the 'Artist's Palette' and Emerald Lake at Wai-o-Tapu

08.11.09 Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Reserve

examples of the amazing scenery at Wai-o-Tapu thermal reserve

Lady Knox geyser erupting

the 'Devil's Cauldron'

the 'Artist's Palette'

We made an early start from our DOC campsite on Lake Rerewhakaaitu (a peaceful spot near the volcano Mount Tarawera, which shaped the Rotorua area when it erupted in 1886) so as to reach Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Reserve before Lady Knox geyser blows at 10.15am (it's 'persuaded' to go by a park ranger with some 'special soap'). The whole area is active when we arrive, clouds of sulphurous steam rises through the fir trees and reminds us of scenes from Jurassic Park. We take the signposted walk round the park passing huge craters bubbling mud and steam to the first main attraction so-called 'Artists Palette' for its vast array of mineral colours in its waters. It's a run-off lake from 'Champagne Pool' (it's bubbling surface is reminiscent of champagne, but I bet it wouldn't taste like it- arsenic is present in the orange powder edging the lake along with other toxic chemicals). 'Champagne Pool' sits atop a giant fissure in the earth's crust which drops more than 60 metres. Nearby sits another off-shoot named 'Devil's Cauldron', which I can only describe as a crater full of pea soup, the colour was so acid green. We're impressed by further craters oozing fluorescent yellow sulphur and dark grey mud pools spouting and burping. As time approaches 10 we all make our way to Lady Knox geyser for the 10.15 show. A park ranger explains that soap triggered the geyser when convicts from a local prison decided to wash their clothes in the warm thermal waters and sure enough they got a big surprise when their underwear shot 20 metres into the air. Now, every day, Lady Knox is made to go off for the viewing public and it's quite a sight but I have to move away from where I'm sitting at first because I get showered with cold water when she blows. After the excitement dissipates we finish off our tour of the park taking in the apple green-turquoise lake and the vast mineral terraces formed by the run-off water. As it's a boiling hot day we can't resist a dip in the thermal spring nearby, a spot that attracts many 'dippers'. It's a pleasant sensation of hot and cold as its a meeting point of two separate rivers.

07.11.09 Whakatewara Forest

We say goodbye to Rotorua and head out to Whakatewara Forest of Californian Redwood, Fir and Eucalypt for a 3 hour hike to burn off some of those calories. It's a beautiful warm, sunny day and the forest walk proves very pleasant.

Ohinemutu- (brush with the NZ Mitchell clan)

Henry Mitchell's gravestone at Ohinemutu St Faiths Church and the 'Tai Mitchell' ceremonial bell housed nearby at the sacred Moari meeting house

example of intricate Moari carving on the side of the Te Arawa tribal meeting house

Back in Rotorua town we take a stroll down to Ohinemutu Moari village next to the lakeshore to view the Christian church which has Moari wooden carvings inside and the Te Arawa tribal meeting house. As we approach the church the caretaker comes over to us and starts explaining about the gravestones, pointing out the biggest one belonging to Henry Walker Mitchell. I tell him my maiden name's Mitchell and he's delighted by this because it turns out there were many Mitchells who lived in this area, in fact it was renowned as Mitchellville. He tells us Henry Mitchell was a crook though, because he took a lot of Moari land round the lakeshore as payment for surveying it! So, in actual fact, the Mitchell name is tarred out here. He had a big family who took over the township and many married local Moaris. He tells us his wife is one of the last generation of Mitchells and he's so proud to have found another of her namesake, we are taken to be introduced to her and their son, with whom I exchange email addresses so as to keep in touch. They've done a lot of historical research into the Mitchell family and they promise to send me a copy so as I can read it and show other Mitchells! (dad) He proceeds to give us an unofficial tour of the Moari site he maintains including his own house, which sits on the site, to show us his thermally heated outdoor bathroom and the wooden flagpole engraved in Moari and English used in procession when the Royal family visit, which he keeps in his garden shed! We get shown round the convention centre where he cooks hangi (traditional Moari meal) for hundreds of people whenever there's a special event (he steams most of the food using the boiling hot water from under the ground) including the official Royal visits. And the impressive Moari meeting house, normally closed to the public, which is intricately carved with totems lining its walls, interspersed with tortura reed weaves. We feel extremely privileged to have been shown round by him but I think he's enjoyed just as much telling us all his many stories about the history and his family, because he's found another Mitchell!

