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Published: December 27th 2008
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So the drive from Whakatane to Rotorua took us about 3 hours. The views along the way were some of the most breath-taking we had encountered as we crossed some rather mountainous terrain alongside Mount Edgecumbe and Maungawhakamana -you can guess which one is a Maori name!
The weather had improved immensely which made the drive all the more enjoyable. As we arrived into Rotorua we noticed a pungent smell had started to creep into the car - a rather unpleasant one I felt although Gareth wasn’t quite as disgusted by it. I recognized the smell was hydrogen sulphide (it would have been a bloody disgrace if I hadn’t recognized it and a waste of four years!) Anyway we had both read a bit about Rotorua and the geothermal activity/ geysers etc and figured that was the source of the smell.
We spent a few hours on the first evening exploring Kuirau Park which was right beside our hostel. It looked like any park at home, playgrounds, car parks, picnic areas…. Except for the gaping holes in the ground with the mud bubbling inside them and the stench of hydrogen sulphide billowing out of them - Yuck!
Rotten Eggs!
Apart from paying a visit to these various sites of geothermal activity there is plenty to keep you occupied in Rotorua. The one thing that seems to get a mention most often is the Zorb, something that is unique to Rotorua. Not being a fan of water splashing me in the face over and over, I left this one up to Gareth to investigate. He absolutely loved it and I loved watching something smacking him in the face over and over and getting away with it!
We also paid a visit to Skyline Skyrides which had two activities on offer. The main complex is situated up on a hill above Rotorua and the views from the Gondola on the way up to the complex were spectacular. Up in the complex our adventurous spirit kicked in again just at they had in the Skytower in Auckland and we decided to try their “SkySwing”. It’s a bit like a bungy rocket, except instead of shooting up from the ground on a giant slingshot, you are hoisted up about 70 meters in the air, and like the name suggests, you swing!!! So I had the honour of pulling
the rip cord which released the swing and on the count of three I pulled it WOOOOOOO and we shot off…….. DOWN towards the ground at 100kmph…..wait we’re going towards the ground!!!!! Argh!!! And then about 2 inches from the ground we started to lift up again …… wait now we’re flying out over the hill….argh!!!! And then whooooooop we reached the top of the swing and almost stopped dead in mid air……..and then suddenly we’re flying backwards back towards the ground again…… and then we can see it stretching away from us as we return almost to or starting point….. And then off we swing again….. Back towards the ground again….anyway you get the picture - It was SO MUCH FUN!!!! We didn’t bother with the DVD though…. We figured nobody would want to hear Gareth cursing and blinding in between the sentence Why….. are ….we ……flying…. towards………….. the……………. ground?????? ……I……………….. thought………. this…. was….. a ……..bungy. ….rocket…….
After we had calmed ourselves down a little we decided to jump in some mini plastic bobsleighs with wheel and hurtle down the hill we had just been suspended over. Also known as “Luge”.
http://www.skylineskyrides.co.nz/rotorua/
To be honest it
is hard to describe the Luge so i’ve inserted the link instead ha ha! But it was really fun! So we had 5 shots! No we’re not greedy!
While in Rotorua we also went to the Buried Village.
This is the site of the village of Te Wairoa which was buried in ash, rubble and mud when Mt Tarawera erupted in 1886. Over 5000 Sq kilometers of land was lost under the rubble, the explosions were heard as far away as Auckland and the air even as far as China was affected. Parts of Te Wairoa have since been excavated and the tour takes you around the village and along the way you learn more about the eruption and the aftermath and also the stories of some of the family’s attempts to escape.
One story which really hit me was about a family who tried to flee towards Rotorua when the ground started to shake and everything in their house started to fall off the shelves. The father was carrying his son under on arm and his daughter over the other shoulder and the mother was running alongside them. The hot ash was starting to catch up with
them as they ran and then one big tremor made the father lose his grip on both his children as he fell to the ground. They searched but could not see the children through the ash and in the darkness of the night, so they left them. They carried on without them. I can’t imagine why kind of fear and desperation they must have felt to be able to carry on without their children and make it to safety having suffered such a loss. There were a few stories which were similar and it was quite chilling in parts but it was well worth a visit. It can’t all be fun and games - we like a bit of history and culture now and again.
After we left the Buried Village we drove for 5 minutes to go for a swim just up the road in Lake Tarawera, having been assured there were no more eruptions on the way! Actually, I went for a swim, Gareth went for a paddle. When he had turned completely blue I felt that I shouldn’t encourage him to join me any more - I had no time to be thawing out a Gareth
on the shores of Lake Tarawera. 😊 It was time to go home and pack for our next destination - Tongariro National Park and Lake Taupo.
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naill
non-member comment
that place stinks!!
i told you that place stinks!! the zorbing is great craic as was the skyswing...the panic!!