Scary Huka performance

Getting into Hot Water

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January 1st 2007
Apparently Rotorua has the nickname "Fartopolis". This is not due to the flatulent locals but due to the numerous boiling mud pits and thermal pools in the area, emitting a lovely sulphurous egg smell. We stayed at the Kiwi Paka YHA which is an excellent hostel (although the staff were a bit grumpy) with a couple of tent sites for us to park our bus in for a few nights. They also, unexpectedly, ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Rotorua

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The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year... ... read more