New Zealand, Day 4

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Today was a better day. It wasn't raining but it was cloudy. I woke up early this morning because I didn't know how long it would take me to find somewhere to eat. I got ready for the day, locked up the room and went out for a bite. I wore my favourite shirt today. As soon as I walked out the door this morning, I found a coffee shop right across the street, it was called Esquires Coffee. Everyone looked overly happy to be there and it kind of creeped me out. It was still cold this morning so I wore a long sleeve top and a jacket. I ordered waffles with ice cream and chocolate sause and a bottle of water.

After my delicious breakfast, which was really cheap, I went back to the hotel across the street and ordered a taxi to Rotorua. Rotorua is near a volcano and it had mud baths that smelt like rotten eggs. Ew. The trip from the hotel to Rotorua took roughly 30 minutes. We passed many farms and I saw a ridiculous amount of sheep. There were lots of birds and cows aswell.

As soon as I stepped out the car, the smell hit me. It was disgusting. It smelt like poo. I grabbed a map and started to wander. There were beautiful plants everywhere and restricted areas for visitors. I followed the concrete path around and it led to mud baths, day spas and a place where weddings are held. I brought my bathers so I decieded to spend the day in the day spa.

The floor was made of marble and there was a beauitful water feature to the left of the front desk. The had some leaflets on the counter on what they offer there. I went for a swedish massage with a mud mask. It was $57 for all of it. The air was warmer in there. A lady in a white lab coat told me to follow her into a room behind a curtain where I could get dressed into their robes. I was then brought to a room where I layed down on my stomach. A man came in and rubbed oil all over my back and pressed in certain places. It tickled some places and other it really hurt. The floor was made of polished wood, and that was what I was starring at for 2 hours while I got my massage.

They offered me food, pea and ham soup but I said I wasn't hungry. They layed me down outside in the warmish muggy air and had palm tree branches around me under a cabana. They told me to relax, but all i could smell was poo. It was really unsettling. But they played some calming music in the backround. I thought it was cheesy but I didn't mind.

They first cleaned my face with warm water and a towel, put an exfolitating scrub on it, cleaned my face of pimples, black heads and other nasty stuff (that did hurt a bit) and then finally put the mud on me. It was warm at first but quickly turned cold. I can only compare it to the little hand towels they give you at the beginning of a plane ride. I had to lay there for 45 minutes while the person who was cleaning my face, massaged my shoulders. I couldn't complain.

After feeling clean and refreshed, I called a taxi, one that wasn't part of the hotel service and told him to take me to Wendy's. Wendy's is an American fast food resteraunt that they don't have in Australia, so I was determinded to try it. I ordered a baconater. I felt bad though, after being cleaned then clogging my body tubes with fat.

I got take away to so I could go back to the hotel and eat while I watched Boston Legal in bed. I watched the movie Dear John, it made me cry and I fell asleep, really tired, with a spoon in my hand from eating a whole tub of conisseur compliments of the hotel.

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Photos

Mud bath
Some people in the mud baths.

Three bubbles bursting
The mud bubbles that smell absolutely horrid.