Rotorua and Wai-O-Tapu

Discovering Rotorua

After our trip to The Shire, we are now discovering Rotorua’s surroundings!  Located along the shore of a beautiful crater lake glittering like a sapphire in the sun, this charming city is really… sulfuric! Indeed, the area shows an intense volcanic activity counting a lot of hot thermal springs, geysers, lakes and streams. Many fumaroles rise from the bowels of the earth to emerge everywhere in the city center, while a delicate odor of rotten eggs permeates the streets. We can’t unfortunately take full advantage of this heady fragrance for our colds didn’t improve much…
We visit the city park proposing a free walk around numerous hot pools, boiling blithely while filling the sky with clouds of steam. We are delighted by the psychedelic colours, caused by the different acids present in the water. We agree to see more of it by going tomorrow to the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, a 3km long walk in a breathtaking volcanic landscape.

Then, we take some time to walk around the city center and along the beautiful lake’s shore. We also admire the awesome architecture of Rotorua museum before visiting the famous « night market ». Open between 6pm and 9pm, it’s actually not even by night, and it’s composed of barely fifteen stands wich sell only food or some trinkets of little interest.We are slightly disappointed… There, we meet Berengère, an 18-years old young french girl who embarked on an adventure having just passed her diploma’s exams. She brings us to a campsite sitting on the edge of lake Okareka.

Wandering in Rotorua

Unreal awakening in a dream setting : the lake is set in a green lush and bathed in the morning light of a shy sun that gradually emerges from behind the mountain. The rain forest covering its gentle slope run to the lake to water its roots. We devour our traditional hearty breakfast consisting of a sandwich of bread fried in oil, spread with mustard and topped with a fried egg, cheese and tomatoes. Then, we’re ready to head to Wai-O-Tapu! After paying our right of access to the geothermal wonders, we walk around for almost an hour, going from astonishment to astonishment. Each hot pool wears some unnatural bright colors as if it was an artist’s multicoloured palette. It’s absolutely gorgeous! It gurgles it smokes, it makes bubbles… All of that set against a background of semi-tropical forest mixed with pines and lined with illuminated sunny hills.

The volcanic plateau can be lunar, infernal or apocalyptic, but always imbued with incredible beauty. The smells of sulfur are suffocating. The park’s masterpiece, called « Champagne Pool » because of its fine bubbles, holds our attention for a long time. Its blue, orange, red, pink and green waters are covered with a thick layer of steam that the wind likes to dismiss as the curtain of a theater.

But we need to hurry if we want to watch the assisted eruption of the Lady Knox geyser at 10:15. Yes, assisted! It is triggered every day with a mixture of soap and a store of ice poured into its chimney and can reach 15m high! Sitting in an open-air amphitheater, we feel like the tourists we are and brandish our cameras as everyone to take pictures of the rising steaming waters. We also learn about the discovery of this geyser in the early 20th century by convicts who wanted to wash their dirty clothing insided and were found moments later running naked in the woods while their clothes were sent into the air by the erupting geyser!

We then return to finish our walk, and stay a few more hours amongst the colorful hot pools to print on our retinas the fantastic scenery they offer

We take the decision to go down to Taupo the next day, promising ourselves to return later to visit the wonders of this incredible area.

Cheers.

Tintin & Riette

Tips :

Rotorua :

• Kuirau park : Free walk in the park in the middle of Rotorua hot pools and other smoking mud holes. Marked path and embellished with explanatory signs on the local flora and fauna.
• Government Gardens : Huge park with gardens punctuated by some hot pools, along the magnificent museum. Admission is free.
• Redwood Forest : Gigantic forest of 5600 hectares, famous for its >California Redwoods at 5km from the city center. Walks from 30 minutes to several hours and for all levels, and also mountain bike trails.
• Camper à Rotorua : A campground is located about 15 minutes from the city on the shores of Lake Okareka. $ 10 / night per person.

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland :

• 3km long walk amid the hots pools and sacred springs. Lady Knox geyser eruption daily at 10:15.
  $32/person
  20 minutes south of Rotorua
  201 Waiotapu Loop Road
  RD 3, Rotorua 3073