Rotorua

After venturing to the tip of the north island to find it bathed in cloud, visiting the stunning cathedral cove in the small town of Hahei and assorted other northern adventures, which will eventually be documented, we hit the road for one of the best known tourist destinations in the North Island – the stinky, sulphurous lakeside city of Rotorua.  Rotorua is one of those places I always had on the list of “spots to visit”, admittedly without really knowing much about it other than the existence of hot springs.  It conjured up images of soaking in a steaming rock pool while the chilly air outside did its best to cool everything else down.  What we found was a little different.

It doesn’t take long for the smell to hit you as you approach the town.  There is an abundance of geothermal activity in the area, providing a focal point for the tourism industry, but also a significant percentage of the electricity consumed by New Zealanders each day.  The lake itself is stunning.  Arriving as winter was really starting to kick in, it looked icy cold and a little threatening, sufficiently so that we decided to keep our feet on the dry (but nicely heated) dry land!

The town itself is nothing really to write home about, but once we ventured a little further, it became clear fairly quickly why Rotorua has earned itself a permanent spot on the tourist trail.  Our first visit was to Titikere as it is known in Maori.  It is the only Maori run geothermal park in New Zealand, which is perhaps better know by the name given to it by none other than George Bernard Shaw – Hell’s Gate. 

In fact, he seems to have christened a number of the hot water and mud pools on his visit in the 1930’s.  It is not difficult to see how he gave the place this name – steaming crevasses, bubbling mud pools, dark inky water and an overpowering stench of sulphur – and yet it is a sight (and smell) to behold. Although, I have to confess, I was secretly a little relieved to have a bit of a cold and so I was saved the full brunt of the multisensory experience!

Moving on from Hell’s Gate, we decided to visit the site of the Buried Village.  The eruption of Mount Tarawera in the 1880’s completely buried the village under a few metres of ash and rock.  The eruption destroyed not only the town, but a thriving tourism industry which had grown up around the Pink and White Terraces of ?????.  It was eerie to wander around what is essentially parkland now and see the excavated ruins of houses, storage sheds and even a hotel.  Strolling back via a small stream laden with rainbow trout, we rewarded ourselves with a chocolate brownie and a tasty, toasty cuppa.

That was one hectic day of touristing it up and this is a holiday after all.  We reasoned that since we were in the geothermal capital of New Zealand it would have been wrong of us to leave without really experiencing the pampering side of it.  So, as darkness fell, we set off for the Polynesian Spa.  This is a Rotorua institution, its thermally heated waters having served and healed the locally community for hundred of years.  Now, for $20 a pop, anyone can go along and chill out in the thermal pools.  The main pool is decidedly green looking and the dressing rooms are adorned with warnings not to wear your silver jewellery, unless you want to go gothic and emerge with black rings and necklaces!

We pottered around in the main pool till we were sufficiently warmed and brave to head outdoors into the (literally) freezing night air towards the smaller spa pools.  These ranged in temperature from about 26 degrees, right up to the hottest one at 42 degrees.  Basking in the more tolerable 40 degree pool, looking out over Lake Rotorua and the sparkling lights of the shoreline, I could have stayed there forever.  Unfortunately, my idle daydreaming was interrupted by a crazy Japanese man practicing what I can only imagine was some bizarre spiritual/martial art and doing stretches that make mere mortals cringe – I kept expecting a candid camera crew to pop out from behind the trees – he was a truly surreal vision!  The great advantage of the Polynesian Spa is the sheer number of little pools, so when I could contain the laughter no more, I simply hopped out and meandered over to another where I could have a little giggle before resuming my relaxation!

Leaving Roturua, we decided on Taupo as our next destination, stopping at yet another geothermal tourist site en route.  Wai-O-Tapu.  This was along much the same vein as Hell’s Gate, but on a larger scale and a little more spread out.

We arrived in time to see they geyser erupt.  It erupts very reliably every day at 10.15!  As the guide explained, it gets a little helping hand from some soap!!!  Legend has it that the geyser was discovered by a group of prisoners who were working in the forest, clearing areas for agriculture and forestation.  They found some areas of hot springs and decided that rather than punish their work weary hands washing their clothes in the cold water at camp, that they would sneak their washing down to the spring and wash it.  They geyser was, at the time just a small pool.  The story goes that the prisoners rinsed their clothes in the hot water, then lathered them up with detergent and then rinsed them off again.  This time however, the soap and spring water reacted, exploding forth, sending the men left and right, and their clothes 20 feet in the air! 

Nowadays, an organic soap is used to prompts the geyser into action each morning for the education and entertainment of tourists.  Even in low season on a very chilly morning, we were only two of about fifty people who braved the weather to watch the spectacle!  We then continued around the park, which from a distance looked like an ancient battlefield with plumes of smoke (i.e. steam) rising from the ground – its not hard to see how New Zealand became the location for The Lord of the Rings triology, it really does have that middle earth feel about it!  We looked at steaming caverns, bubbling mud pools, boiling lakes and impossibly colourful mineral deposits in yellows, greens and oranges!  In fact there is one pool which could rival the Chicago river on paddy’s day – the photo doesn’t quite do the vibrancy of the colour justice!

Once our nostrils had had their fill we hit the road for the straight forward journey to Taupo – a town hugging the shoreline of Lake (yes!) Taupo!  A valueable lesson learned about driving in New Zealand – know your roads.  We noticed a road sign saying a particular road was closed for rock blasting – some minor road presumably, no road number was listed.  Not so, it was the state highway between Rotorua and Taupo.  This meant a lovely little scenic detour through National Park gravel roads and about 60km out of our way!  On the plus side, we got our last glimpse of the Bay of Plenty for another few weeks!

Despite the detour, we arrived in Taupo rested and ready to make arrangements for the most popular one day hike in New Zealand.  For anyone who has not visited New Zealand, this is saying a lot.  Kiwis really do love the great outdoors!  Tongariro Crossing, here we come!