Rotorua

After our all-day skiing stint on Saturday we packed up the car and drove towards Rotorua. We decided to stay overnight as the 2012 Coastguard Conference was being held there, and since Jess used to live in Christchurch and was part of the Canterbury Coastguard Team, she was keen to meet with some of her old friends.

As we drove down to the base of Mount Hutt and turned the corner, we passed Mount Tongariro and  Mount Ngaurouhoe, joined by a saddle-like feature called the Tongariro Crossing. It is well known in New Zealand as it is a popular 'tramping' (Kiwi term for hiking) destination. Mount Tongariro erupted on the 7th of August this year, hurling rocks up to 1km, and sending an ash cloud as far as Napier (around 2km away). As we drove past we were able to see 'hydrothermal activity' from the road (the steam in the photograph below). We also smelt sulphur in the air and saw evidence of the eruption in the form of yellowy ash on the grass verge. It was all quite exciting really! 

After our brief 'brush with death' photo stop we drove down the scenic route towards Rotorua. We passed a large lake called Lake Taupo, which was incredibly beautiful. Unfortunately it was dusk by this point and too dark for photos. It's definitely somewhere I'll have to go back to in the daylight though. 

The city of Rotorua is famed for its geothermal activity, and features geysers and hot mud pools. Unfortunately these great assets come at a price - a distinct odour of rotten eggs! It has the nickname of the 'Sulphur City' because of the hydrogen sulphide emissions, giving it the rotten egg smell. It is worth it though, as the natural hot pools are great for curing aches and pains. They certainly helped relieve my sore skiing knees. It was also an amazing experience to be sat in a natural outdoor hot-tub at 9pm with a fantastic view of the stars in the night sky. Something I will certainly have to do again.

Following a relaxing dip in the hot tub, Jess and I met up with the conference attendees for a few drinks in the hotel bar after the conference had finished. We were both shattered though, and were practically asleep after a couple of hours, so didn't stay too long. Andrew had decided to stay behind in the little holiday chalet we were renting as he was too tired to move!

The next morning we re-packed the car and headed out into Rotorua for our day of 'tourist fun'! We began by driving towards lake Rotorua (which is right next to the main city centre) and stopped for a shot stroll along part of the shore. I took a couple of pictures of the sea plane and helicopter that fly tourists around the skies above the lake, and also do a little tour of the city. I'd have loved to have had a go, but they were both VERY expensive!

We hopped back in the car and were planning to get something to eat, but were distracted by a crazy golf course on the way. We decided that as it was a lovely day we would stop and have a game. I got off to a great start completing the first hole, a par four, in just two shots. My good luck continued throughout the game, and even when I had a couple of bad holes, both Andrew and Jess did too! I eventually triumphed by 11 shots, but shot of the day went to Andrew who got a hole in one!

Following our crazy golf experience we drove out of the city and towards some of the lakes surrounding Rotorura. There are three main lakes in the nearby area, the Green Lake (Rotokakahi), the Blue Lake (Tikitapu) and Lake Tarawera. They were all beautiful and its a pity we didn't have more time to explore some of the walks and stop for a picnic, but we had to have our ski kit back in Auckland for 5pm.  We did manage to get a few photos though, the first two are from the Blue Lake, the next two are from the Green Lake, and the last two from Lake Tarawera.

After a brief paddle in the waters of Lake Tarawera we got back in the car and Andrew drove us back to Auckland. We stopped off a couple of times for ice cream and then chocolate, but managed to return our skis before the shop closed at 5pm. 

I had a great few days skiing and really enjoyed our time in Rotorua. I will certainly be going back to Rotorua and plan to spend some time exploring some of the walking tracks, relaxing in the hot pools and having picnics on the beaches!