II

Taupo

At evening this metallic lake will yield
Reluctant beauty to the determined tourist
Gazing from the bank in shorts and sandals,

Or fish to fishermen, to those who stand
Eight in a row within the slanting sunlight,
Knee-deep in water, taking on her nature,

Or, on its long and wandering shore will lease
Enchanted bays to caravanning couples,
Parcelled in campments, tree's remove from neighbours,

And finally, for those in car and bus,
Parched by the dusty roads and tired by travel
She'll give the last hotel for ninety miles.