'Taking the Cure' at Rotorua and home

The Tamaki Maori Village is the best place to experience pre European Maori culture.  It is set  in the forest about 20 mins outside Rotorua.  Once we were beyond the entrance gates of the village we were led through a roving theatrical experience.  As we walked from hut to hut we were taught the Haka, how to play Maori games, weave, and the poi dance all set under the night sky and the canopy of the forest . 

Learning the Poi

Weaving flax

Rotorua is a vibrant city on the lake just a little sulphuric - not too over powering. Highly recommend a visit to the Te Arawa exhibition at the Rotorua Museum -  housed in the very grand Tudor styled old bath house.  The exhibition is new and details the Maori's arrival and settlement of New Zealand, the culture and taonga (treasures) of the people, and then the impact of European settlement.  The kids did exploring info sheets which kept them busy and engaged.  The cinematic experience was great and unexpected - the movie re anacted the explosion of Mt Tarawera, including shaking seats!




You can explore the old bath house building from the top of the roof to the basement.  It was built in 1908 funded by the New Zealand Government to encourage tourism to 'take the cure' at the 'Great South Seas Spa'.  It looked like torture to me, any thing called a 'sanatarium' at that time wasn't a relaxing retreat even though it was very fashionable to go.  Treatments included soaking in volcanic mud then being hosed down, electric shock treatment, and soaking in  volcanic water pumped into the bowels of the building.

Our last stop over was in Auckland, first impressions not so good just a huge city really hard to get into with peak hour traffic.  The next day we had a nice explore of Parnell a arty cafe strip on the out skirts of the city and we had the best play at an out doors adventure park on the harbour, again out of the city - crazy flying fox!


We had driven from the south at Wellington to the north at Auckland and had a great week, kids definitely want to go back inspired by our geothermal adventures.  

Lake Terawera hot beach

We stayed at a hobby farm motel in Rotorua which the kids loved - lots of animals to interact with just outside the city and not too smelly.  While we were there we spoke to our host about the best places to go to have a natural hot spring dip - which was the best thing we did the whole holiday.  


We travelled about 30mins out of Rotorua to Lake Terawera and hired a water taxi to the other side of the lake to the National Park and experienced the 'hot beach'.  The beach was soo hot we didn't stay (if your toes went in too deep into the sand they got burnt and the water was too hot also).  Our driver then took us further around to a walking track that lead to a gorgeous hot water spring which the locals had made into an outdoor spa with a timber jetty - heaven!

Kid friendly motor lodge

The shores of Lake Terawera

Hot beach

Walking track to the bush spa

Ahh

Having fun jumping off the rocks into the freezing water

Waimangu Volcanic Valley

Created on 10 June 1886 as a result of the Tarawera eruption.  It is the youngest geothermal area in the world.  The volcanic eruption punctured the area with a series of craters and allowed geothermal fluid already present underground direct passage to the surface of the earth.   


 When Mt Tarawera erupted it lead the the destruction of the famous Pink and White Terraces which at  that time drew tourists from around the world (they were considered the 8th Wonder of the World).  Many lives were lost and Maori settlements destroyed, the tourist industry which provided income suffered a big blow so after the eruption government decided to establish tourism in Rotorua. 


We really enjoyed the self guided walk through the valley, there was only one other family we came across so you felt like you were on your own adventure.  We  passed the Frying Pan Lake claimed to be the world largest hot water spring with its steaming Cathedral Rocks, and followed the bubbling streams, touched the sulphur crystal vents, and saw the aqua blue Inferno Crater where the water reaches 80*c.


Bit worrying when you thought about what you were standing on and the potential for an explosion!  

Frying Pan Lake

Sulphur crystals

Inferno Crater

Plantation forests surrounding the area

Waitomo Glow Worm Caves

The Glow Worm Caves were first explored in 1887 and they have attracted tourists ever since. Situated in the green hilly landscape of the region the caves are a part of a network of underground limestone caves.  It has an underground river flowing through it providing the perfect environment for the glowworms. 


We stayed at the original Waitomo Hotel built in 1907 by New Zealand tourism to cater for all the tourists flooding to see the cave systems and the glow worms.  It was a bit creepy felt like there were a few ghosts around, each wall was wall papered in different floral patterns to suit the Victorian building - so you could trace its history back via the layers and additions, the floors creaked - it reminded me of 'The Ghost and Mrs Muir'. Still I'd recommend it just to retrace the steps of adventurous souls in petti coats from yonder year.


The worms are interesting they line the ceiling of the cave with little blue lights. They are an insect in the larvae stage glowing to attract prey.  The glow is a reaction called bioluminescence which occurs in the larvae's bottom - which the kids liked repeating.  It attracts other insects in order to capture them in their snare lines - sticky threads that decend from the cave roof. 

Doing something they weren't supposed to!

The Victorian Waitomo Hotel

The river boat that glides past the glow worms

Decending into the Aranui Cave

The glow worm snare lines

Climbing Mt Ruapehu ain't easy!

We decided to climb it because it was there at 2797m.  So we cheated a bit and caught the chair lift as far as we could go which deposits you at the highest ski cafe in NZ with great views.  To climb to the summit it is quite difficult there's no path just lots of boulders and scrambling. Unfortunately it defeated us after about an hour we probably had another hour to go at our kid rate and with lots of cajoling.

Mt Ngauruhoe

Taking the chair to Mt Ruapehu

The ascent

A volcanic vent in the distance

Chateau Tongariro

We stayed in the Chateau at the foot of Mt Ruapehu, built in 1929 it is just magical retaining all of its old world charm.  

Chateau Tongariro

Mummy enjoying the NZ wine!

The tea room - very posh!

Tongariro National Park

Five hours drive north of Wellington is Tongariro National Park.  It was the first park in the world to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status for is natural and cultural significance.  At the centre of the park are three active volcanoes Mt Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro (the last time Mt Ruapehu erupted was in 1995).  The lands were gifted to the Government in 1887 by the Maori Chief Tukino Te Heuheu IV.  


The mountains attract skiers in winter and trampers in summer,  we were just in awe of the size of them as they just dominate the landscape.

Our first sighting of Mt Ruapehu 

'The Long White Cloud'

Beware Kiwi 'sking'