Eggy smells

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Day 173 - Tuesday 11 March

We´d parked up by a lake last night so i woke up to the most splendid and peaceful view with no sign of any other life anywhere nearby. As it was so nice we hung around a while before driving over to Rotorua.

One of the activities you can do in Rotorua is called Zorbing whereby your put in a big inflatable ball at the top of a hill then roll down it. Imagine one of those hamster balls then rolling it down a hill with a hamster inside and you get the picture. Its just outside the town and as we were passing we stopped to have a look. I´d thought about giving it a go but it costs over $50 and only lasts about 10 seconds. Its probably ok but as you go down the hill you slide down the inside of the ball rather than tumble so I reckon your better of spending a day at a theme park instead so gave it a miss.

We carried on into town and found the motel were staying in (interestingly its cheaper than a hostel don´t ask me why but it seems ok) Every so often you get a whiff of rotten eggs in the air. No its not me farting but due to natural volcanic gasses in the area that give of sulphur which has made the town famous for its natural hot springs.

Like every other New Zealand town on a tuesday its going to be dead tonight so after having a look around in the afternoon we went down to the cinema to catch another film.

Day 174 - Wednesday 12 March

Had a great sleep last night and by the time i´d had breakfast it was already lunchtime. Scattered around town are natural hot springs and mud baths so as there not something you see everyday we went to have a look at them. Unfortunately the waters too hot to touch but you can see it bubling up from the ground and smell the sulphur in the air.

There are a couple of springs you can bathe in around town but one i´ve seen advertised charges $95. However about 20k´s south of town is a creek where you can swim for free so we headed off over there. I´d say its probably better than the baths as with the ferns growing at the side of the creek it has a natural feel to it. It was also a bit strange sitting in a creek thats as hot as a bath.

After returning to the hostel there wasn´t much to do. Its only a small town and looks deserted so after checking my emails I watched yet another dvd.

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