The thermal village of Whakarewarewa, within the city, was our first destination the following morning. We were met at the entrance gate by our Maori guide who proceeded to take us on a tour of her home village. In addition to bubbling mud pools, hissing steam vents and silica terraces, we viewed a large hot lake that supplies water to the villagers' bathing area. We also saw crystal clear mineral springs and even sampled some corn on the cob which had been boiled in the water - it was delicious.
Our tour then included a visit to the ancestral meeting house - Wahiao - where our guide unveiled the legends and stories that are engraved in the carvings that adorn the walls of this sacred house. Unfortunately our guide wasn't over enthusiastic in her work and when she began making some derogatory comments about England, Dan and I decided to drift away from the party (which we noticed had begun to get smaller and smaller since the beginning of the tour) and go and do our own thing.
At this stage I took in the Maori cultural performance which comprised singing, dancing and cultural demonstrations such as swinging a 'poi' (a pom-pom on the end of a piece of string, which is used to keep the wrist supple). Of course the haka (a Maori posture dance) was also showcased - I would never tire of seeing this performed - I love the passion and rhythm that are displayed.
Not quite such a big fan of song and dance, Dan chose to spend his time keeping an eye on 'Pohutu' and the 'Prince of Wales Feathers'' geysers which were both spouting hot water skywards and delighting the watching visitors.
Having met up again we took a short wander around the walking track that lead us around a steaming lake and up to a viewing area where we could see right across Rotorua.
Another visit to Fat Dog ensued, where we had lunch accompanied by an iced coffee, which turned out to be more like a sundae complete with chocolate buttons and marshmallows.
After a quick trip back to the hostel to collect our swimming gear, we drove out to Tikitere and stopped at 'Hell's Gate' - billed as Rotorua's most active thermal reserve and the only venue where you can take a mud bath. We strolled around the 2.5km walking track which we were delighted to get almost exclusively to ourselves - it seems that due to its slightly more remote location, it doesn't receive quite so many visitors as some of the other thermal reserves.
We really enjoyed viewing and learning more about (with the aid of an interesting guide map) each of the 'exhibits', such as 'Devil's Bath', 'The Inferno', 'Sulphur Crystal Valley', 'Devil's Cauldron', 'Sodom and Gomorrah', 'Cooking Pools' and 'Mud Volcanoes'.
Next on the agenda was a twenty minute dip in a mud bath...it was great fun. As we stepped in and the mud oozed beneath our feet it was a fantastic feeling and we wasted no time in smearing each other's bodies with the gorgeous gooey substance! Stupidly though I forgot to take my rings off as instructed, with the consequence that they have now tarnished pretty badly - oops!
After being hosed down with a cold shower, we rounded off the afternoon with a soak in the spa baths. Whilst we thoroughly enjoyed our day, we've been left with the rather negative side effect of the lingering aroma of sulphur on our bodies which, several showers later, seems to be somewhat difficult to banish!
Andrea and Dan
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