Picton - Wellington - Taupo - Rotorua
Trip Start
Jan 2003
1
135
200
Trip End
Dec 2003
Rotorua,
New Zealand
Sunday, September 14, 2003
Wellington does little to dispel the myth concerning New Zealand's lacklustre cities and for a capital city it is frighteningly pedestrian. In fairness, we've had a day of chores (preparations for South America) and not until the evening did we visit the city's main attraction - the Te Papa National Museum. I'd heard positive reports about the place which perhaps go some way to explaining my disappointment. While there was nothing wrong with it, it lacked a 'wow' factor and was by no means inspirational. I've probably come across as negative about New Zealand thus far but my feelings about Te Papa accurately reflect my emotions about the country as a whole. Perhaps a skydive the day after tomorrow will change my opinion......
Day 224 - Wellington - Taupo - Rotorua
A comparatively short journey ended in a previously unintended destination. We planned to spend a night in Taupo to enable us to do a skydive (Taupo is considered the best place for this). Unfortunately (or maybe not depending on which way you look at it) low cloud and persistent rain caused any activity concerning jumping out of a plane to be an impossibility. I guess I felt both relieved and dejected but now it's highly unlikely we'll be doing any of the extreme sports New Zealand is famous for.
And so, we made it to Rotorua - home of a multitude of geothermal activity and an apparently good place to learn about Maori culture. I can't yet vouch for the latter but there are numerous jets of steam and a constant aroma of rotten eggs so the former looks accurate.
