Rotorua Thermal Springs

Today was a tiring but exceptional day in Rotorua. The city is a resort town that caters to tourists - primarily hikers and bicyclists, although there was a group of Hell's Angels of NZ staying at our hotel. The major evidence of tourism is the number of motels that line the major thoroughfare through the city. However, during the entire day, we saw few people probably because it's still early in the season.

Commercial tree plantation

We continue to be blessed with good weather - partly cloudy with temps in the high 60s. 

One of the major industries in the city is timber. The first pine trees were shipped to the area from Great Britain in the 1860s. Since that time the government has invested heavily in forestry research. Commercial tree plantations were evident along the mountainside. Most of the timber is exported to Asian countries such as China and South Korea. 

Steamy thermal spring

The primary attractions though are the sixteen lakes, therapeutic hot springs, geysers and bubbling mud pools. Rotorua has been sustained by tourism (mostly from Asian countries) since 1870. The city is situated 1,000 feet above sea level in a vast caldera and is nicknamed "Sulfur City".

An 1886 earthquake at nearby Mount Tarawera erupted for 4 1/2 hours destroying seven nearby villages around Rotorua, resulted in major changes to the landscape and created 21 craters in the area.

Boarding for a cruise on Lake Mahana

In the morning we took a boat ride on Lake Mahana which occupies the largest of the craters. Barry, a tall Samoan was our captain and guide. Barry is a park ranger and was knowledgeable about the history, landscape, animals, flora and fauna of the area.

Lake Mahana

Mahana is a Maori word that means "warm lake". It is a 425 foot deep freshwater, rain filled lake that was stocked the brown and rainbow trout by the government. However, there are no public boating ramps as fishing is not permitted. The water is pristine. 

Pink Terrace Bay thermal spring

New forests destroyed by fire or other catastrophes go through stages of regrowth beginning with plants that have short sharp pointy leaves followed by plants with shiny broad leaves. The surrounding area is going through such a period of regrowth. The vegetation around the lake is only about 100 years old so there are few tall trees.

There are many hot springs in the area. The one in the Pink Terrace Bay has erupted for 40 seconds every 15 minutes for 127 years. Today it was spectacular. The water is 92 degrees centigrade so there are plumes of steam all around. 

Thelymitra orchid

At the end of the lake tour, Barry led a walk along one of the hiking trails. He talked at length about the forest regrowth, animal life and thermal springs. He pointed out the delicate Thelymitra orchid that only blooms one day each year. It is tiny, but gorgeous. He mimicked local bird sounds and they seemed to respond to his call.

The silver fern, a symbol of national pride

Barry showed us the silver fern, one of New Zealand's 133 varieties of fern. When turn upside down, the silvery underside of the fern leaves glow in the moonlight lighting the way for Maori hunters to find their way home. The silver fern is a proud symbol for

Poisonous tutu berry

many New Zealand companies and has been a symbol of the country's national rugby team since the 1880s. He also pointed out the tutu, an extremely poisonous plant that is the cause of many sheep and cattle deaths and has the ability to kill an elephant.

Inferno Crater

We walked pass several thermal streams and bubbling mud ponds. We climbed many steps for a view of Inferno Crater. We were rewarded with a view of the crater's brilliant blue

An erupting geyser

water. Due to the blue silica floating in the water, the lake is blue even on cloudy days.

After lunch we visited Te Pua, a Maori cultural center. There we saw another geyser that erupts every hour for 20 minutes.

We then had an opportunity to see our first real kiwi bird, New Zealand's national symbol. The kiwi is a nocturnal bird about the size of a chicken. To enable tourists to see the kiwi, the keepers have reversed the day/night cycle by adjusting the lighting in the sanctuary so that it's dark during the day and gradually grows lighter at night (photos not allowed).

Dress made of flax

There are only about 65,000 kiwis in the wild, 75% of them are on the North Island. By the way, the kiwi fruit is originally from China where it's called the Chinese goosenberry. 

We also saw some of the Maori craftsmen at work. One of the dresses on display was made out of flax and took 18 months to weave.

Maori cultural performance

In the evening we went back to the Maori Cultural Center for an "authentic Maori cultural experience". 

Audience participation

There was dancing, singing and, of course, audience participation. That was followed by a hangi, a traditional meal prepared by the men who cook the meat in an underground pit. 

All in all, a really good day. Tomorrow we fly to Invercargill.