Natural wonderland

After a few rest days in Auckland, after booking a campervan and then cancelling it, after cancelling a reservation and then booking another one, we finally set off to Rotorua.

Redwoods

The Californian Redwoods were planted in New Zealand about 115 years ago. They were grown here for their wood and for some reason, they grow faster in New Zealand (but the density is not as good as the ones in US but good enough for use in construction). I took the kids for a walk in the small Redwood forest in Rotoura. On the way Thing 1 explored and took some imprints of the various tree barks.

Lake Rotorua

We spent a lovely evening at the Lake watching the sunset, the ducks, swans and kids playing in a lovely playground. People talk about the smell of sulphur haunting the town all over the internet. But somehow we barely got a sniff of the smell. So if you are ever worried about the smell, dont bother, just go.

Whakarewarewa Living Maori Village

Rotorua is the capital for Maori culture in New Zealand. We went to a village called Tewhakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahiao. Phew. Commonly it is called Whakarewarewa. It is one of the only few living village on the land with geothermal activity. It was a great experience to see how they live in such harsh conditions yet have such a strong community focus. They have communal cooking area where they cook in the hot water pool and a communal bathing area used by the residents everyday. With about 25 families living there and millions of tourist visiting, the way the village is maintained is exemplary.

Rotorua District Library

When travelling with kids, one should surely visit two things in a town, play ground and a library.

Wai-O-Tapu

Wai-O-Tapu, which is Māori for “sacred waters,” is a wonderland of stunning geothermal activity. It is said that the Lady Knox geyser is most popular but it is just a manipulated geyser, it is induced. But what makes Wai-O-Tapu worth visiting are the colorful hot springs and geysers that create a breathtaking sight.

Waitamo Glowworm caves

The Waitamo caves are millions of years old and are visited by tourists since a century. The caves were carved by underground streams pushing through soft limestone over thousands of years. Many have amazing stalactites growing down from the ceiling and stalagmites growing up from the cave floor formed over centuries by dripping water. The cave walls are also decorated with galaxies of native glow worms unique to New Zealand. A 45 minute boat ride is mesmerising.

Otorohanga Kiwi house

How could we leave New Zealand without seeing a kiwi? It was great to finally see the kiwis. Kiwis are nocturnal and hence we could only see them at the ‘Night Zone’ (almost in the dark). Both the kids had a great time feeding the parakeets and counting tuataras. Nonetheless, it was an essential and a fun stop before returning to Auckland.

Note: This post was long waiting in the drafts section but seems like either Medium is having problem with lot images in a post or my internet connection sucks. Most likely, it’s the later one!