Sunday Dec 21, 2009 - Auckland to Rotorua

This morning we headed out from Auckland along the number 1 Motorway towards Rotorua, arriving about 2:30. Barb is getting the hang of driving on the left hand side of the road, but still occasionally turns on the wipers when she goes to turn on the turn indicators (figure that one out!).
We drove around Rotorua a bit until we found the Information centre. Rotorua is a resort town built around an area of Geothermal activity. Understandably, this resort focuses on Spa’s and Health Care associated with the Mud Pots and Geysers. The information center provided us with information about accommodation around the town, and the many activities available. We drove around and then checked into an older but clean motel just outside of the town centre. It has a lukewarm mineral pool and a very small swimming pool (as do all the hotels and motels in this town).
After checking in we continued to drive around found Te Puia which is a Maori Cultural Center and Information Center for the Geysers and mud pools. The entrance boasts a circle of carvings depicting examples of Maori Carvings. The whole area is covered with lush vegetation and a few rather unusual and beautiful plants. There is also a carving and a weaving school.
We learned that the Geysers are over 100 C, and they erupt for approximately 25 minutes each hour. The Mud Ponds are literally boiling mud which sends up little pops of mud. The whole valley or park is dotted with areas of steam coming up through the brush. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the Park walking throughout, and exploring every trail we came upon. We finally ran across a security guard who very pleasantly told us we had about 10 minutes to leave the park as it was closing. It was well worth the entrance fee, though the guided tour part left a little to be desired, though our guide was pleasant and informative. We had more fun exploring on our own.
We then headed back into town and came across a Kiwi Buffet for a reasonable price – we had a good feast of a variety of food including some Christmas Pudding.
After supper we wandered down to the lake where we spotted some beautiful black swans. They came with a warning however – not to feed them as they tend to attack.
Back at our motel we took some time in the mineral pool then relaxed over a cup of tea and time for blogging and downloading pictures.
Tomorrow we head off to Napier and some wine tasting!