Rotorua

Another long list of things to do today. We started off at Okere Falls. A nice short walk along a river that took us past various waterfalls. Staring out at the falls we wondered if anyone kayaked and rafted them because they were so large. To our surprise a short while later we heard excited voiced going down the river. This was a popular kayaking and rafting route. We hadn’t originally wanted to raft but this looked like some much fun we couldn’t pass on the opportunity. Looking further into it after the walk we learned this was the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the southern hemisphere at 7m. This was now added to our Rotorua to-do list.

We next headed to Hamurana Springs for a walk amongst Red Woods. I have always wanted to go see redwoods and haven’t yet made it down to San Francisco so this was a real treat. These red woods were young and only 100 years old but they towered overhead and were amazing to behold. It was a really tranquil walk that led through a small patch of redwoods along the Hamanure Spring and a golf course. The spring itself was interesting as the water bubbled upward out of a cave and is not running down from above. It takes about 70 years for water to move through the aquifer and out the spring. The water is so clear it was hard not to go for a swim but the signs prohibit it.

For the afternoon we rented mountain bikes at Red Wood Forest back in town. This was some of the most fun we have had on the trip. The trails were amazing and wound through redwoods and up and down the hillside. Considering our lack of mountain bike experience we did easier trails but they still had some technical corners and obstacles. The park is so extensive we were on the bikes for 3 hours and hadn’t repeated any tracks. We finished the ride with our biggest and longest descent. I may have to buy a mountain bike back home because it was so fun. It seemed like everyone in Rotorua must own a mountain bike.

We headed south to a different campsite that was closer to the next day’s activity.Læs mere