The drive out of Waikaremoana up to Rotorua turned out to be a lot like our trip. Google maps told me it would take 2 hours to get from the visitors center to Rotorua--yeah, no. It took us about 2 hours to make our way along a winding and unpaved road through the Te Urewera Forest. By the time we thought we should be almost out we still had plenty more road to go. But, before we went on our way we stopped at a pretty little waterfall near the lake called Papakorito Falls:
We also saw some escaped horses just munching on some grass on the side of the narrow road, in which a very long drop-off was just on the other side of them. But finally, after 2 hours of rather nauseating turns, the hills and mountains parted to reveal flat, straight land headed to Rotorua! It was a glorious sight. As we headed up the road we decided we would stop at John's Aunt and Uncle's favorite spot in New Zealand--Kerosene Creek. It's a small creek located off an old unpaved road about 20 minutes outside of Rotorua. It's naturally heated due to the abundance of geothermal activity in the area. It fluctuates with the weather though, and while it wasn't steaming hot (like Dave likes it), it was still warm and a pleasant soothing for our aching muscles and sweaty bodies.
Not that you could smell any sweat over the pungent and distinct odor of sulphur. Upon getting close to the town of Rotorua, all of a sudden the distinct and foul smell of rotten eggs wafted over our nostrils and hung in the air all over town. The wonderful thermal pools come with a stinky price. The area right outside, and even around, the town has a plethora of geothermal areas, all of which give off the sulphur smell. John and I decided it smells either like old Cheerios in sour milk with a side of rotten eggs, or a badly smoked bacon and rotten egg sandwich. Either way, not the best aroma in the world. Apparently, you get used to it after a while.
After arriving at our hostel, taking a MUCH needed real shower, and a eating delicious philly cheese steak dinner (courtesy of John), it was time to pass out! The next day we decided to venture out to the source of the smell. Our first stop was Wai-O-Tapu which means "sacred waters" in Maori--not that there was much water around. We first went to see a New Zealand geyser, Lady Knox, that the park sets off every morning at 10:15 a.m. Apparently some prisoners who did landscaping work all around the area of the geyser discovered it's abilities 80 years ago when, after doing some laundry, they dropped some soap powder into it's mouth and it then proceeded to erupt! They use an eco-friendly substance now. While the geyser can go off by itself at random intervals, they usually set it off on their own by using the catalyst. It was really neat to watch as, apparently, there are only a few places in the world where a natural and active geyser can be found: Yellowstone National Park in the U.S., Eastern Russia, Iceland, and the ones in New Zealand.
After the geyser, we set off into the rest of the park to look at the variety and scope of geothermal activity. It was smelly, but colorful--filled with steaming craters and bubbling hot pools. Here are two of the more colorful ones:
On the way out we decided to stop at the boiling mud pools, which too had a very pungent smell, along with a nice "gloop" sound whenever they splattered.
The next stop was volcanic activity of a slightly different sort at Waimangu Volcanic Valley. The moment we walked in it had a very Jurassic Park-esk feel, without the dinosaurs, of course. Lush forest with plumes of stream rising up everywhere--it was kinda cool. The different thing about this particular park was 1) less color and 2) much newer. Apparently 60,000 years ago a volcano in Taupo erupted and it was the most violent volcanic eruption in recorded history--sparking all this future activity. But some of the stuff in Waimangu only started developing in the 1970s--which was kinda cool. You got to see the process and the stuff from which the Earth was made and formed. Here are some of the highlights:
Our last stop of the night was at Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife park--an excellent recommendation made by my friend Ian. It's a wildlife center with all kinds of animals but they also do Kiwi breeding and rehabilitation. We saw a lot of cool animals like the Tuatara Lizard. It's called a living fossil because it has changed very little and is the only surviving genus of it's species that lived during the Cretaceous period some 120 million years ago. It can stand still for EVER and is one of the slowest growing and longest-living reptiles (estimates up to 300 years!) Also, it can go up to 6 months without feeding and breathe as little as once an hour. Pretty cool, huh? Found only here on some 30 small islands around NZ.
We also saw Wallabies, brought over from Australia--but I do believe there is a population of them here (no Kangaroos, though).
We also saw the Kea bird. A very intelligent and inquisitive bird, but the one at the park had been accustomed to human interaction so you could walk right up to it! No good to provoke it, however. Alice told us that in the wild Kea birds have been known to eat the rubber off people's cars that they leave in lots on tramping trips! Very curious birds, indeed.
The highlight of the night, however, was getting to see Kiwis up close--and not behind glass! The biggest attraction of Rainbow Springs was their "Kiwi Encounter." After dark you could come back to the park (your ticket was good for 24 hours, multiple entry) and they had an outdoor Kiwi house where all 4 of their Kiwis had their own little pens. The only thing that separated them, and you from them, was a small, maybe 3 to 4 foot high, wall so you could almost reach out and touch them! (of course you can't ACTUALLY touch them.) But we managed to see all 4 several times and some came right up to the closest wall and they were almost standing right next to you. They don't allow cameras of video though, as Kiwis, being nocturnal animals, are very sensitive to light and noise. So you will just have to take my word for it that it was really cool! A definitely highlight of the trip.
After a long and fun-filled day it was time to head to Taupo for a little family reunion!
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