Kaituna White Water Rafting (Kaitiaki Rafting Co.)

one of many Grade V rapids

We opt for another bout of white water action down the Kaituna river, 10km outside Rotorua, where the ultimate highlight is a 7 metre drop waterfall rapid. As it turns out 7 metres is more like 3.5 but it's still enough to write home about and enough to get the adrenalin high going. Our raft guide Joel does his best to hype it up, reciting an ancient Moari prayer for good luck and getting one of our crew members to throw a symbolic silver fern leaf over her shoulder into the water and, if it lands green side up, we'll survive. It's our turn so we paddle hard up to the edge then jump down into the raft, tuck in our chins and hold on to the ropes for dear life. We go over headlong and get sucked into the splash pool before emerging victorious. We made it!

Thereafter follows some more pretty serious rapids, each one a significant drop and we get the option to float over one swimming, holding on to the boat and another standing up inside the boat- 'the first one to sit down buys the first round of drinks'. Another fun-filled rafting experience (it's becoming one of my favourite activities) and its on to the relaxing Wia Ora Mud Bath and Spa just around the corner. The volcanic mud is renowned to contain many healing properties and certainly I notice my skin to be very soft afterwards, but you aren't to stay in for more than 20 minutes and, to be honest, the sulphurous smell gets quite overwhelming. We sweat it out in a hot pool with a view out to the thermal reserve behind us from where the mud is gathered for the baths and the water is pumped for the pools.

05.11.09 - 06.11.09 Rotorua

Kiwi Paka Backpackers Hostel camp ground

a drain in Rotorua- notice the steam venting from it!

Rotorua is the most active volcanic town in New Zealand with thermal pools, geysers and bubbling sulphurous streams covering the entire area. It sits on the banks of Lake Rotorua, one of the biggest inland water sources in New Zealand and is surrounded by pretty, innocent looking green countryside but who knows what's happening only inches below the earth's crust. Our camping ground is located near Kuirau Park which has many thermal pools, bubbling away, producing continuous hot steam clouds. This area of parkland was the most recent to have significant activity and erupted only in 2003. Inhabitants of Rotorua don't seem to be too concerned by threats of boiling hot explosions- they have developed ways of harnassing and controlling the endless source of heat energy below their feet. Most houses have a water pipe directly pumping hot water into their taps and under floor heating for free, which keeps their houses toasty warm 365 days of the year.

04.11.09 Coromandel Peninsula

Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove

After stopping back in Auckland at Bamber House again, for one night, to pick up our registration document for the van and do our laundry, we decided to tackle the Coromandel Peninsula as our next port of call. And what drew us there first and foremost was the alluring idea of Hot Water beach on the eastern coast, where thermal hot springs beneath the sand bubble to the surface and, if you dig deep enough, you can create your very own spa pool. The waters are most active two hours before and after low tide which today occured at 3pm so when we arrived just after 1pm, we were perfectly timed to catch the heat, but also the many other tourists who'd had the same idea. Everyone'd hired a spade each from the local shop cum cafe to dig their own private pool but, as we found out, the springs were only really hot at certain points so we ended up gatecrashing someone else's pool. They didn't mind though and we proceeded to get to know them pretty well, chatting away as the hot water warmed our tootsies, sometimes proving too hot to handle (it can reach 58 degrees celsius). It was a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours, being bathed in hot water overlooking a stunning beach setting and later on, when the tide starts to come in, our handmade pools will be washed away, a virgin beach awaiting the next horde of tourists tomorrow. We got dried off and headed up the coast a few km to another tourist magnet, Cathedral Cove, so-called because of the way the sea waters have formed a tunnel in the volcanic cliff which resembles a cathedral vault.

view of Te Whanganui-a-Hei Marine Reserve

Cathedral Cove

The cove itself was picturesque but the panoramic views of the Te Whanganui-a-Hei Marine Reserve with its many rocky islands and the fern forest walk down to Cathedral Cove proved stunning in themselves. Foxgloves lined our path down through Pukuhatawa fern forest. The Pukuhatawa fern is the country's national emblem, used on the All Blacks shirts notably, and is justly so, as it appears almost everywhere along the forested roadsides and is very pretty, especially when seen against the sun's rays. Our road driving so far has encompassed mainly green scenery against blue skies with the odd bright red mailbox or corrugated iron roof punctuating the landscape. The range of greens is diverse with a huge variety of foliage from fir, kauri, fern, grass, gorse, palm and thistle.