Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
13/10/11 Rotorua
Ian was 'faffing' about this morning with his camper van duties. So much so, that I was becoming impatient and desperate to get out and see Rotorua.
The fact that the emptying of the chemical loo took precedence over me was, quite frankly, upsetting to say the least and I let him know in no uncertain terms.
Sulking over and housekeeping complete, we jumped on the bikes and cycled down to the lake, then through the sulphur park and on to Rotorua.
We were camped by the side of Lake Rotorua, the largest of the 16 lakes in this area. The lake is vast, with the island of Mokoia, sitting in the middle.
Around the lake is the main arterial road and clinging to it, a sprawl of urban fabric, which initially gives the wrong impression of the area.
The sulphur-rich, asthmatic air allows just a small taste of this thermal area and it certainly played havoc with my sinuses. There are spurting geysers, steaming hot springs and exploding mud pools, a little bit like Iceland except that the daily business of life goes on amongst the clouds of sulphurous gas that is responsible for certain areas of the town having an eggy smell.
Despite this pervasive odour, Rotorua receives about 3 million visitors a year. You could say that as a result of this steady trade, the town has perhaps rested on its laurels and is not as progressive as other places we've visited. Nevertheless, it has a good feel to it and the culture and tradition of the Maori, very much evident.
In order to make sense of it all during our brief time here, we took a Scenic Air Tour in a Floatplane, out from Lake Rotorua.
We flew over the Crater Lakes District, to the summit of Mt Tarawera to view the destruction caused by it's eruption in 1886. We then flew south over steaming cliffs and hot lakes (some beyond boiling point), past Hell's Gate Geothermal Park and back over Blue and Green Lakes, to Rotorua.
It was an amazing way to see the land and although I felt a bit queasy on landing, this was soon quelled with a beer and some lunch.
We had booked to experience some Maori culture in the evening, a major draw here in Rotorua. I was concerned that it might be heavily commercialised and therefore not a truly authentic experience. (Blame my tourism background)
The Tamaki Maori Village however, did not trivialise but gave an entertaining and thought provoking insight into their indigenous NZ culture. In short, it was an excellent example of how the Maori have promoted their culture and self-determination in order to survive.
We enjoyed a traditional Maori feast or Hangi. This is where a selection of different meats and veggies are placed on top of volcanic stones in large pits in the ground, then covered with hessian sacks and soil and left for 4 hours....delicious!
On top of all of this, the Maori chief looked like Richie McCaw...delicious!
And so to bed, 4 hour road trip in the morning!
- comments
PJH Remember the smell!!