Sequoia - Acacia Lodge Motel Rotorua

... lakes (such as the one called the champagne lake due to the large number of bubbles) were a bit more dramtic and the colours around the various thermal exhibits more vivid that the first park.<br>In the evening we went to a cultural evening held by one of the local Maori tribes, This involved some delicious food cooked on hot coals underground and a ...

... people go down the hill, it didn't look very fast, but once we went it felt like we were going more than just 30 km/hour. <br> This weekend so far, has been one of my favorite memories. I am so glad I am here in New Zealand, but now I am fast approaching being broke. BUT...at least I can say: I went down the WORLD'S LARGEST commercially-used waterfall and still SURVIVED!!!<br><br> <br><br>

... our time in NZ so we could have more time in the cheaper Asian countries, with the extra time providing opportunities for brief visits to Borneo and Cambodia.<br><br>We shared some pasta with another couple on our bus and after a chat we went to the Polynesian Spa which is basically lots of public baths heated by geothermal energy. They ...

... Before long we were told to turn our lights off and immediately we saw the multi-coloured glow worms up on the roof. The journey continued, getting more and more physically challenging culminating in a waist-high wade down a freezing cold underground river with a jump off a waterfall sufficiently high to deliver a good dunking. It turned out to be a tough few hours caving, but worth it to see sights the likes of which we'd only ever seen on the Planet Earth programmes before ...

... walking to find the hostel while carrying our rucksacks and other bags. My rucksack now weighs 25kgs! I don't know how but it does. After around twenty minutes of waiting for the manager he and his wife showed up to bring us to the other hostel. They apologised for what had happened and gave us $5 to pay for a taxi to get the bus in the morning. They said that they would book the taxi for us. The next morning we were waiting outside our hostel from 7.15 am until ...

I left Auckland on Saturday morning and headed south to Rotorua, an area known for the beauty of volcano created mountains, lakes, geysers and geothermal parks, as well as native Maori culture. I hit the road on an Intercity Bus, which was clean, comfortable and doubled as a free-tour, since the driver obviously enjoyed sharing tips and highlights of the North Island countryside. It's inexpensive, safe, convenient and they even stop along the way for tea - I love it! I'm planning to use ...

Having unwound slightly from yesterday's epic alpine crossing tramp, we staggered out of bed and set off for Rotorua, a town made famous for its thermal baths and eggy smells. Unfortunately, we hadn't considered how busy it would be (it's Waitangi weekend, a big public holiday) and were unable to get any accommodation in town. We decided our best bet was to stay in Te Puke, (allegedly) thirty minutes drive from Rotorua. On the drive up we stopped at Taupo, a town on the shores of ...

... lawn bowling and croquet. The whole thing seemed a bit out of place, but was pretty spectacular. The next day we made our way to Taupo with a stopover in the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. Despite the incredibly cheesy name, the park is pretty well put together. We were also fairly surprised by the amount of people visiting the park. Since there is a geyser that the park sets off everyday at 10:30am, we sat ...

... by sending out their warriors, tongues protruding and all, to see what sort of signal we gave them back. Two very accommodating German tourists had been selected as our chiefs for their evening, so they stumbled up mortified to assure our Maouri kin that we were not there to rape and pillage, merely to partake in a civilized exchange of culture and conversation. We were permitted entry and then the fun began. The concert was extremely polished and professional ...

26/08/08 - L From the coast we drove down to Rotorua, which is 297m above sea level and smells awful!! Before we arrived in the town we had a quick adrenaline filled stop at the Agrodrome Adventure Park for Zorbing!! This was an awesome experience and I have never giggled so much! You basically get thrown into a huge plastic ball get soaked in water and roll ...