My journey continues in New Zealand

My journey through New Zealand really begins after picking up the hired car, off we set for Rotorua, stopping on the way to the Waitomo glo worm caves fascinating and very beautiful, especially the gondola boat ride through the caves where it is completely dark and silent and to see the thousands of glow worms shining brightly up above, no photography was allowed of any sort as not to disturb the fragile glow worms.

We then headed for our destination for the next two nights Rotorua arriving around 5pm to the beautiful lake view hotel. You could do almost anything on the lake, we plumped so a sedate pedalo (not very adventurous i know) but seeing the lake from a different perspective was really good. Walking along the lake front were at least 20 to 30 seagulls waiting to pounce on their next victim and i actually got dive bombed by a couple so i made a hasty retreat!! Well that was the exercise for the day!! Found a lovely little cafe bar and sat out for a well deserved S/Blanc (cloudy bay) whilst writing my journal. But we began to notice a strange smell emanating all around, rotten eggs, then the penny dropped ah! we were in the Thermal Wonderland of Rotorua!!


One of the many black swans on the lake.



This is a recreated Maori boat.
The carvings on it are so intricate.


Can you imagine seeing this in the water, Amazing




Our trip for the next day was to the,
Waiotapo Thermal wonderland. We spent so much more time here than planned, but you just could not go for an hour, we did the whole walk in the end ended up staying nearly three hours. Breathtaking scenes of our earths core and the bubbling noises of the earth moving with billowing smoke coming up every so often giving of that lovely rotten egg smell !!!

A Pied Stilt picking little things from the ground, how it survives in this place i don't know because the ground is hot in some places!


One of the many different coloured lakes that have formed in the area and it was really that colour

Different rock formations that have formed over thousands of years.

This was known as the Frying pan and Oyster pool, quite stunning.

Giving a swirling feature to the lake.

There is that smell again!!!

The steam was overpowering as i stood here , you had to just step back!

The edge of the Champagne pool

The Devils Home, aptly named i think.

One reason for going was the Geyser that erupts at
preciously 10.15.am every morning, hopefully that will continue,

if not there maybe something going wrong around the region!

The evening trip was to the Tamaki Maori village. Where an evenings entertainment awaited us.

All dressed in their native costumes, telling stories through music and dance.

This chap was amazing, his eyes were so wide and

as for his tongue WELL !!!!!! No photo i'm afraid but will

leave it to your imagination!!!

The entrance to the village where our chosen chief from our coach

was welcomed, we had been given written information beforehand

about what to expect and not what to do! Never laugh, imitate or smile

whilst the dance is being performed as it would be very disrespectful to

the Maori chief of the village. It was such a shame because the heavens opened

at this point, thunder and lightening too, so the dance was cut very short.

We were all then welcomed to the village where a Hangi feast had been set for us, traditional

meats that had been slow cooked in a oven in the ground covered by volcanic rocks

and cooked for 7 hours, never tasted lamb, pork or chicken like it, delicious.

You can see just how wet the ground was!

The grounds of the village.

As i said the journey really began here, the scenery gets more dramatic as we go further around but this was certainly a good opener. Miles and miles of green pastures hills, mountains are to come.