Our next stop was Rotarua. We got into town early, so we grabbed lunch Grub N Pub in Tupuo, and then we headed to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. This was a really cool park that was full of all kinds of geothermal features.

The scent of sulfur wafted through the air as we explored “The Devil’s Home”, “Rainbow Crater”, “Thunder Crater”, “Lake Ngakoro”, “The Devil’s Bath” and more. It was interesting to see how different each of these features were from each other, even though they were in the same location.

The colors, smells, chemistry, everything was different only a few feet away. Wai-O-Tapu really drove home the idea that there is still so much to learn about Mother Earth. You rarely get to experience somewhere both so dangerous and beautiful at the same time.

By the time we finished up at Wai-O-Tapu, it was time to check into the Holiday Inn Rotorua (now Rydges Rotorua). We were treated to a Kiwano Horned Melon as we checked in our room. An interesting spiky fruit with a green interior with seeds. Interesting taste, something between a kiwi and a cucumber. If you can find one, check it out.

One of the things I liked about Rotarua is the small ways in which they incorporated Māori culture into everyday life. We walked past a group of students near the lake performing a tiny haka, there was signage that measured things in ha as well as meters.

For dinner, we grabbed food at Lovely India, located in a nice shopping/dining district surrounded by nice parks. Admittedly, I haven’t talked much about food in New Zealand, because this was definitely not my favorite food country. Most of the stuff was down right bad. Not Lovely India though; this was some of the best indian food I’ve ever had.

For an app we ordered the mixed platter, which included vegetable samosa, mix pakora, chicken tikka and a seekh kebab. We also tried the tandoori chicken, prawn biryani, garlic naan, keema naan, and more. Seriously, if you’re in Rotorua, hit it up. It was the perfect meal to lead us into a chill/work day the next day as we got things done around the hotel like laundry, planning, ate some KFC, etc.

After some much needed RRP (Rest, Relaxation and Productivity), we jumped back in the car and headed to the buried village of Te Wairoa. This 1800’s British/Māori hybrid village that was set up for tourism to see the Pink and White Terraces. In 1886, Mt. Tarawera erupted, burying the town in mud and ash. This was a really cool site, and the level of excavation that was done and was still waiting to be done was very cool. They left some trails between exhibits buried so you felt like a real archaeologist exploring the site.

We didn’t get to see the Pink and White Terraces in person, because they were destroyed in the eruption, but they were apparently some of the largest silica sinter deposits on earth. It’s sad how quickly natural wonders can disappear forever.

We did explore the Wairere Falls (Te Waiora Falls), which were very beautiful. There were trails that took you to various views of the falls and the surrounding valley that were breath taking. We e were actually amazed with how green and lush everything was, because 130 years doesn’t seem that long, but nature had completely taken over all the mud, ash and lava that covered Te Wairoa and the surrounding area in the first place. People always worry about “what we’re doing to the Earth”, but locations like this show me that the Earth will be fine, the only things we’re really hurting are the flora and fauna we have evolved to interact with.

After Te Waiora, we visited the Blue Lake (Tikitapu) and Green Lake (Rotokakahi), which were honestly kind of lame after the waterfall area. I’m sure that they’re amazing areas to hike, camp, swim and explore, but for us, there had already been much better vistas for us to enjoy.

After our exploring we grabbed lunch at Ciabatta Cafe and Bakery. I grabbed the Brekkie, a bacon and egg sandwich on a parmesan and garlic focaccia, while Anne had a simple veggie roll. Both were pretty tasty (mostly thanks to the fresh baked bread) and did the job for lunch, but the real winner here is the desserts. We grabbed an assortment of their famous cronuts to taste. We did a Vanilla, Chocolate, streusel (cream filled) and a glazed twist. So good!

On our last day in Rotorua, we visited Whakarewarewa: The Living Māori Village. This attraction had great winding trails through geothermal features, and offered even more different takes on those sites. There was also a cultural show and on premises schools for woodworking and textiles. Additionally, there were recreations of Māori housing, ships, the main lodge and more. They also had a great shop, and more information about the educational and cultural significance of the attraction, as well as fun ways to support the community.

Afterwards, we headed over to Whakarewarewa Forest Park, home of Redwoods Treewalk. This forest is very close to the city center, and is part paid attraction, part park. We didn’t do the actual treewalk where you pay to head up on the man-made trails that take you between redwoods above the forest floor. We did however explore the redwoods from ground level. I’ve never been to Sequoia National Park in California, so this was my first experience with redwoods. These things were huge. The reason we didn’t have time to go up and do the whole experience is because we had reservations up on Aorangi Peak

As the sun began to hang low in the sky, we made our way to Aorangi Peak on Mount Ngongotaha. At ground level, you hop on a lift, and it takes you up to the peak where they have a restaurant, a car park, and walking trails. First we ate at the restaurant at Skyline Rotorua. They had a nice set up, kind of semi-formal, but when we went there was a buffet. We didn’t take pics because it wasn’t that kind of spot, but the food was pretty good.

After dinner, we still had some sunlight left so we walked around and explored, watched kids race down the peak at the car park, and took in the views and nature. When the sun dropped we were finally able to do a little stargazing. The weather was beautiful, and I tried my hand at astrophotography. Needless to say, I’m an amateur. It’s funny how some skills don’t readily transfer to others, but I was eager to keep trying my hand. Sad to say, years later, I’m still pretty light weight in that arena.

It was a pretty perfect last day in Rotorua, but it was time to get back on the road. Stay tuned for the final leg of our road trip as we head to Whitianga!