Aotearoa 17 - The Bog of Eternal Stench

Feb. 4, 2007: Drive to Rotorua

This morning we woke up early again and drove to Rotorua. It's one of the bigger tourist attractions here. Of course, the whole country is a pretty big tourist attraction :) but this city is well-known for its geothermal activity. The city itself is also a bit bigger than the little towns we've been used to in the South Island and we've driven through on the North Island. You know you're in Rotorua when you can smell the sulfur from all the geothermal activity in the area. Just like being back in Yellowstone! :)

Not much really happened today. On our way into town we stopped at the information site to see what we could do in the area. After we checked in, the Poon's went on a whitewater rafting trip. That would've been awesome but again I'm on a very tight budget. I've been rafting in the States, so I decided to forego this experience in favor of something with a more NZ flavor.

While they were rafting, I just hung out at the Top 10 chillin'. The problem was that, again, I couldn't drive since I didn't have a valid license (it had expired). The city has buses, but they don't run on Sundays. I was pretty much stuck there. There aren't many things to do in the area; everything is too long of a walk away. I wouldn't be able to get there before they closed. :) The weather also didn't look too promising, and I was glad for the time to just chill. I wanted to go to a church service, again, but wouldn't you know the churches were all too far away. So how did I pass the time? Well, first I checked my e-mail, then I had a good, long chat with the receptionist. She's from South Africa, and I think she was in need of a friend. Now I wish I'd gotten her e-mail address or something, so I could keep in touch with her.

I really wished my license hadn't expired, or that I'd thought to renew it online or something. I would really love to stay here for a longer period of time (not just 2 weeks) and have my own mode of transportation, rely on myself to get around, that sort of thing. This place is calling my name!! :) I guess I'll have to find a job so I can be paid to live here. Maybe I can work at a Top 10....

When the Poons got back from rafting - they said it was absolutely AWESOME, and now I wish I'd been able to go with them! :) - we went into town, just to see what was around. On our way in, we had passed what looked like a small park with lots of "steam vents" - the geothermal activity variety. So, we decided to take a closer look at that. It was really neat! There were lots of little pools of boiling water, bubbling mud, and such. There was a small place where you could take off your shoes and soak your feet in naturally hot mineral water. The only problem was the smell, and the fact that it was getting dark by the time we got there. But it was a nice little park, and it was FREE!! :)



The city of Rotorua is on the shores of Lake Rotorua. This lake has a famous love story - the daughter of a chief was in love with a man who most people thought was beneath her. Her father and tribe forbade them to see each other - the man was placed on an island in the middle of the lake, and all canoes were removed so the girl couldn't go to see him. The man would play his flute, and the music would drift over the water to the girl, who only loved him more and more. Eventually, she was so overcome by the music and her love for him, that she tied empty gourds to herself to help her stay afloat, and she swam over 4 km to the island to be with him. Today, their descendants are still living in the area and telling their story. The story is also the basis for a famous Maori song, but I don't know it. :) I just think it's a neat story, and I like the fact that it is a true story, that stories like this still happen in the world.

Yesterday when we drove to Waitomo we noticed how different the terrain is on the North Island vs. the South Island. It is much more flat here in general, and the roads aren't quite as windy up through mountains. We did, however, see some spectacular views of a few volcanoes - in fact, we passed by the volcano that was used as Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings! I had a moment then, thinking of poor Sam carrying Frodo up the last bit of the journey. ;) It really was a spectacular view of the mountain, though!

I told you there are tons of Mimosa trees here....this one was at our Top 10 in Rotorua:


And I thought the tree with the red leaves in front of this Mimosa tree was just stunning!



(Also my pictures have gotten scarcer because I didn't take as many towards the end of the trip - I was worried about the batteries running out. Yes, I know it's a silly excuse)