Rotarua

We left Taupo early and took the road to Rotarua.

This trip took about an hour and a half, so we arrived around 10am.

We found a cafe down by the lake and had a coffe while we decided how to spend the day. We were only staying one night and there is a lot to see.

You can smell Rotorua well before you arrive (like Grimsby) and the pong of sulphur dioxide gas permeates the town, leaving you with a permanantly dry mouth.

The Earths crust is very thin here and Rotorua sits on top of a huge magma chamber just 4,000 meters below street level. The volcanic rocks are porous and so rain water can percolate to depths where the temperature of the surrounding rock reaches boiling point.

This place steams and stinks.

Otherwise, it’s a very nice place to be.

We discovered that our Motel was quite central and next to Kuirau park (they let us check in early). So the plan was to walk across the park to EAT STREAT which is a road where all of the bars and restaurants are. I guess the idea is that the combined smell of the food from 30 or so restaurants in close proximity tends to mask Rotarua’s distinctive background odour.

As we walked past the house next to the motel, we noticed that it had steam coming from the back garden…

Kuirau park contains, trees, flower beds, hot, steaming ponds…

and boiling mud pits…

Otherwise a perfectly normal suburban park.

We found Eat Streat, had half-a-lager and shared a pizza. We then set out on the one hour walk across town to Te Puia, which is a Maori heritage park.

Once inside we signed up for a guided tour and the Maori cultural performance that followed.

Our Maori guide was called Melody and had been brought up in the nearby village. She told us how her tribe used to wash and cook in the hot springs.

First, we went to see the Prince of Wales’ Feathers geyser…

Then some more boiling mud pools…

Then we went to the Kiwi house to see a Kiwi. Since Kiwi’s are nocturnal (the birds that is, rather than the locals) the Kiwi house is pitch black. Predicably, we failed to observe a Kiwi.

Next we visited the Maori village and Melody explained how Maori’s lived. It seems that Maori’s traditional foods consisted of fish, birds (and other Maoris). Judging by appearances, I think this traditional diet now includes plenty of hamburgers, pies and pizza.

Finally, we went in to see the Maori cultural show and as anticipated this included the Haka. What Morna had come to NZ to see.

After the show we trecked back to the motel, freshened up and went out for a meal in Eat Streat.

Now it has to be said, the the food in NZ is awesome, however, on a trip this long, was always going to be one disaster and tonight was the night.

The restaurant was jazz themed and just before we sat down, a large party arrived.

We ordered garlic bread, followed by a hamburger for Morna and Fajitas for me.

We waited an hour while nothing arrived. Not even the garlic bread.

We politely enquired and were told that the chef had decided to serve the big party first (at which point we really should have got up and gone elsewhere), and that our food would be another eight minutes.

The food did indeed arive in eight minutes, but my fajitas were as far from sizzling as a fajita can be (they were stone cold). Morna’s hamburger virtually uncooked. The waiting staff were appropriately embarrassed and took Morna’s ‘burger away, bringing it back only slightly better. Then Morna noticed that the bun was soaked in blood from the raw meat…