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Waihau River
with mum and dad Since I was home for the first time in a number of years, I decided I should be doing some sightseeing while I was here! So mum, dad and I headed off on a road trip to see the geothermal and cultural wonders of Rotorua! We had such a great trip, and I even got to drive ‘the beast’!
On the way down we stopped at the Waihau River near Putaruru, and had a walk to see the beautiful clear waters from the springs. It really is a picture of perfect untouched natural beauty. We carried on down to Rototua, and had dinner at the infamous old Police station, now a pub ‘the Pig and Whistle’.
Both mum and dad have spent a reasonable amount of time here, both via work and holidays, so it was like having my very own tour guides. They took me up Mount Ngongotaha for view right across Lake Rotorua and a walk around Ohinemutu a typical Maori settlement where the mud still boils up in the middle of people’s back yard, and the old Maori church has had to bury people above ground because of all the geothermal activity. We went for a
walk around the Lake edge, also with it’s own geothermal wonders, and checked out the iconic Rotorua Museum. The only way to spend an evening in Rotorua is to soak yourself on the thermal waters at the Polynesian Spa. It is absolute bliss soaking in the mineral waters, watching the stars, right on the edge of the lake.
The next day we went to see the Lady Knox geyser and the completely amazing thermal wonders at Wai-o-tapu. I can still remember visiting here as a kid, and have never forgotten the majestic wonders of the Champagne Pool. However, the rest of the area is just as spectacular including the rather noisy devil’s ink pots, the Emerald Lake and the florescent devil’s bath.
And what better way to finish the day? Thats right soaking in another set of thermal waters at the nearby Waikite Valley. The water here comes out of a series of geothermal springs at 98 Deg Celsius and flows down a natural river slowly cooling down, where it is drawn off and definitely good enough to swim in!
The spectacular Okere falls is another place that has stuck in my mind all these years –
the roar of the water rushing through the rapids just a few meters from your feet is unforgettable. We arrived just in time to see a group of kayakers navigate their way over the falls. We had a walk through the Redwood Forest before heading out to Lake Tarawera – formed when Mount Tarawera blow it’s top and covered the pink & white terraces, local knows as the 8th wonder of world.
On the way back to Auckland, we stopped off for a walk through Maungatautari, where they have created a predator free zone to reintroduce and breed the kiwi, as well as many other native birds.
It was really great to be able to spend some proper quality time with mum and dad as well as once again falling in love with in wonder that is New Zealand.
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