We are continuing our drive south with the intention of reaching Wellington on Sunday. Our next stop is Rotorua in the heart of New Zealand’s volcanic area and famed for it’s geo-thermal activity – hot springs, boiling mud pools and geysers. There are also a number of Maori heritage ‘villages’ offering an insight into Maori arts, crafts and culture. There is a whole host of other activities in the area to draw tourists – sky-diving, karting, helicopter rides, spas, wild life park. Basically, you name it and it’s probably within 30 kms. Rotorua town boasts 400 shops and seems to have a backpacker hostel around every corner. There are also numerous hotels and motels to cater for the influx of coach parties and independent tourists. The towns it is oh so neat and very clean; with mainly single storey shops, weatherboard bungalows on their own plots and several historic buildings. We arrive around lunch-time and decide, after a quick site check, to stop at Willow Haven Holiday Park. This is a cheaper version of the Top Ten Holiday Parks, clean, a bit tired but with a superb location 6 km outside town right on the shore of Roturua Lake and we are able to pitch our tent on the water’s edge. The lake is home to a large number of noisy gulls, some very friendly ducks and a contingent of black swans which we can see in the distance but never seem to come ashore.
The drive from Waihi Beach to Rotorua took us through more spectacularly beautiful countryside, greener now with steeper hills and deeper meandering valleys. The road’s twists and turns delivering wonderful views over pasture, forest and the occasional vineyard and orchard. The latter usually protected by hedges of towering conifers. The roads are empty by UK standards and a joy to drive. Occasionally our progress is interrupted by roadworks, which reduce the whole road to an unsealed off-road experience; the traffic flow controlled, more often than not, by women wielding lollipop stop/go signs. .
New Zealand skies are as beautiful as the weather is changeable. Where could one see the clearest of rainbows at the same time as a glowing orange sunset? Fluffy white candyfloss clouds float low in the bluest of skies whilst fine wispy strands of clouds high above scurry along at a different pace.