Rotorua / Turangi

nothing like a geothermal facial
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Our next stop was Rotorua, which apparently is the tourism and extreme activity center for the north island. Although there were plenty of options for activities (could spend hundreds of dollars as they are quite expensive), we decided to skip all for now and stick to the basics. (Although the Zorbing did appeal to Nancy – which is basically standing in a large rubber ball and being rolled down a hill) We actually thought it all was a little overdone really.

That being said, New Zealand is located on the ring of fire and therefore is a hotbed for earthquakes and volcanoes and this region allows you to see much of that activity first hand. Many of the Maori people that first settled in this region when they migrated from Polynesia did so because it is a large geothermal area with plenty of mineral hot springs. We enjoyed a visit to Whakarewarewa which was a Maori village where we learned a little about the history of the Maori people. We really enjoyed the short cultural show – especially Scott during the audience participation portion (see the pics). We enjoyed the most tender chicken which they cook or steam really on the naturally hot stones in the ground (called “hangi”). The rest of the Hangi food wasn’t anything to write home about, but it was worth the try. It is difficult to get used to the smell of sulfur though, but luckily our B&B was at a location free from the smell on the south side of Lake Rotorua. The other highlight of our time here was our visit to Wai-O-Tapu which is another thermal “wonderland” where you can see plenty of colorful pools and springs naturally and would definitely recommend making that stop.

A geothermal wonderland....

Colors were fantastic....
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Our final stop was to the redwood forest. While I took a nap in the car (they say the sulfur doesn’t get to you, but I disagree as my tummy felt funny during the time we were here), Scott took a hike through the redwoods. Apparently, these trees were transplanted from California back when they were looking to try new types of tree plantings in NZ. These have taken off and it’s been found that they grow at a faster rate here in this climate than back home in California. In addition to the redwoods, you’ll see very large tree ferns which look like palm trees they are so large, but yet with the fern leaves on top. Quite something bit no pictures as the camera battery when dead during the hike. Bummer!

Scott's true calling --a Maori warrior (audience participation and he couldn't wait to get up there!)
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We then spent a full day in Turangi in hopes of completing the Tongariro Crossing (known as the best day hike in NZ), but we unfortunately were unable to do so as the weather did not cooperate and it rained. We didn’t want to be stuck inside all day, so we headed to the park anyway. Although we couldn’t see any of the areas views, we learned more about the volcanic activity of the past which shaped much of the lunar like landscape around this national park. We then thought we’d get a little exercise and headed out for a two hour “so-called” sheltered walk. This did get us two things – 1) desperately needed exercise as we now are back to eating western food! And 2) wet! We found out that our waterproof jackets need to be cleaned and re-waterproofed. Very funny really and good thing that it wasn’t cold outside.

Maori cultural show
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Tidbit of the day:

New Zealand’s only real native wildlife are birds. All other wildlife was introduced as people populated the islands. The Kiwi bird is New Zealands national symbol and they are quite cute. Kiwi (as was the case with other native bird species) are nocturnal and they are flightless. They evolved into flightless birds as there was no natural prey on the islands so they had no real need for flight. Then came human intervention when we came to populate the islands and bring animals that would end up preying on many of these species. There are many programs in place to protect the Kiwi species as many are threatened or endangered.