The volcanic activity attracts a lot of tourists, so Rotorua is really a "Town of Motels". For some reason (undoubtedly due to economic competition), every one of the thousands of hotel and motel rooms in Rotorua has an "In Room Spa Bath". Ours was no exception. It was big enough to sit six (not that we had six people to test it out). Our motel also had a mini-golf course, a playground, a pool, a gym, and extremely well equipped rooms. Great place to stay.
Today we went out to Waimangu Volcanic Valley, a few miles away from Rotorua. You walk (or take a shuttle bus) down the valley, ending up a big lake (Lake Rotomahana). The lake was formed during the 1886 explosion that reformed the area. Before the explosion, there were magnificent formations called the Pink and White Terraces that attracted people from around the world (at a time when New Zealand was very hard to get to). The Terraces were instantly obliterated, and the area is now covered by a hundred feet or more of water. It was a spectacular walk, with the highlight being the Inferno Crater, a brilliant light blue color. The most amazing thing was the amount of natural wildlife (ferns, trees, black swans, and more) right next to areas that are boiling hot (some of the pools are well over 100 degrees Celsius, with the minerals increasing the boiling point of the water.
Ilona also used the new camera for the first time, so you will see a few pictures of her with it.
We went a little crazy on picture taking today, with the three of us taking more than 350 photos. Here are a few, with some more in an album for the really keen.
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| Click for the Waimangu Valley Album |
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