Rotorua - City Of Geysers

Thursday 7 December

Today we were straight up and on the coach to go to the Skyline gondola ride up the side of the mountains that form the crater edge round the edge of Rotorua Lake. The journey was slow, up over the forest, to a viewing point that gave us a beautiful view out over the town and lake. We were ushered through to the restaurant for breakfast, the usual buffet of cooked and cold food, against a background of stunning scenery. This morning the sun was shining and the wind negligible so we made the most of the stoppage time to wander outside as soon as we had finished feeding, to look down on the town. There was a luge advertised, which turned out to be a concrete track twisting downhill, using a metal flat bottomed tray which you sat on and steered with handlebars – no sign of brakes – almost as dangerous as the Olympic event. The two teenage boys on our tour had been hoping to have a go, but unfortunately it wasn’t open at 09.00.

We had a full programme this morning so we could not stay here too long, so soon we were winging our way to the Agrodome – an exhibition area where a young man introduced us to the nineteen different varieties of sheep that roam New Zealand – and there are 40 million sheep in the country – many with names we recognized from home, such as Southdowns, Romneys, Dorset Horns and Suffolks, as well, of course, as the famous Merinos. One sheep of each variety was led up on to the stage with a special podium named with his breed and a small feeding bowl. Some sheep ate their food and if they could possibly reach, ate their neighbours too – it was very funny watching the antics they used to try and reach the next feeding bowl. Different varieties of sheep were bred for wool, for meat, or for milk, used for cheese and yogurt. We watched a display of shearing, milking a cow (don’t know how the cow got in), bottle feeding lambs and a sheep dog trial. Who could have believed that sheep could be so interesting? – and at times very amusing – a huge merino who had such a thick coat of wool, he could hardly stand, looked imperiously over the rest, others trotted on the stage before their time, jumping barriers and running back, and one sheep challenged the sheep dog in the trial, when he tried to get him in the pen – the handler told us that was the first time he had ever done that!?! – but he definitely was a stroppy sheep. We all unexpectedly really enjoyed our visit here.

The clock was ticking and it was time to move on to an animal sanctuary at Paradise Valley, where we had a much needed walk, first seeing a pride of lions - two males and seven females - that were successfully breeding to stock other zoos and sanctuaries in New Zealand – they have two offspring ready to leave at the end of the week. We also saw several ponds of rainbow trout and brown trout, which are also part of a breeding programme to stock the rivers around, for the pleasure of fishermen. There were lots of wallabies including cute little joeys, an assortment of ducks and birds and kiwis in a specially constructed ‘night house’ – with very subdued lighting during the day and bright lighting at night – they are nocturnal birds and confused by the lighting so that we visitors can see them. There were two kiwis in the ‘house’ – one asleep curled up in a ball between the glass and a log (this was the male, who is typically less industrious) and the other a female – rooting around with her long curved beak in the thick layer of leaf detritus on the ground. They are quite large birds, about the size of a turkey, round and brown, well camouflaged in their natural habitat.

Our last stop this morning was at the Geysers and hot mud pools back in Rotorua. We entered another Maori village, this one undergoing vast extensions to provide a new larger carving school and better visitor facilities. We were introduced to our guide – a Maori girl called Faith - who steered us through the village, briefly visiting the meeting hall, the sleeping and living quarters - she understood we had been to Tamaki last night. Twelve students a year currently sign up to an apprentice course lasting three years, where they learn to carve in the old Maori style – figures, totems, roof painters and side boards, as well as trinkets and souvenirs for the tourists. When asked how the students were chosen, it appears they are young people who have not adapted to or dropped out of school life, and this may help them make a living! - not exactly the picture she was painting earlier on.

