A good friend that used to work with me many years ago in Japan got married and moved to this little town, and invited me to come see her while I was still living in Australia. I thought, “Where the heck is Taupo?” and had to go find it on a map. It was such a wonderful invitation that I decided to stay with them for about two weeks.
Although Taupo is located in a geothermal hotspot with frequent volcanic activity, the area around the town is full of sprawling natural beauty.
Getting there requires a one-hour flight from the Auckland airport, followed by a six-hour bus ride. I wasn’t pressed for time on this trip, so I decided to take it slow on the bus and just soak in the New Zealand countryside.
But despite having looked forward to the drive between Auckland and Taupo, the early-morning flight knocked me out and I fell asleep on the bus immediately.
At some point I woke up and looked out the window to see a long line of cows wandering through a pastoral landscape, with grazing horses and sheep dotting the hills. It was a soothing sight.
Taupo has several popular tourist attractions, as it is known as one of the best areas to experience the natural beauty of New Zealand. The town is by no means large, but it is adorable perched on the shores of a lake. There are cafés, shops, restaurants, supermarkets, and boutiques alongside city offices and clinics—pretty much everything you’d need.
My friend has a three-year-old, so every day was a whirlwind from morning until night.
In the morning she took them to preschool, dance class, and gymnastics class, followed by the park in the afternoon. Then there was shopping, making dinner, bath time, reading a book, and putting them to bed. Every day was a big day full of big emotions.
It was a totally kid-centered life, but it gave me an opportunity to marvel at just how wonderful education is.
At the preschool, for example, the teachers build kids’ confidence by having them find something they want to do and then making them figure out how to do it, rather than just teaching them. The important thing is allowing them to play with what interests them.
And my friend always checked in to see what her kid wanted with even the smallest things.
Even when her child was getting dressed, my friend didn’t thoughtlessly intervene. Instead, she taught them to say whether they wanted to dress by themselves or if they wanted help. The parents doing their best to read subtle cues and anticipate what the child needs without them expressing it was seemingly a strange thing to do. It was interesting to see even small children being taught to clearly express their thoughts and desires. I guess that’s the norm here.
Of course every country and culture has its own approach to education, and every parent has different views on the subject, but here, at least, it seemed like children were not being forced to study. Instead, they were given opportunities to play freely in an expansive environment that allowed them to clearly express what they thought and felt.
In addition to its beautiful natural scenery and tourist attractions, Taupo also has many lovely cafés.
The people are also very kind, with the drivers in cars at intersections waving to pedestrians to pass in front of them.
It was amazingly safe, too—apparently it’s common for people to go out without even locking their doors.
I guess living in such a beautiful environment does something to make people’s hearts kind and peaceful as well.
In my next post, I’ll tell you more about the cafés and local points of interest from my stay in Taupo.
