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Dear All,
We have left Rotarua and lake Taupo after spending 3 days in the area of hot thermal pools and mud pools. Rotarua was enjoyable once you got used to the constant smell of sulphur and hydrogen chloride. The whole town is sited in a volcanic crater and people even have hot thermal pools in their gardens!
We visited a Maori village and Paul took part in the 'Haka' along with 4 Maori warriors. Also visited the geysers and mud pools and took in a Polynesian spa. 42 degrees was the hottest pool overlooking Lake Rotarua and watching the sunset.
The hot pools are amazing and took lots of pics (as you can imagine) The weather at the beginning of the week was awful. Torrential rain flooded roads and their were landslides and mudslides. 6 inches of rain in one day. We were seconds behind a head on crash between a truck and a saloon car. The car was flattened and at least one died. 5 miles further on in the National Park, 6 young students on an outdoor adventure were canyoning with an experienced guide when they were hit by a flash flood, killing all of them. To cap it all, a man and his horse were killed by lightening. The ironic thing was that much of the Lord of the Rings film was shot around there and where the crash happened was where they filmed Mount Doom!!!!!
In view of the above, people were driving like madmen. The truck drivers here should be jailed! One truck driver almost forced us off the road. Straight out of the film 'Dual'. It shook Paul up big time.
We left Tauranga this morning and the weather is sunny and warm again. Heading off to the Coromandel Coast and a town called Thames. We drop the van off on Tuesday/Wed and fly to Fiji next Thursday. All we intend to do there is CHILL OUT!
Paul has worn shorts every day since leaving the UK in January and intends doing the whole trip without wearing trousers.
Love to you all,
Paul & Marion
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