Rotorua

Trip Start Mar 13, 2008
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Trip End Sep 12, 2008


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Flag of New Zealand  , North Island,
Friday, April 18, 2008

We thought we'd drive to Rotorua next, but underestimated how long the drive would take, so we wound up in Tauranga instead - where we stayed for two long days while a gale rang out all over New Zealand, lashing us with constant high winds and amazingly cold rain.  Lalitha and I are both a little out of practice with the cold - Girija seems to be the toughest in this family!  The irony is, Tauranga is New Zealand's most popular holiday destination for Kiwis - and we saw almost nothing of it.  When the rain finally let up a little, all we wanted to do was get out.  So finally we left and went on to Rotorua, New Zealand's first tourist attraction which is still a major draw to this day.  And it truly is impressive, with it's amazing thermal activity of geysers, hot springs, pools of boiling mud and strong wafts of sulphur that permeate the air almost everywhere you go.  Most campgrounds offer hot pools, but we discovered that you have to be careful; some of them just have a spa pool, not true thermal pools.  We stayed at a wonderful place that's been in business for over fifty years, Rotorua Thermal Resort and Holiday Park.  It was wonderful to soak in hot sulphur pools while the cold rain came and went, came and went, like an annoying neighbor who's overstayed his welcome.  It made the weather almost fun, and certainly bearable.  Once things cleared up a bit we were able to go out and explore this natural wonderland and its strange beauty.  Whakarewarewa is a Maori village set amidst this geothermal faeryland, and they do tours to raise money and to share their tribal traditions in a respectful way with the outside world.  They have hot pools for bathing (they bathe communally, after the tourists have gone for the day) and for cooking.  They also have steam boxes for cooking, and we bought some of their naturally cooked food; it was delicious.  The whole thing was touristy but not over-the-top about it, so it was palatable -- and the scenery was tremendous. 

After five days in Rotorua we were ready to head back up to Auckland to get Pipo the Van fixed.  I called the mechanic to confirm and got the runaround; he claimed he'd tried to call me and texted me, but I never got anything from him.  The long and the short of it was, he wouldn't be able to do any work on the van until the following week.  That was too much; we'd already waited over a week for him.  So I took it around to places in Rotorua and wound up getting the work done for less than he'd quoted me.  Passed the WOF after four more days, and then we were good to go.  (And when the original mechanic called me back to try to convince me to come up the following week, he was amazingly able to get through on our cell phone...!)  So we wound up spending over a week in total in Rotorua, but there are lots worse places to be caught in; I'm not complaining!

Here's some factual stuff about Rotorua that Lalitha found online; we pass it on to you for your edification; read it or not at your whim. 

Note about Rotorua
Rotorua is a town on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city has a population of 64,509. Rotorua is well-known for geothermal activity. There are a number of geysers, notably the Pohutu geyser at Whakarewarewa, and hot mud pools located in the city, which owe their presence to the Rotorua caldera.
Geothermal areas Thermal activity is at the heart of much of Rotorua's tourist appeal. Geysers and bubbling mud-pools, hot thermal springs and the Buried Village (Te Wairoa) - so named after it was buried by the 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption - are within easy reach of the city.
Rotorua is nicknamed Sulphur City, because of the aforementioned thermal activity. The sulphur gives off an odour unique to Rotorua that adds to the visitor experience. The especially pungent smell in the central-east 'Te Ngae' area is due to the dense sulphur deposits located next to the southern boundary of the Government Gardens, in the area known as 'Sulphur Point'.
Today there are four main geothermal areas open to visitors in Rotorua. "Whakarewarewa" is perhaps the most active with its notable feature being the Pohutu Geyser which erupts with a spout of boiling water 100 feet in the air up to twenty times a day. There are also bubbling mud pools, steaming hot springs and a Maori Pa or meeting house. "Waiotapu" and "Waimungu" are another two areas, the latter being especially known for its stunning displays. Situated 27 kilometres south of Rotorua Waimungu was created on 10 June 1886 when Mt Tarawera erupted coating the surrounding landscape with mud and ash. Awe-inspiring sights here are the Inferno Crater with its bright blue water, the bridal veil falls, champagne pools and the Lady Knox Geyser which erupts punctually at 10.15am each day. "Hell's Gate", a Maori owned park, is perhaps the more ferocious of the four areas with fiercely hot mud pools and a mud volcano.

Another of Rotorua's attractions is the mountain biking. Whakarewarewa (also known as the "Redwoods") Forest has been described as 'the Disneyland of mountain biking' and has some of the best mountain bike trails in New Zealand.
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