjd7EZ5jn3I?feature=share

WALK TO STURM’S GULLY

Walking down to Sturm’s Gully

We walked down the other side to Karetoki Whare; Sturm’s Gully.

An oddly leaning tree in someone’s driveway:

An oddly leaning tree.

Then we walked the long way back to town and got dinner at Cafe Anatolia Napier. 

Garlic Cheese Bread