the track began by walking across this beach...you would have laughed to see me timing my running around these trees while there was momentarily no water...very rude of them to sit right in the middle of the beach like that...there was even a bit of scrambling through the trees when that freezing cold water wouldn't go away 

view across lake taupo from kinloch where the walk started from 

north-west of taupo did the kawakawa bay track from kinloch...it was muddy and cold and i thought i picked a dud track until i got to the views of the lake...it was five degrees and by the time i finshed the walk after several hours i could not move my fingers enought to grip the carkeys! frrrrr 

it was like this for a lot of the way which is why i was going to turn around, good thing i didn't because the views i fianlly got were amazing 

i had to get over that steam somehow and i sure wasn't going to get my feet wet! 

halfway along the track came out at this view, just when i was going to turn around because it was so muddy and cold and monotonous, but this worth it 

i could see water through the trees and wondered where i was 

arriving at kawakawa bay 

wow 

finally got the endpoint of the track and came out of the bush to find this little secluded bay, it was so amazing arriving there...especially because i still thought i had another hour of walking to go... 

hmm 

the rock above the beach 

relaxing on the tiny beach for one 

at kawakawa bay...can you tell i'm freezing my butt off? 

hmm 

you can see how windy it was from those waves...this is just a lake! 

the sun stayed out all day...i think i really would ahve frozen otherwise 

back at the beach at the beginning of the walk 

this was actually the track to get to the walk 

i had to scramble through this tree on the beach in order to not get wet from the waves coming up the beach... 

i just realised at the end of the walk that that thing in the distance is mount ruapehu covered in snow 

back at the beginning 

see mount ruapehu all covered in snow...i was pretty lucky to get this shot - it's usually surrounded by clouds 

it was such a clear day i could see right across the lake taupo to mount ruapehu and other mountians all covered in snow. No wonder i was so cold. 

very fast running water at huku falls