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On we went to Rotorua which is just as smelly as they say. The entire city and surrounding villages has the undeniable odour of rotten eggs owing to the overwhelming amounts of sulphur underground which is released into the atmosphere. Still, every cloud has a silver lining and , in Rotorua, that silver lining comes in the form of dozens of geysers hidden among the woodland. It's an odd sight to see: steam rising out from the trees and undergrowth only metres from the highway as if giants may be found resting against tree trunks smoking their pipes. We drove through Volvanic Valley, where geysers can be seen frequently along each side of the dirt track, towards the mud pools of Rotorua. An awful smelling pit of bubbling and boiling grey mud much like the 'bog of eternal stench' in the Labrynth. Leaning over the side of the railing you could literally feel the heat hit you as the ground could be heard grumbling underfoot. No doubt it has some strange beautifying qualities and would, in turn, produce a very expensive face mask, but every woman has her limits! Driving further south we came to Taupo, another volcanic area but with a much more pleasant smell. Here, of course, is Lake Taupo. In the 186AD reign of Emperor Ling, one chinese historian recorded that for many days the "sky was as red as blood." At the same time, in Rome, Herodian reported strange events such as "stars that remain visible by day." The cause of these observations is thought to have been the most powerful volcanic eruption seen on earth in the last 5,000 years. From this massive eruption emerged the crater we know today as Lake Taupo. Driving around the trout infested waters of Lake Taupo reveals some pretty impressive holiday homes. However, given the history of the town I'm not sure I'll be investing in any properties. Having been up close and personal with Lake Titicaca I can't say that I was particularly overwhelmed with the greatness of Lake taupo but, what it lacked in size it more than made up for with utter tranquility. With no one to be seen for miles, the silence was quite amazing. Travelling further down towards our campsite we came across Mt Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom, from 'The Lord of the Rings' and Mt. Tongariro. I was completely taken aback by the compelling sight of them, with all their splendour imposing on the scenery. Mt Ngauruhoe was especially breath-taking, shaped exactly like the volcanoes from storybooks. New Zealand really was exceeding every expectation. The next morning I was awake by dawn and full of apprehension and excitement as today I was to explore the glow worm caves at Waitomo. We drove to Te Kuiti and took a dirt track west to Waitomo where we met our caving guides. Having squeezed into wetsuits, wellies and helmets we made our way to the cave entrance where we were all but pushed off of the wooden pier into the river below that was disappearing into the darkness. Darkness is an understatement; it was more of a 'nothingness.' Our first task was to descend the 65m into the caves belly by wading or floating through the tunnels without falling victim to the ever-increasing current. With only the small torch on our helmets for light not one finger escaped being ripped to shreds on the unseen rocks and cave walls. Coming to waterfalls, regularly, we each had to jump backwards off of the edge of the cascading water into our rafts which, as it turned out, were just rubber rings! The weight of your body coupled with the pull of the descending water would drag you under the surface for a couple of terrifying seconds where the freezing temperatures induced a shock inlike any other I've ever experienced. As the strength of the current decreased we found ourselves floating calmly through the wide tunnels and deep silent waters. We turned out our head-lights and were amazed to be greeted by the lights of thousands of glow worms in the rocks above us, like a planetarium of little green and blue stars. After approximately three hours in the caves we finally reached sunlight almost 2kms from our starting point. That night, suitably frazzled, we slept at the first campsite we came to.
Thought of the Day: Wine: it rains, I pour!
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