Rotorua

OK, this town is officially crazy. Fascinatingly so! You just walk down the street and a part of the sidewalk is closed off. And when you get closer you hear and see why, as water is audibly boiling just under the stones and little amounts of steam come through.

Then you walk on into a park and see loads of hot springs, mud pools and pools in which you can put your aching feet. And intermittently - depending on the wind - you are surrounded by the smell of rotten eggs, in other words there is heaps of volcanic activity going on here. Feels weird to see all this steam, but the moment you don't see it anymore is when you should get worried we were told, so all good there ;).

On our second day we hitchhiked to the famed Wai-o-Tapu volcanic wonderland. Amazing! Awesome colours, lot's of hot water and mud, active fumaroles and steam vents. This volcanic field is so active, it provides 5 per cent of New Zealand's energy supply.

On our last evening here, we went to see the other thing Rotorua is famous for, the Maori culture. In opposition to Australia, the native culture here is very visible and embraced. We booked an evening in a village which includes explanations and demonstrations of the rituals, customs, music, dance and the famous haka as well as a traditional meal cooked under earth. Overall a great evening, although quite big groups of tourists which give it a bit of a weird feel.Read more