Rotorua region

The next stop on our highlights tour was Rotorua. The first thing to notice was the distinct and intense smell of sulfur all over the town. Unbelievable how people could live with that for a long period of time. Maybe you get used to it... So we explored the city in an afternoon and there's a lot going on: Many hot pools, Geothermal activity, Maori culture... There we also tried the traditional Maori food Hangis, a mashup of all kinds of local ingredients (Kumara, a sweet potato; potatoes...) that is slow cooked in holes in the Earth using the thermal heat. Not a definite recommendation but worth a try :)
Besides that we sticked to the Tourist attractions: South of Rotorua is the Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland, a quite expensive park with all kinds of thermal activities like a Geysir and smoking colourful water holes. Next to it was a pretty cool attraction for free, the Mud Pools. A bubbling mass of dirt.Read more