Cactus Jacks Rotorua

Post caving our next town was Rotorua. I had been here before the girls wanted to try out Cactus Jacks. I had raved about the lovely hostel and random stag do night. Plus the girls we met whilst tubing had also decided to come stay to so off we went. Personally I was a bit worried as I like the place but would they? Once Pauline had met Daryl, see the courtyard they both loved the place and the Irish girls arrived at the same time and also like the place so that was a relief! Also this hostel...

Rotorua is famed as being the cultural capital of NZ and is also called Vegas as it has so many hotels in a row. I will probably remember it more for its eggy sulphur smell as it is surrounded by hot geyers. I arrived hungover on a Saturday morning looking for somewhere to sleep. My recommended hostel was full so I started walking and found a hostel which has become my favourite hostel - Cactus Jacks. I was tired on arrival - bus travel on a hangover is never great that I went to bed. I did m...

We drove East towards the volcanic centre of the North Island and the town of Rotorua. On approach we both smelt a familiar pong, but as we started to blame each other realised that the smell of sulphur was from the volcanic activity in the region. The whole area stank of rotten eggs! It was a bit horrible at first but you soon get used to it and even come to like it in a weird way? Rotorua sits bang ontop of a seething mass of geothermic activity and the surface signs of this are hot springs...

The smell is potent...I won't go into to much detail but this place smells like ass.. Apparently a geezer isn't just some thug of an English bloke...The only consolation is that you do get used to it, well as much as you can. Once we arrived in Rotorua, we had done our Lonely Planet/ BBH (sorry backpacker talk!!) research, we checked into Cactus Jack's hostel. A classy themed hostel, plenty of Jim Beam around! No messing with Craigo, straight away he had a tour organised. This time, so confid...

Hello all!! I have made a few friends here in New Zealand. There are 2 girls living down the street from me here in Auckland in the same program as me. There is also a girl living in Hamilton, an hour and a half south of here! On Friday we rented a car and drove down to pick up Rachel in Hamilton! This meant my first time driving a car on the wrong side of the road AND with the wheel on the wrong side! Pretty tricky! We left right after work, which meant that I learned how to drive in rush ho...

I had been warned about the smell in Roturua and when I arrived it wasn't too bad but the closer you get to the lake or any drain you get the strong stink of rotten eggs. I got an early morning bus from Auckland and meet up with Jamie and Alexis, who recommended a cool hostel with a western theme, cactus jacks, which turned out to be a cracking hostel. The first afternoon I spent walking around the lake and up to a moari settlement just north of the town. The area is famous for is thermal act...

Went through Auckland to pick up my unlocked phone (so you can all text me now! only costs 10p to text nz from the uk) and reached Rotorua at about 3pm. First thing that lets you know you've arrived in Rotorua is the stench. It's a volcanic town and there are sulpur pools everywhere. Sulphur bubbles out of the mud and you can smell it for about 50km around. Fund a mad hostel called 'cactus jacks' and got settled in before having a soak in the free spa. Book the white water sledging for the da...

Here in Roturua theres lots to do, we were staying in a hostel called Hot Rocks, but we have moved to Cacktus Jacks. Its more of a homely feel and cheaper. Me and lads went White Water Rafting on friday. Unfortunately I dyslocated my knee cap after the first few rapids. We were all mucking about and splashing other boats. Dan was getting pulled in so I tried helping him but someone pulled me from behind into the water. My foot was in the grips under the inflatable tubes in the middle of the ...