Having been to Rotorua before we knew what to expect. An unaware first time visitor could be quite shocked to arrive and be greeted with the smell of the insides of Mother Earth all around. This area is a hotbed of geothermal activity much like Yellowstone National Park. There are hot mud pots, geysers, bubbling water, steam vents and the smell of sulfur. This is what you will find in and around this area. While that may not sound terribly inviting it really is something to see and experience.
It 's also an area with beautiful lakes, rolling green hills, redwood forests, crystal clear streams and plenty of Maori cultural activities. If you're an an adrenaline junkie yyou've found your paradise. You can luge, parasail, jet boat, white water raft and be pushed down a hill in a huge round ball called a Zorb.
We opted out of being shaken, rattled and rolled and chose a few more passive activities. Shortly after arriving we headed for the outdoor warm mineral pools at the Polynesian Spa. Now if Willie (tour guide and bus driver) rated the hot pools that I had mentioned in the "Stinky Water" post as a five star this place would get 105 stars. Multiple pools of varying sizes and shapes in an outdoor setting directly on Lake Rotorua. It was a drizzly, foggy night which made for perfect conditions for a couple of hours of soaking.
Yesterday morning was a great example of a "Traveling Idiots" kind of morning.
We sat out on what was going to be about an hour walk along the lakeshore. Not long after taking off we saw another trail leading into a large thermal area so we changed course and headed down this unknown trail. Three hours later we were back at the hotel having trampled through the thermal area, through a redwood forest trail to an overlook of the geysers and back along a shared walking/mountain bike trail. Being an idiot and going in whatever path you choose to go is so much fun, especially when doing it with the best idiot companion I could ever ask for!
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| Spring Fed Cold Water Stream Feeding Into Lake Rotorua |
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| Spring Fed Cold Water Stream Feeding Into Lake Rotorua |
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| Redwood Forest we wandered into on our morning walk |
