Rotorura, when you get over the smell (but actually the wind must have changed direction, it’s nowhere near as bad today) is a great place. There’s such a lot to do, both here and a little further afield. As well as the geothermal stuff (there are sites everywhere) it also appears to be the adrenaline junkie’s paradise with bungy, zorbs, off road, sky diving – you name it, it’s here. And other attractions like the Agrodome (sheep shearing demos) and Caterpillar world – no not those little wriggly things but the earth moving equipment…. But those of you who know me will not be surprised that I go for gentler pursuits. So Day 1 of my sightseeing started with a visit to the buried village (New Zealand’s Pompeii), a Maori village that was destroyed by a volcano in early Victorian times. It was really well done and told the story of a Victorian tourist trap where people came to see the volcanic terraces. Tourism took over the village, they stopped planting and growing and started drinking; the elders foretold that destruction would follow….. they were right. One night the volcano went, the village was destroyed and buried forever – perhaps there’s a lesson there, if there’s too much drinking in Rotorua tonight, we’d better watch out! Then a drive to the various lakes in the area, a geothermal park to see mud pools gurgling away and spurts of water popping up every so often… watch where you walk, or you could get an unexpected mud bath treatment. Then on to Lake Rotorua which is lovely, and so easy to park, it’s right in town, and admire the rather regal black swans that live there. Then into town to find wifi – and found it in the local backpackers hostel that looked really nice. It’s amazing the variety of people that you see checking in – perhaps I need to take a closer look!