We continued on to the largest mud pool in Rotorua – a 30 ft circular pond of simmering black mud – water bubbles popping on the surface like a soup. It is supposed to be good for the complexion – especially for men. From here we could see clouds of steam in the distance – the geysers were blowing. We walked round to a large lump of rock with plumes of boiling water and steam rising from the ground up as high as 60 feet. It was spectacular. Some steam converted back to water and ran in small rivulets over the yellow algae on the rocks into a small stream and pool. We walked around this geyser to watch it from all angles. It ‘blows’ every day, at roughly hourly intervals, for half an hour at a time, until the pressure is released. As the pressure underground builds up again, so the plumes of smoke and water get higher.

This afternoon was “an options afternoon – oh no – not another set of choices mimicking APT. But no – we had free time to do as we pleased. We had been given information on range of activities and we had decided to see a little more of Rotorua by Duck – another of those World II US Army amphibious vehicles that are now littering lots of towns across the globe. But first there was the question of dinner tonight and lunch. We had been given a list of restaurants offering different types of fare all around the town, Colin decided that for dinner tonight he wanted some good New Zealand lamb and in the description of the first restaurant mentioned – Bistro 1284 (the address of the premises) – it stated it had won awards for beef and lamb dishes. We set off to find it – the street was easy, just around the corner from the hotel, but the blurb didn’t say it was more than a mile long! Eventually, after the fourth roundabout, we found this small restaurant, with two long tables laid on the ground floor, and four smaller tables up on a mezzanine level - luckily the door was open, although not serving food. They were full for the early evening with special parties, but could fit us in at 20.30, so we made a reservation.

It was then time to find something for lunch and another restaurant mentioned on the sheet was “Capers” – light food and blackboard menu. It was just the right choice with a spinach and houlumi salad and diet ginger beer (this really is the best ginger beer in the world) - for me and lamb chilli cannelloni for Colin. Just time to eat this comfortably and get back to the hotel to pick up the Duck. The huge yellow beast was waiting outside reception. We jumped on with Robin and Gerry (an Australian couple from south of Melbourne), went to another collection point and filled up the vehicle and we were off, firstly around Rotorua – we couldn’t go on the lake here, because it has contracted a weed, which would clog the works. The sulphur smell on the lake was particularly strong, so we quickly moved on passed the baths, museum and a beautiful rose garden. Then out of town to the Blue Lake , where wecareened into the water at the breakneck speed of about ten miles an hour, splash! – the children in the water stood with their mouths open as they watched us float out towards the centre. We toured round the lake and back on to dry land before making for a second lake . . . . . . and a third, all very picturesque, with houses renting in the summer for $NZ10,000 a night round the edges. The lakes were again remnants of volcanic craters, and there were some steep climbs as we went from one to another. Coming out of the third, up the hill, the vehicle coughed and spluttered and came to a stop near the top. The driver let down the escape route (the ladder at the back to get on and off) and ran off down the road. All the passengers began making up stories about where he had gone and why – it was quite fun. He didn’t return for ten minutes, when he explained he had had to go and phone for more diesel – the tank was empty. We sat by the side of the road and waited for the fuel to arrive, telling stories and jokes to pass the time. After a further twenty minutes or so, a car arrived with a tub of diesel, promptly put in the front of the duck, and we were off, back to Rotorua, nearly an hour late.

I blogged for an hour before getting ourselves ready and setting off on the trek to Bistro 1284 once more. The restaurant was full and noisy with lots of laughter as we were taken to the one small empty table for two. The waiter and waitress were very attentive and soon brought our wine and took our orders. For first course we both chose whitebait – we expected the usual battered small fry that we are served at home – but no – the fish were cut into fine julienne and had been lightly sautéed and placed on top of asparagus spears, with red pepper coulis and hollandaise sauce. An absolute feast to begin a meal. The rest continued to the same standard, all delicious combinations of textures and flavours. The restaurant advertises as “the best restaurant in Rotorua”, and we would certainly agree it was exceptionally good. As we had eaten late, by the time we got back to the hotel it was nearly midnight, and bed time.

We have really liked Rotorua (apart from the sulphur smells), even though it was so different than I had imagined – a small Maori town, with a few modern buildings. It is a large sprawling conurbation with very friendly people and excellent food. Tomorrow is our first train ride of this tour, on our way to Wellington.