Rotorua - Day 3

It was a slow start this morning. I needed to polish my nails, in anticipation of a spending some time in the thermal pools. This time I remembered to leave my socks off until the polish dried! Then we stopped for the necessary cup of latte on the way into town. I love the coffee in this country.

Finally we arrived at the Government Gardens, which were full of flowering azaleas as well as steam rising out from holes in the ground and a strong smell of sulphur. I did notice though that no longer does the steam and sulphur smell come out of the gutters in the streets. If you fancy playing croquet or lawn bowls than these gardens are the place to come to.

The museum (admission price of $12.50 each) was well worth a visit. It used to be the old Bath House which offered alternative medical treatments, such as electrical currents added to your spa. The acid in the water played havoc with the pipes so everything did not always go according to plan. We view some of the old treatment rooms and they did not look pleasant. The main displays were based on Maori history, Maori involvement in World War 2 and the eruption of MtTarawera. We watched a film of the eruption which was very authentic as the noise was horrific. Added to the realism was the fact that the seats we were sitting moved as if we were actually there. Very scary! The display was excellent and very emotional.

We learnt much about the local Maori history and the people who lived here. There was an extensive collection of taonga (treasures) of Te Arawa , the local iwi (tribe), such as woodcarving, flax weaving and jade.

We went right up to the viewing platform on the rooftop which had a very good of the town.

We then went across to have a look at the Blue Baths, which have been renovated after being closed from 1982 to 1999. There is still a swimming pool at the back but the pool I swam in is now a conference centre. Luckily we did not have our swim suits with us otherwise we would have gone in there. Instead we walked across to the Polynesian Spa which was a very smart affair and offered so much more. There were many options but we took the $21 per person option to use the Adult Pools & Priest Spa. We had to hire bathing suits and towels which added to the cost ($10 each). There were only a few people there and we had a marvellous view over the lake. There were three Priest Spa pools (39 to 42 degrees) which were very sulphurous (acidity). This water received the name of Priest because a priest used the water to cure severe arthritis. These pools are meant to have therapeutic properties. There were also three small pools of 29 degrees and a large exercise pool which were alkaline. We spent about two hours there and felt wonderful when we finished – it really does work. I also bought some Rotorua mud so that I can continue to beautify my skin after I leave.

After that we went to a pub and had a drink and then went to a Turkish Pizza place and had pizza with unusual toppings – mine was called Aussie and the topping consisted of prawns and sweet chilli sauce. It was delicious. Walter had an Greek pizza which had lots of red onions, feta and olives. A great finish to an interesting day.