6. Rotorua and Taupo, New Zealand

We drove the 1 1/2 hours or so from Tauranga to Rotorua on the morning of the 8th of January. The city of Rotorua and surrounding area are world renowned for their geothermal activity. Geysers and boiling mud everywhere!

The city is pervaded by a smell of rotting eggs, caused by the high sulphur content of the air.

To get over the strains of the previous day, Úna took time out in the city's Polynesian Spa, while

Nick got a haircut. We then took a look around the city (a bit touristy) and moved on to a place called Whakarewarewa, one of the geothermal hotspots. It is also the site of a Maori marae (meeting place).

We got a tour of the marae and an introduction into aspects of the Maori culture, including the significance of the carvings or how to make clothes and rope from flax.
The geyser and boiling mud pools have to be seen to appreciate the heat and power in the geothermal

activity. The Pohutu Geyser erupted constantly while we were there. The hot steam added to what was already a hot day.

From Whakarewarewa we drove on to Lake Taupo and the amazing Huka Falls, a mighty waterfall

where New Zealand's largest river, the Waikato, is forced into a 4-metre wide ravine. The noise is incredible! Taupo itself is unremarkable except for the lake, a massive caldera that erupted in about 200 AD. We didn't linger here, though.