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There are certain inevitabilities that you face in life, such as birth, death and taxes. Well if you venture to the Volcanic Plateau in the Beautiful region of the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand's North Island, specifically the much hyped tourist destination of Rotorua you will face another certainty. This certainty is when you step out of your vehicle, doesn't really matter what mode of transport you are going to be greeted by a very powerful odour. This smell, well what causes the smell is what in fact has made the small town of Rotorua famous, not only in New Zealand, but around the world. It is all because of the volcanic activity, which create a sulphuric smell in the air. It doesn't take very long to create a comparison between this odour and another you have experienced in your life, for me and many others that visit this destination the familiar smell is that of rotten eggs. But before you think this is a huge barrier to your desire to visit the town, it takes a very short time to get used to the smell and within half an hour, you will not notice it anywhere near as much
as you did when you first arrived.
This is very fortunate that it doesn't take long to acclimate to the unusual 'weather' conditions of Rotorua, because truly this is one of the must visit destinations whilst you are here in New Zealand. It has some of the most accessible Volcanic activity in the world. With some of the hot water springs and bubbling mud right in the city, which is why the smell is very apparent within the Central Business District. Also a wonderful Lake front literally on the edge of the main streets in the town, with amble opportunity to do adventure sports and activities that New Zealand is famed for. But there was one adventure sport that has intrigued me ever since I first caught a glimpse of it on some travel show several years back, Zorbing. The absolute basics of this fantastic activity, is that you are placed in a large giant blow up ball and you get rolled/pedal the ball through running down hill. But to make it even more fun you have the option of doing a wet or dry run, meaning you have the option of having some water in the
ball with you to. Because of the fact that it is only like 10 degrees (Celsius) outside and I struggle with the cold, I decided that there was absolutely no justifiable reason to put water in there with me, after all I do not really want to be wet for the rest of the day (I also didn't bring a towel). Thanks to a wonderful website that I discovered thanks to the reception desk staff at the hostel where I was staying I was able to get three runs for the price of one. Let me tell you that I have not had that much fun in such a long time and as an added bonus I now have an idea of what a Hamster feels when it gets placed in one of those exercise balls you occasionally see them in. The hill is rather lumpy but that just adds to the fun because after a small amount of time running you begin to lose control and in the end you are just tumbling down inside the ball, being thrown all around and it is outstandingly awesome.
The geysers and hot pools that are located in the
city can be found in a large open park space, surrounded by beautiful trees and stunningly manicured lawns that are vibrantly bright green. To ensure peoples safety, all the areas that contain geothermal activity have been fenced off, but there are also numerous signs posted around the park suggesting that people remain on the pathway because of the unstable nature of geothermal areas. But fortunately there are designated tracks sprawled throughout the park that takes you past giant lakes that are closer to lime green in colour than blue. It also takes you past small mud puddles that are bubbling because of the immense heat omitted due to geothermal activity. But easily the highlight of the park is at the end of the park towards the lake a massive boiling hot lake that produces huge amounts of sulphuric smoke that completely blanket the surrounding area, but if there is a slight breeze blowing, some of the smoke dissipates and you get a wonderful view that will easily become a major highlight of your time in the town.
After the length of the walk around the park, the next closest place that is definitely worth a
visit is Tamaki Maori village. Situated on the lake front it is less than five minute walk away and on the walk an opportunity arises for a wonderful panoramic photograph of the village and the lake front in general. As you walk down there you come to a small village, where there is a wonderful building that looks to be completely hand crafted with the symbolic Tiki and other Maori like images on the decal surrounding the building. Just from a brief glimpse it is easy to imagine that this extraordinary building would have taken ages to complete and perfect. Other must-see buildings is the church especially from the otherside of a geothermal lake, as with some rising smoke, it makes the Church look a little more impressive, and I could imagine that if you were religious that this sight could even reinforce your beliefs because it truly is a beautiful inspiring sight.
Another very important must-see destination is the lake itself. A simple stroll along the lake lets you observe the beauty of the region and another reason why the town is extremely popular. Jet Boating, parasailing, fishing and even renting kayaks are only
a few of the many activities that you can do on the lake. Also within the city are many spas, which take full advantage of the geothermal activity creating pleasantly warm springs and mud baths that can be very useful in rejuvenating a tiresome body. Perhaps with how I feel after the last couple weeks of travelling I may just go and do this. I shall come back looking fresh and handsome, if all these brochures are anything to go by. If not I am accusing them of false advertising.
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