Day 6 Rotorua

Day 6 – Thursday 12^th December

Rotorua

If you speak to anyone who has been to New Zealand’s North Island then you will struggle to find anyone how had been to Kaiate Falls. On the other hand you will struggle to find anyone who didn't visit the “Thermal Wonderland of Rotorua”. It isn't known as Rota-Vegas for nothing.

Following Scott’s advice then if we were to visit just one of the many thermal attractions in the area then it was to be the Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland. Some 15 miles east of

Sure that isn't a hosepipe?

the town. It has a geyser called the Lady Knox. It is more reliable than old faithful in the USA in its timings. At exactly 10.15am  every day it goes off. When daylight saving times change so does this. Are you suspicious yet? It’s not as dodgy as it sounds. The thing is after a brief presentation by park staff a bar of soap is dropped in the hole and this triggers it! So 10.15 is the time to be there. In order to do that we had to be on the road by 8.30am at the latest. So at 8.45am we set off. We arrived the Thermal Wonderland late to an empty car park – result. Then discovered everyone parks somewhere else to see the geyser a mile up the road. So we moved there only to be met by them all coming back. Never mind we were told it continued to “erupt” for around an hour and sure enough it was doing. Now at this stage I think we should consider the word erupt. We know the volcanic scenes in our mind. Now imagine a termite mound with a fire hose squirting up it and you get the idea for the Lady Knox. Yes it was different, natural. But just not very big. So once we had enough of the smelly hot fountain we

The Champagne Pool

headed to the park proper.

This was a 2K walk through a cross between a lunar landscape and Dante’s Inferno. All very different. All very smelly.

Once we had done it all it was lunch in town and then camping overnight at the “Thermal Holiday Park”. In this case Thermal means the pool and hot pool are heated from the ground. Rotorua = ticked the box.

Things I learned today:

• Thermal places are smelly
• Diesel is half the UK price BUT anyone with a diesel vehicle pays an up front tax. We didn't have to and given the way the motor home drinks the stuff that is good news.