Revisiting Rotorua

It's been a year since I last published an update - going so long without a vacation/break was not good! Since the New Zealand borders were finally opening up to certain countries, we ended up having our first US visitor for many years. We got a suitcase full of good stuff from the US - things you can't get here or get here affordably, like some first aid and medicines, boxed pasta and cheese, and shoes (US $75 vs. NZ $250!). And of course the amazing Pacific Cookie Company cookies:

First was a trip to the zoo, where there were some different things, such as the red panda getting weighed and being a little stinker about coming over to the keeper. It was so cute when it finally went over, got its snack, looked at all of us watching it, then ambled back to go up the tree.

We also planned a short trip to Rotorua, which we'd been to before but a long time ago and when we were on a tight budget. It was really nice for me to have a break, get out of Auckland, and put my worries about everything happening on hold for a few days. 

We stopped in to Hamilton Gardens on the way down. It was raining a little, but this meant we had the place to ourselves, and it was still enjoyable even though not as many flowers were in bloom. There were new gardens opened since we'd been last, including an Egyptian-themed one which was cool.

The main event in Rotorua was doing a self-guided walking tour in Waimangu Volcanic Valley. It was beautiful and mysterious with hot thermal lakes and streams bubbling away, and gorgeous color patterns. We've seen a lot of New Zealand, but we hadn't seen this before and it reminded me of some of the country's best features (getting away from the infrastructure problems plaguing Auckland...). I would definitely go back and take future visitors so they can experience the wonder of these geothermal features as well.

We ended with a boat cruise on Lake Rotomahana (NZ's original tourist attraction long before Lord of the Rings and bungy jumping) and got to see more 'smoking' hillsides and geysers, and went where the famous Pink and White Terraces were before they were unfortunately buried in the volcanic eruption in 1886 that also took out several Maori villages. 

There's a free park in the town center of Rotorua with active, bubbling and smoking geothermal areas fenced off. We walked through it and on a short coastal walk before heading back to Auckland.

I will say, we ate out a lot when our visitor was here so didn't have to worry about dealing with dinner. 

We also went to the Chelsea Sugar Factory in Auckland for a short factory tour. We weren't allowed to bring cameras in so I can't show the amazingly huge mounds of raw sugar just come in off the ship, but trust me - they were cool. There's a lot involved in the sugar making process.

One of the last outings was going to the Taste of Pasifika small cultural festival downtown (scaled down due to Covid) and then up to a park up the coast with beautiful 360 views of the water and islands. 

It was interesting to explain quirks of New Zealand to someone after so many years of adjusting to them ourselves. It's not that we accept that things should be like they are, especially when they're harmful to humans, but you get used to things being a certain way. I felt so behind when I had to ask what 'Ring' was - apparently wireless home security has advanced quite a bit since I left and lots of people have these systems where they can access cameras and even talk through them to watch their houses for deliveries or intruders. Meanwhile, NZ is still struggling to get double-pane windows and decent heating and cooling systems. It's sometimes hard to adapt to living less comfortably here when you're used to a certain standard coming from the US. That said, the enormous toll to gun violence and other issues remind us why we won't be moving back anytime soon.

Stewart Island

The ferry ride to get from Bluff (at tip of the South Island) to Stewart Island was terribly rocky, and people were getting sick left and right (yes, some threw up). It's an hour-long ride, too. There was a storm going on so we couldn't see much outside of the windows with the crashing waves and rain. I usually don't get seasick, but I did this time and almost lost it. The boat was battered hard several times by big waves -- I suddenly had even more sympathy for the people who immigrated to New Zealand via a three-month boat ride that we had just learned about at the Otago Settlers Museum in Dunedin. There's a recreation of the sleeping quarters there -- no windows, just a small hard bunk.

little town of Oban, the only on Stewart Island

We made it to the hostel (a small, quaint place where they don't even give you keys because there is a trust policy that seems to work alright) after toting our luggage in the rain and later headed down to the dock again to see the little blue penguins come in for the night. There were only three, but they were cute to watch as they swam up then hurriedly slipped behind the rocks to make it to their hidden nests on shore. We came back the next day too and saw three again, but one did a little show and jumped off a rock into the water before disappearing.

 

The next day we lingered in the hostel waiting for the rain to let up. We darted over to the visitor center, me trying in futile to use an umbrella and having it not work at all and then expressing my anger at NZ weather. I'm not a fan of being wet. By mid-day the rain had cleared enough that we suited up in our rain gear and went out for a walk along one of the shore paths. It was nice enough and we saw some NZ birds along the way and some cool seaweed on the rocks. At dusk, we went to a nearby area that is known for kiwi sightings, but unfortunately we didn't get to see any -- just lots of other birds hunting for worms in the rain-soaked field. The short rainforest trail we took was cool though, and haunting at night. It's nice to not have to worry about predators here.

 

naughty kea birds about to be fed on someone's porch

New Zealand wood pigeon (so big!)

rainforest walk

 

treated ourselves to fish & chips after the hike

The ferry back the next day was much better and calmer. We all stood at the back in the fresh air to avoid the claustrophobic feeling of the cabin, and it seemed to work and no one got sick this time.