Rotorua

Rotorua is the tourist capital of the North Island. It sits on the edge of a large lake, in the crater of an ancient volcano. The entire area is thermally active, and the smell of sulphur is never far. In some ways, the area is reminiscent of what Yellowstone could have been if it had not been set aside as a national park, and each geyser basin were privately owned, charging its own admission. Yellowstone actually has a lot more geysers than Rotorua, but there are still plenty of hot springs and boiling mud pits.

The most common way for people without cars to see the thermal areas is to take a tour. Rotorua is definitely touristy, and there is no shortage of tours, many stopping at places like the Agrodome ("sheep on stage") and similar attractions. I took one called Carey's Capers that just goes to thermal areas, plus the Maori Cultural Center at Whakarewarewa. It was a fine tour if you want to see all the interesting thermal areas quickly, though you may OD on sulphur fumes by the end of the day.

Carey's Capers stops first at a boiling mud pool, then visits the Waiotapu thermal reserve, the area's most colorful, which is home to the Lady Knox Geyser. This geyser is prompted to erupt at 10:15 AM daily by pouring soap into it. This is followed by a swim in the hot waters of Kerosene Creek, where a sign warns not to put your head in the water, becauses there are brain-eating amoebas (a common feature of New Zealand's hot springs). After lunch, we visited the Waimango Valley, a very active thermal area, for a long and informative guided walk. After this, we visited the Maori Cultural Center and geysers at Whakarewarewa, and visited on final thermal area, Hell's Gate, which was particularly smelly, but somewhat lacking in color or variety.

The tour has another option that replaces the stops after the Waimango Valley by a four wheel drive tour to the top of an important local volcano. This is the "Get Volcanic" tour, also run by Carey's Capers, and would be a fine option for those with more time, who can walk 3 km to Whakarewarewa to see it on their own.

Rotorua is a center for Maori culture. The Maori were the first people to settle on the island. They also introduced the first non-native land mammals, and killed off the first of the unique flightless birds on the island. In addition to visiting the Maori Cultural Center at Whakarewaka, I experienced a hangi and concert through the Twilight Cultural Experience. This was rather well-done and educational. It began with the traditional greeting where warriors come out and challenge the guests, continued with a concert and explanation of Maori traditions, and concluded with the hangi. The hangi is a feast in which a variety of meats, vegetables, and dressing are cooked in a covered pit over hot rocks. The result is very tasty and juicy. They used to cook people this way.

I ended my visit to New Zealand with a short raft trip on the Kaituna River, featuring a 23 foot cascade, Okere Falls. The bus driver on the way to Rotorua highly recommended this, and it is a very nice trip, both scenic and exciting. It's a short run, though, just 45 minutes. We flipped at Okere Falls. Afterward, I stopped at the Thermal Brewing Company's Pig and Whistle, a fine brew-pub with a nice stout, before catching a bus to Aukland for my flight home.

Each small picture is linked to a larger version with a caption.


Waiotapu	Lady Knox Geyser	Waimangu Valley	Hot Spring


Kaituna River	Okere Falls	About to flip

Up: New Zealand Adventures

Journal: January 14 - 16