Sunday 28 April 2013
Rotorua
We had a lovely few days away. On the drive to Rotorua we stopped at Waihi and rode the old railway up to Waikino in an open carriage. Later we stopped at Mount Manganui and walked to the top --- always a great view.
We stayed by the lake at Waiteti, just out of town, at Waiteti Lakefront Motel. I think that was a pretty good decision; very peaceful, great view, relatively cheap, and free use of kayaks which we took advantage of on Saturday morning, paddling up the Waiteti Stream a bit.
On Friday morning we did the gondola and luge ... especially the luge, which everyone enjoyed. After that we visited Kuirau Park, which I always enjoy a lot --- it's so great to have a geothermal park right in the city. Then we went to Waimangu Valley, which I still think is the best geothermal attraction in the area because of its unique size and features, and its brilliant bush and lake setting. It's changed noticeably since I was last there; Warbrick Terrace is growing quite rapidly.
After kayaking on Saturday we went to the Redwoods for a short walk. I hadn't been there before and it's really great --- not as picturesque as some other places near Rotorua, but large and lovely, especially I imagine for running and biking. Then we went to Lake Okareka and did the new walkway there. Brilliant.
On the way back to Auckland yesterday we stopped near Putaruru and did the Te Waihou walkway. The Waihou river is stunningly clear and beautiful due to having flowed underground through filtering rock in the Kaimai Ranges (for fifty years, supposedly). We saw a lot of trout, but a couple of guys fishing complained they hadn't caught any because the clarity of the water made it too hard to estimate depth!
All in all, another wonderful central North Island getaway. I love this place.
Comments