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We could smell Rotorua before we even arrived! Because it's situated in a geothermal area, and there is still a lot of activity, the smell of sulphur hangs in the air. Nice! Rotorua is quite a popular area to learn about and experience maori culture, so we visited Te Puia, a maori arts and cultural centre, which also houses the Pohutu Geyser. We took a guided tour,which gave us an insight into traditional maori arts and crafts, such as wood carving and weaving, and we also got to see a maori cultural performance with dancing, singing and stick games. In Te Puia we also saw the Pohutu Geyser, and it goes off several times an hour. They say if you get hit by the spray it's good luck. We got hit! The smell was pretty awful though, if you want to spend any length of time there you need to be able to put up with it. It was interesting to hear from our guide though that they put the geothermal activity to good use, using it as a source of power for the area. We also saw lots of bubbling mud pools, which again are related to the geothermal activity, and another way it is utilised is through thermal baths. We visited the Polynesian Spa that evening, which has 6 hot outdoor mineral pools that you can bathe in and relax in, overlooking Lake Rotorua. It was heaven! It came recommended by friends (thanks Anna and Christian!), and they were right when they said that afterwards they had the best nights sleep ever!
It set us up for the first leg our drive to Wellington, which took us via Lake Taupo. Taupo was stunning, certainly one of the most beautiful places we have seen so far on our trip. It's the biggest lake in New Zealand, and the sun was shining that day, making it look incredibly beautiful and serene. South of Taupo is Tongariro National Park, and its snow capped mountains are visible behind the lake, just to make it look even prettier! We had a walk along the lake, and took in the views. We also made sure we stopped to look at Huka Falls, a very impressive waterfall just outside Taupo. The sheer force of the water really took our breath away.We continued our drive to Wellington, crossing through the Tongariro Park, and getting a bit closer to the snowy mountains. We had a very nice view from the car! It's definitely an impressive drive. We stayed the night in Wanganui, which is on the west coast, and had some fish and chips. The lady laughed when we asked her if they did mushy peas - they didn't do mushy peas, and she apologised profusely! She rightly assumed though that we wanted salt and vinegar, and we have to say it was very tasty. Just like being at home! The next day we got up early to finish our drive to Wellington, the capital city, to see what it had to offer....
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