Rotorua
Trip Start
Jan 16, 2008
1
106
117
Trip End
Jul 28, 2008
Rotorua,
North Island,
New Zealand
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The smell only got stronger once inside Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland. An otherworldly collection of bubbling mud, steaming earth and colourful mineral deposits it was a unique 3km walk that left us completely amazed, if not a little queasy from excess "strange gas" intake?!?
Our backpacker spirit got a hold of us once we realised the cost of trying to find somewhere to swim in the thermal reserves as they were all being branded as luxury spas with exfoliating mud treatments! The answer was to be found in Lonely Planet at the FREE Kerosene Creek Thermal Reserve. A picturesque spot with shafts of light magically penetrating through the surrounding forest the water was warm rather than hot, but it was still a great experience particularly with the free massage supplied by the accompanying waterfall!
Our journey then took us in search of the strange activity known as zorbing - i.e. throwing yourself down a hill in a giant inflated ball! It looked rather beautiful from the bottom, but Steph assured us it was quite a ride as she reached speeds of over 40kph, but fortunately returned safely to normality.
A hearty sausage pasta, warm and snug in Oscar as the three of us put the world to rights was a fitting way to round off a great day.
