Day 6: Rotorua
When we arrived in Rotorua, a distinct “smell” welcomed us. No, it wasn’t us – it was the smell of the minerals in the geothermal waters! The entire town and everything in it smells like sulfur (like rotten eggs, for those who don’t know what sulfur smells like)! It’s quite gross, but after a whole day here, we kind of got used to it. I guess that’s how the people who live here can stand it.
After breakfast, we went to Wai-O-Tapu, one of the many geothermal areas near the town. There, we saw a geyser erupt (when hot water combines with colder water in an hourglass shape inside the earth), but it was induced (with a natural type of detergent), so we almost heckled the guy, but refrained! We hate tourist traps!
We then headed down a long pathway to see craters and natural mineral pools and terraces – all with boiling, bubbling waters and steam vents (of over 100 degrees celsius) right at our feet! It was a very unique experience to be walking through and surrounded by natural volcanic activity.
Once we finished the walk through the geothermal park, we spent the next few hours at a spa in town, wading in the mineral pools that boast healing properties. I don’t know if we were healed or not, but it was a nice and relaxing day after our hectic schedule of the last few days.
We then headed down a long pathway to see craters and natural mineral pools and terraces – all with boiling, bubbling waters and steam vents (of over 100 degrees celsius) right at our feet! It was a very unique experience to be walking through and surrounded by natural volcanic activity.
Once we finished the walk through the geothermal park, we spent the next few hours at a spa in town, wading in the mineral pools that boast healing properties. I don’t know if we were healed or not, but it was a nice and relaxing day after our hectic schedule of the last few days.
After the spa, we drove back to Auckland airport and are staying the night at a hotel nearby to catch our early morning flight to Christchurch so we can start on our tour of the South Island. We still can’t believe we’re only on Day 6 of our trip! We still have so many more things to see and places to go – how exciting to know this is only the beginning! North Island was fantastic, and an incredible way to begin our journey. The trip has already exceeded our expectations, and we can’t wait to see what beauty awaits us in South Island!
Standing next to the Lady Knox geyser
Champagne Pool in the Geothermal area
reminds me a bit of Lurey caverns near Washington.Nice to read all the posts. enjoyed !
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