Rotorua

The weather this morning was very windy with low misty cloud. So we set off to drive 45 km of twisty gravel road to Ruatahuna feeling a just a little nervous. This turned out to be unfounded, except for a section high above the lake, where the road was extremely narrow, with a very long drop to the water and a very gusty wind. When we arrived at Ruatahuna, the only place we have found that serves instant coffee, the tearooms were in even worse condition than they were 45 years ago. The people were very friendly and chatty. We continued along more twisty gravel roads (with horses and cattle wandering around) until we finally reached bitumen and our telephones started bleeping again.

The first stop in Rotorua was at the Waimangu (Black Water) Volcanic Valley. The weather suddenly became sunny which was very much appreciated. Waimangu Valley is the only hydrothermal system in the world that can be recorded from the date that it commenced on 10^th June 1886, when Mt Tarawera exploded and created a series of craters. Since then there have been other geothermal activities which have caused changes to the area and scientists have been able to plot the activities as well as monitor the plant life. When Mt Tarawera erupted in 1886 more than 100 people were killed, as well as all the wildlife and vegetation. The pink and white terraces were also destroyed. The valley is fascinating and it is like walking on another planet with hot water bubbling everywhere and steam rising out of every crevice. There are pretty coloured terraces which have been created out of all the minerals present in the water. There are now trees and plants which have adapted to the very warm conditions. We walked down a path (took about 2 hours) and came back on a bus (uphill). A totally fascinating area and well worth the $62 entrance (Senior’s price). We are in a Top 10 Holiday Park ($42) opposite the Blue Lake. Tomorrow we are going to visit the Hidden Village (a result of the 1886 eruption) and Lake Tarawera as well as the big tourist trap, Whakarewarewa, to see the mud pools and geysers. It could be a very expensive day!