Rotorua

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27th December - 29th December 2009 Rotorua

Rotorua is one of the strangest places we have ever been to. It was surreal and almost post-apocalyptic with steam coming out from everywhere because of the thermal activity. Our campsite was great. We had hotpools, a river, a swimming pool and even a thermal hangi (a Maori way of cooking food - they usually dig a hole and use hot coals to cook the buried food - this used the thermal steam to cook inside an outdoor 'oven'). We cooked on the hangi one night - pork, potatoes, vegs. It was great fun and tasted amazing. Rob's pork fell apart almost like fish, it was so tender.

We walked around Kuirau Park in Rotorua, which is a big thermal area (free) with steaming pools and bubbling mud. It smelt a bit of sulphur - rotten eggs - but not as bad as I thought it would be. Rob, being the big kid he is, couldn't resist throwing stones into the bubbling mud - that's why I don't need children - he's enough of a kid on his own. After that we walked around town where Rob fell in love - with Barry the basecamp chair - I'm just no competition, he had to have it as it has an iceblock holder for his beer and he insists his other chair is about to fall to pieces. Who am I to stand in the path of true love? Next we went on to the government buildings, which were very pretty. Then we walked around part of the lake which was the strangest milky blue, with steam bubbling up around the edges. The lake water felt warm andyou can dig 'hotpools' in the sandy shore, just like at hotpool beach. Again, Rob just had to get a stick and start poking at bubbling mud - he just can't resist! We went into St. Faith's Church which had a beautiful glass window facing out to the lake with a picture of Jesus on it so that when you sit and look at it, it is as though he is walking on the water of the lake - very clever and lovely. The lake-front was buzzing with all kinds of activities from pedalos to seaplanes and helicopters.

We would have liked to go to some of the Maori villages which do shows and hangis, but they were quite expensive, as were some of the thermal areas. We went to see one more giant bubbling mudpool (free), just outside Rotorua, and decided that we had pretty much seen the main stuff, although it would have been good to see one of the spurting geysers (we were far too mean to pay, and why should you have to pay for something natural like that anyway?)

A great place to visit - different to anywhere else you will ever see!

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Photos

Kuirua Park
Rob in front of one of the steaming pools

Kuirua Park
A steaming pool

Kuirua Park
More steaming pools

Kuirua Park
Me watching the steam - it was very surreal

Kuirua Park
Rob watching the steaming water

Kuirua Park
Why do boys always have to throw stones at things?!!

Rotorua Lake
Parts of the lake were hot and bubbling

Rotorua Lake
Some of the birds on the lake

Rotorua Lake
Rob at the edge of the lake

Hangi
Rob cooking our dinner in the hangi

Hangi
Dinner's ready!

Hangi
Rob enjoying his perfectly cooked meal

St. Faith's Church
This is where the glass window of Jesus overlooks the lake and seems as though he is walking on the water