Lake Rotoroa

The weather gods were kind to us today and blessed us with gorgeous weather. We made the most of the Sunshine and headed outside.

First up, Hamilton Gardens; a little kitsch in parts but beautifully maintained and an amazing variety of plants. As far as we can tell the gardens are mostly maintained by the students at the attached horticultural school. Props for the free labour, because you can see the sheer mountain of effort that is put into maintaining these grounds. The rose garden was stunning with an enormous variety of (you guessed it) roses. I particularly liked this speckled variety as it wasso different to any rose I'd seen before.

The afternoon was a walk up Te Aroha, I confess I knew very little about this walk other than it was about 10km long, offered 360 degree views and was considered one of the better walks in New Zealand according to an online walking guide. I wasn't expecting a thin track that had clearly suffered though last weeks storms. The climb was arduous in parts having to climb up rocks and exposed roots, combine that with a constant steep incline for two hours and I was pooped by the time I got to the top. By the way I looked it up, the incline was 952m. The view I was afforded was stunning and included views of the Bay of Plenty, Firth of Thames, back towards Hamilton and Kaimai-Mamaku range.

While I was exploring Erin had enjoyed a nap. We both now feeling refreshed enjoyed a nice pub meal to finish the day.

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