Rotorua

Father & Son And A Lot Of Steam

It was quite odd being back in Rotorua. For while I have returned to other parts of New Zealand on more than one occasion, I hadn't really been back to Rotorua since my very first month in the country. Darren and I had spent a few days here - taking in the sulphur that emanates from below, and strolling around another of NZ's great lakes.

The parents and I first went to the Geothermal Village. There are many around the town - most of which are located just south of Rotorua. The walking tour around the park saw us pass geothermal pools, geysers, bubbling mud and lakes that were so green and yellow - that they almost looked as though I had just taken a bath in them!!! The geothermal park's are interesting, even if you don't have a desire to be a volcanologist. As we walked round, the smell of rotten eggs wafted over us, clinging to our hair and our clothes. It was a pleasant way to spend a morning.

After all that walking and with geothermal activity surrounding us - we thought what better way to relax than a soak in the geothermal pools. Each pool is a different temperature - from about a warm 36 degrees Celcius to a scoulding 42 degrees. At the Polynesian Spa you also get a great view over parts of Lake Rotorua.

We later took a walk around by the lake and went to a quietly hidden Maori Village which Darren and I had stumbled across almost a year earlier. It's quite interesting to see some of the Maori culture especially if you haven't seen anything like it before. We had another great meal out on the town, later that night, before preparing ourselves for the next days travels. We were heading back to Auckland but on the way we thought we would stop off at place known to many as Hobbiton, to the Kiwi's however, it's called Matamata...........