On Tuesday we left Thames with a borrowed car, borrowed tent and borrowed sleeping bags, on a road trip to see the central and western bits of North Island. We stayed one night on the east coast at Papamoa and had a paddle in the Pacific Ocean, then on Wednesday drove to Rotorua.
In Rotorua we've found a great place to stay called Cosy Cottage Thermal Park - here we have a little cabin with beds and a tiny kitchen, and can go down to the shore of Lake Rotorua or swim in hot pools to our hearts' content!
Yesterday (Wednesday 11th) we visited Whakarewarewa. We took a look at the boiling mud pools, and the Maori village. The boiling mud smells mainly sulphorous, and sometimes a bit like sausages and eggs! As bubbles of hot gas rise up to the surface of the mud it plops and splats and sounds like a frog (a very smelly one). Steam comes out of holes in the ground that look a bit malevolent! Sometimes you can hear water down the hole bubbling and spitting too.
At the top of Whakarewarewa is Pohutu geyser, which can throw water 30m up in the air. We waited a long time for it to do that, but it didn't oblige until we were about to leave so we only got a distant view. Some of the ground up around the geyser is actually too hot to stand on without shoes!
Today (Thursday 12th) we've been to see the Blue and Green Lakes south-east of Rotorua - Tikitapu and Rotokhaki - which are beautiful.
While we were out we left our dinner cooking in a geothermal oven, and it was delicious. Here we are enjoying it!
Thomas, Vicky, Kitty and Mike xx
That looks beautiful. have you seen any kiwis yet?
ReplyDeleteThe only kiwi we've seen was via CCTV in a kiwi enclosure at Whakarewarewa - it was asleep on its nest, even though the enclosure is kept really dark to try and trick them into coming out!
ReplyDeleteFinally got into this and Granny is v happy to be reading it at our house whilst doing a spot of babysitting. Love the sound of the mud pools. Looking forward to next instalment, Granny and Harriet xxxxxxxxxxxx
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