Rotorua

Yessss

Before you can head to the South Island you really have to stop off at Wellington which is on the very southern tip of the North Island. We wanted to see Wellington anyway so that wasn't a problem, the problem was it was 9 and a half hours from Auckland to get there, so we got round this by stopping off along the way. The place we decided to stop at was Rotorua. It's a popular tourist spot for a number of good reasons. We spent about three good days in Rotorua and we covered almost all those good reasons.

The town is termed sulphur city because of the high volcanic or - geothermal activity taking place here. It's an area where magma comes up close to the Earth's surface and heat's underground reservoirs of water producing gases which rise through cracks and cravasses towards the surface. As such all across the town, in very random locations you will see vents of steam pouring out of the ground and giving the whole place a bizarre, unreal feel to it. The gas that is vented out is strong in hydrogen sulphide and the sulphur expelled has a strong rotten egg smell to it. The place reminded me of my time at the volcanoes in Indonesia and also many years ago when I visited Iceland which both produced exactally the same smelly odours.

Rotorua is a small town, situated along the edge of the huge Lake Rotorua, the largest of 16 lakes in the area. The lake was once the sight of a large volcanic eruption but the watery mass is all that remains of it. I believe the volcano is not extinct however, but merely resting. We arrived into Rotorua at night when the whole place appeared to be one big ghost town. There was nobody anywhere which was eerily disconcerting, but we were soon relieved the next day when people sprouted out almost, it felt, like they had emerged out of the ground along with the geothermal gases. Rotorua is cold. I haven't checked exactly what temperature it is but it feels freezing. Auckland had been relatively chilly but this was getting silly. We had only traveled a little further south too - I couldn't wait to see how cold the South Island was going to turn out - or at least I could wait. It is winter here though - so I suppose I can't really complain.

We experienced much of the geothermal activity during our time here in Rotorua, as this was particularly interesting to me. We visited a number of locations including; Te Whakaewarewa - a thermal reserve of fumaroles, mudpools and Pohutu - a large geyser; Hell's Gate which is someway east of town and is named so because of it's firey and Hell-like look about it. It has similar geothermal pools, bubbling mud, a small mud volcano and the largest hot thermal waterfall in the southern hemisphere. We also experienced geothermal activity in Kuirau Park - situated in the center of town (and you don't have to pay to see it) and went for a swim in the Polynesian Spa - where they heat outdoor pools using geothermal waters. Some reached the uncomfortable temperatures of 43 degrees celcius which was more like burning to death than having a hot bath but others were relaxingly cooler. It reminded me of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland where I had had a similar experience.

Because of my love of volcanoes I also headed out (without Darren) to the buried village, the site of a village (Te Wairoa) which was totally buried and thus devastated by a huge volcanic eruption in 1886. There is a museum and then you can step out into the ruined town (now excavated) for an explanation of how this small village was completely destroyed by the eruption of Tarawera. It was literally covered and buried in ash, mud and other volcanic debris - very interesting if a little sad. We also passed some great lakes along the way for spectacular views - notably Blue and Green Lakes (not very original names), Lake Okareka and Lake Tarawera itself.

Apart from all the volcanic's here, we also indulged in some Maori culture. We walked to the Ohinemutu Maori Village which is situated on Lake Rotorua. You can see their buildings and tribal sculptures from here. From Te Whakarewarewa, there is also an exhibit explaining about Maori culture and history, and at Hell's Gate we met a tatooed Maori for a long chat and he explained to us the Maori hongi - or greeting which I am now an expert at.

Besides these wonderous things we indulged in another of New Zealand's crazy inventions of the extreme-ish variety - zorbing. It simply involves climbing into a big inflatable ball and then rolling down a large hill. It's completely ridiculous but heaps of fun. You can either do it dry and they tie you in, or you can experience the wet version. Darren and I wanted to go in the ball together so you have to do it wet. They take you to the top of a large straight hill, they fill the inside of the ball with a small amount of hot water, you both jump in, they seal it - and then they push you down the hill. It lasts about 10-15 seconds and your thrown all over the place inside the ball as you slip and slid downhill. When you reach the bottom your completely soaked and you return to the real world a giggling mess. I definately recommend it if your totally insane.

After all this chaos of being a hamster for the day, making friends with Maori's and breathing in too much sulphur from the geothermal activity, we left Rotorua for NZ's capital city.......Wellington.