Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Rachel's Travels...
Friday 3 - The weather was better this morning, although quite windy, which meant that the Tongariro crossing was on. I was really gutted that I'd missed out on doing it again, and this time by only one day. I couldn't stay longer in Turangi because I'd booked up everything for the next week. So hung around the hostel and watched some rubbish NZ telly until my bus came to take me to Rotorua.
Got to Rotorua about 3pm. I noticed the smell when I was still on the bus, but it didn't quite prepare me for the stench when I got of the bus. It was the nasty smell of sulphur - rotten eggs. It came in waves, sometimes it wasn't that bad, and then a really strong pong would came that made me feel really sick. I don't know how people live here!
I had a 20 minute walk to my hostel, which might not sound far, but my pack is now so big and heavy. My hostel was called Funky Green Voyager, and it is quite nice. Dumped my bag and decided to go for a walk around Rotorua. Went down to the lake and then decided to do the Taupahi Reserve Walk, which takes you around the lake front and sulphur flats. There was so much thermal activity around and signs everywhere warning you it was an active area and not to leave the path. There was no way I was going to as I'd heard horror stories about how the ground had given way on people and they had fallen into a pot hole and been scalded.
The walk was really good except for the smell! I walked past Sulphur Bay and it was really obvious due to the change in water colour where the lake and bay met. Past several hot pools (Camerons Laughing Gas Pool and The Coffee Pot) that people in the late 1900's and early 20th century used to bathe in for health purposes. However as several people each year use to die from passing out from the fumes and then drowning, it didn't seem like much of a health benefit to me!
The walk took me past the Blue Baths which had a massive steam hole outside and in the same area was the museum. It was housed in such a beautiful building, but it was unfortunately closed when I was there. I also went past the Polynesian Spa which was a bit of a posh place where you could lounge around in the spa water if you wanted to pay for the priviledge (I didn't).
I carried on with the walk, going past so much geothermal spots - at one point I was on a walk way and I could see and hear the ground boiling and bubbling away either side of me. I also saw loads of birds and quite a few rabbits in the area. They must not mind the smell. On the way back I had to walk past the sewerage treatment plant. What a smell that produced! Sulphur, rotten eggs and s*** - that's what that little bit of Rotorua smelt like - it was not nice.
Went back to the hostel and read for a bit, then decided to treat myself to a Pizza Hut - it was yummy!
- comments