Lake Okareka Reserve

Not much travel today, just action.
Rained most of the night and the morning didn't offer much hope for a sumny day but we had plans so headed out after brekky to the other side of town to Canopy Tours for a Zipline experience. Zipline is where you are attached to a steel cable which is attached to 2 trees and then you zip along that cable.
What a great experience this morning was, without sounding like an advert for the company we went with, everything was outstanding. Sue was in fine form and created a great fun mood that everyone, including the 2 guides got right into the spirit.
After getting geared up, we were bundled into a mini van and driven about 15km out of town when they have set up their tour in an unlogged conservation area. We were taken on a 10 min walk thru the rainforest till we reached the 1st platform. A safety briefing, then we were sent 1 by 1 on our first zip line, set way up in the trees. Our party of 10 was mostly beginners so a bit of trepidation first up but then everyone was busting to get to the next zipline. 7 ziplines in total and 2 rope bridges. By the last 1 some of us we going off backwards & Simon successfully went upside down. It was showering but hardly noticeable under the rainforest canopy. The highest zipline was 22m off the ground.
At the end we had about 15min walk back, stopping a couple of time with our guides telling us how they use part of our entry fee to fund pest eradication projects in this area to allow native birds to recover in numbers.
After 3 1/2 hours we were debriefed, un loaded and sent on our way.
With some time to kill we headed into town and lunch a park which is dotted with natural hot springs, mud pools & stink of sulphur. As is the norm on this trip, it began raining before we finished lunch. So after a quick look around we went in search of a real geyser only to find the bigger ones are all locked away in private tourist areas, not for us today.
Through the rain we drove about 20 mins to our next activity, the Hells Gate, mud pools & geo-thermal park. Just as we arrived the staff we setting up for a traditional performance, we were allowed to sit in (at no extra cost). Consisted of 3 men & 3 women, Maori, performing some songs and stories from their family, from this very area. Lovely singing was very nice.
Time to get dirty - we got our gear, got changed and next thing we are sitting in a pool, covering ourselves in the black mud that is supposed to be heaps good for you. 20mins is allowed, then a shower and into the hot thermal pool for a relaxing soak before another shower to wash off the sulphur. Only Peter wsx silly enough to go in the ice cold plunge pool between other pools., no sense! Was raining, again, so we didn't do the walk through the geo thermal area.
Was getting dark as we found our way back to the caravan park in time for a drink, chat, some washing was done on the smelly clothes that had accumulated, dinner and early night declared as the rain tumbled down some more.

Weather was cool and showers to rain all day, did not really see the sun at all.

Highlights
*Ziplining,
*Ziplining in some amazing rainforest
* Ziplining with a great company and a good group.
* relaxing in a 40C mud bath, followed by a 40C thermal pool.
* getting to hear some lovely Maori singing
* should say that rain is a highlight but we are getting over it, the idea of campervsn is to enjoy the outdoors, but eating all meals indoors is not quite the same.Read more