A beach with hot water?!?!

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Day two of the Kiwi Experience bus  Whitianga ------> Rotorua
The day started early so we could be at hot water beach at low tide, yes this is a beach with hot water.  The water rolling in from the sea is quite cool but our tour guide explained that if we get the right spot, it is possible to dig and make your own hot pool.  This is due to the geo-thermal activity taking place just under our feet.
So my team hired some spades and started digging - there were already a few people bathing in the hot water, and we were pretty eager to make the most of the low tide - we got stuck in near to the other hot pools.  We were digging and digging in various spots but there was nothing but cold sand.  Eventually we found a spot near the the sea where the sand was warm and hot water was bubling up from below.  We managed to build ourselves a big hot pool so that everyone from the bus could dip their feet in .  Now I say they were brave because the hot pool was the only thing that was hot this cold frosty winters morn.  Eventually the tide started to break down our reinforced sand walls and let in cold water, this was actually quite welcome as it was getting a bit too hot - and some areas of our pool were too hot to stand in!!
Soon it was time to go, but our next stop Rotorua has more geo-thermal activity to marvel at....
Geysers, boiling hot mud pools , thermal spa pools and a distinct sulpher smell - lovely ; )   I don't care what the guide books say - there is no way that in my short couple of days in Rotorua that I would stop noticing that smell.  Rotorua has been nicknamed Roto-vegas I began to see why when I walked 2km from the Geyser park back to town along a 'strip' of motels and tourism related signage.  I decided I would have a short rest from adventure activities and cold hostel showers and I booked myself in for a relaxing evening at the Polynesian Spa.  For $65 (just over 20 pounds) I was treated to as long as I wished in the hot relaxing mineral pools with a choice of four different temperatures, then I recieved a hot mud thing on my back aswell as a back and leg massage.  All towels and robes were included and when I came out I felt very relaxed and refreshed.  I was beginning to like Rotorua even despite the rather foul stench in the air!

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Photos

Mud, mud glorious mud
Boiling mud pools - the kaolin is meant to be good for your skin, although probably not at 90 degrees C

Toastie Bums
Another cold winter morning in N.Z. thankfully there were some nice warm rocks to park ourselves on while we defrosted.

Comments

[dad5678]

Remind you of home?
Hi Vikki. Since you've been gone we've had unbelievable amounts of rain. Looks as though you've got your own Glastonbury festival going on there too! Philip is here and says hello. Good luck with the next adventure. Lots of love, Dad, Mum and the weans. xxxxx